Author's Notes: Back by surprisingly popular demand is the final chapter of "The Sixth Component". In keeping with tradition, this chapter is a long one. In fact, it may be one of my longest chapters yet. This was necessary though to make sure the pacing wasn't too rushed. Truth be told, I probably could've done more, but this fic was never meant to be a long one. So once again I say goodbye to a fanfic project, which is both a happy and bittersweet moment. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I also hope you will review this final chapter :)

Chapter 5

The Gift of Friendship

Huffer didn't recharge a wink after coming back from his building assignment with Mixmaster. Long Haul was going to be the next Constructicon he was assigned to work for, and he was anxious about what he had to do. Huffer had the acid bottle neatly tucked away in his frame and would be ready to strike when next his cuffs were removed. He hated that Long Haul would have to suffer, but it was the only way to get rid of Devastator once and for all. It was for the good of the universe.

Huffer sat on his cot and thought all night. He thought about his friends on the Ark, his tormentors on the Nemesis, and his mission. He also wondered how Brawn was holding up, and wondered if anyone was even trying to rescue him. These thoughts weren't new, but he just couldn't seem to focus on anything else.

Finally, after several hours of getting lost in his own processor, Long Haul finally showed up to his cell to unlock his bonds and take him for his shift. Huffer wondered what sort of demeaning tasks Long Haul would force him to do, and then remembered that it didn't matter since he wouldn't have long to enjoy Huffer's services anyway.

Frag it. I sound like a Decepticon! Huffer thought bitterly. Oh well, if this is what it takes...

Long Haul didn't say anything as he led Huffer down the now familiar path to the Constructicons' labs. That was unusual, since Long Haul liked to talk. Huffer didn't break the silence either however, because that just made his job easier.

Finally they made it to the labs, but instead of going into Long Haul's office they instead opened the door to Scrapper's, where it was impossible to see inside due to the lights being out.

"Hey wait a breem! What's goin' on?" Huffer asked accusingly.

"Well Huffer, you've been doing great as a servant, but we Constructicons just don't think you're cut out to be our slave anymore," Long Haul said cryptically, "So, we've decided your fate, and now you're gonna come face to face with your destiny."

Huffer gasped when Long Haul pushed him into the dark room and then followed after him. The door shut, and Huffer was surrounded by pitch blackness. He was terrified of what Long Haul was going to do to him when suddenly the lights flashed on and temporarily blinded the poor minibot.

"Surprise!" The entire group of Constructicons shouted at once.

"What the-? Wha?" Huffer stammered as he looked around the room.

The Constructicons were surrounding Huffer and all seemed to be smiling (it was hard to tell with those who wore face masks). There were hundreds of tiny balloons floating on the ceiling, and stacks of high grade energon on a buffet table. The banner hung across the room read 'Welcome Huffer'. Now the minibot was really confused.

"Congratulations Huffer!" Long Haul cheered as he slapped the little Autobot on his back/hardtop, "We all took a vote, and we decided you're ready!"

"Ready? Ready for what?" Huffer asked nervously.

"Ready to become a Constructicon," Scrapper answered in a jovial tone of voice, "I know we gave you a hard time, but we had to test your work ethic. Now that we know you're industrious and have a high level of endurance, we've convinced Megatron to allow you to become a Decepticon."

"Oh, really?" Huffer asked; trying not to look suspicious as he tucked the acid bottle further into his hardtop with his elbow, "That's, uh...great!"

"You can thank Long Haul for this one," Bonecrusher informed him, "Personally I don't see what's so special about you, but Long Haul said more Constructicons are better. I guess I can agree with that. Our numbers give us a lot of power with the Decepticons, and adding to that can't be a bad thing."

"I've got the paint!" Mixmaster suddenly shouted gleefully as he ran in front of all of them with two large barrels in his arms, "Y-Y-You're gonna look fabulous!"

"Paint? What's with the paint?" Huffer asked; not liking where this was going.

"Relax, pal," Long Haul replied encouragingly, "We're gonna paint you green and purple, the official colors of the Constructicons. I know you can't combine with us, but this is still an important first step for you to be accepted by the other Decepticons. At first I thought you were just trying to hurt us, but now I see the truth. The Autobots took you for granted, pushed into an assignment you weren't ready for, and then abandoned you when things got tough. Well don't worry pal, you'll never be alone again. After the party I got you a gift. You're gonna love it!"

"Can I work the spray-paint gun? Can I? Can I?" Scavenger pleaded with Mixmaster.

"No! That's my my my job!" Mixmaster snapped as he snatched the spray gun away from the eager excavator.

Huffer was cornered. He considered throwing the acid at all of them and making a run for it, but that would never work. There wasn't enough acid to incapacitate all of them, and he would just get captured by the other Decepticons anyway. He couldn't refuse the paint because it was a gesture of goodwill, and until further notice he was still undercover. Huffer had to see this through.

Huffer shuttered his optics in preparation of Mixmaster spraying the paint, but before that happened Bonecrusher came by with a belt sander and pressed down on his chassis! Huffer yelped in pain as his Autobot sigil was sanded down into nothing, and Scrapper held him in place so he couldn't escape the treatment.

When it was finished Huffer panted in relief, but it didn't last long as Mixmaster came at him with the paint gun. Huffer shuttered his optics again as he was doused in green and purple liquid. He only opened his optics again when he felt someone slap his chassis really hard, and looked down to see someone had pressed a Decepticon sigil into his freshly green painted chassis.

"It looks weird to have such a short Constructicon," Bonecrusher commented as he eyed their handiwork.

"Who cares? Huffer was built for this job," Long Haul insisted, "Don't worry pal, I'll show you the ropes. Oh, before I forget, here's your gift! Don't open it until you get back to your quarters."

"You mean my jail cell?" Huffer snidely remarked even as he held the thin box with the foil wrapping and red ribbon.

"Naw, we got you a better place," Scrapper informed him, "We're gonna build you your own lab once you select a field of interest, but until then you'll be stayin' in the room next to Reflector's. For some reason nobody wanted to be next door to them. Can't imagine why. They're quiet and unobtrusive."

"Gee, well, thanks," Huffer replied awkwardly, "This is...one of the most interestin' orns of my life."

"Hey, the party's not over yet!" Scavenger reminded them, "Let's all get cratered!"

Cheers of joy could be heard from the rest of the Constructicons, and Huffer was quickly led to the energon table to indulge in some high grade with the rest of the group. Huffer felt ashamed of looking like them and wearing the Decepticon logo, but at the same time it was almost touching how much trouble they went to for him. Long Haul especially seemed encouraging and supportive of Huffer, and that alone made Huffer feel like a real heel for what he was planning to do to him. How could he kill someone that treated him better than almost anyone else?

That night Huffer slept in a real berth for the first time in days. The room was big and kind of cold. It seemed like every room on the Nemesis was cold; likely due to being so far down in the ocean. Huffer looked down at his servos again, and then his green painted arm. He hadn't recognized himself in the mirror when the Constructicons were through with him. He really did look like a shorter version of them.

He turned over and then heard a slight clinking noise from inside his hardtop. Oh yeah, it was the little bottle of acid. Huffer tried to pull it out of his hardtop compartment, but the bottle got stuck. Huffer pulled and pulled in a vain effort to get the bottle out, but it wouldn't budge.

He finally gave it one more hard yank, and then instantly regretted it as boiling acid poured out from the broken bottle and all over Huffer's internals, back, chassis, and servo.

"YAAAHH!" Huffer yelled for all he was worth as he jumped out of the berth and ran out the door.

He knew he had mere moments before the acid ate through to his spark chamber. He had to get help immediately! He ran back to the Constructicons' area and into Hook's medbay. The medbay was empty since it was their night cycle, but fortunately Hook was still there rearranging various tools and medicines.

Huffer was still screaming when he ran into the room and hoisted himself onto an available berth. Hook ran up to him immediately and saw the acid and glass shards littering Huffer's body.

"What in the pit happened to you!?" Hook shouted in equal parts worry and anger.

"Later!" Huffer gasped as he held his corroding servo in a tight fist, "Help me!"

Hook set to work right away with removing the hardtop and cleaning the acid away using a special chemical he kept for such occasions. That part didn't take very long, and Huffer sighed in instant relief. Hook spent much more time picking out the little pieces of glass in Huffer's back and chassis, all the while trying to figure out how they got there in the first place.

"Huffer, where did you get corrosive acid?" Hook asked suspiciously as he continued to clean the wound.

"Uh, uh, I brought it from the Ark," Huffer lied, "Yeah, I keep it around in case I need to melt down somethin' while I'm workin'."

"Oh really?" Hook sneered, "Then where did this sticker come from, hm?"

Hook held up a piece of glass with a partially torn purple sticker on it, and Huffer realized he'd been caught when he recognized the sticker as being of Decepticon origin.

"Alright, I admit it. I stole it from Bonecrusher," Huffer confessed, but hoping to escape the death penalty he added, "I thought you guys might execute me, so I kept the acid around in case I needed to break free of my handcuffs. I at least wanted the dignity of tryin' to get away if it came to that."

"I would hardly call that dignity," Hook scoffed haughtily, "I'm not pleased with you right now, but I suppose any one of us would have done the same. Besides, I would say being corroded by the very acid you stole is punishment enough. That being said, it's going to take a lot to keep me from going to Scrapper with this information."

"Guess I shoulda seen that comin'," Huffer sighed, "Alright Doc, name your price."

"You have to retrieve a scalpel Scavenger borrowed from me," Hook replied with a sinister smile on his face plate.

"That's it? No problem," Huffer replied confidently.

"Good. The scalpel has a blue handle and a blade designed to cut through large fuel lines," Hook explained, "Also the handle has a glyph on it that says Made In Kaon. I do believe they make the best cutting tools in Kaon. Of course with the gladiatorial arena being in Kaon, that's not exactly surprising. Good luck, little minicon."

Huffer hated being called a minicon, but he put up with it. After all, all he needed to do was keep up this charade until the Autobots rescued him. Problem was, how was he going to explain to them that he failed to kill Long Haul? Worse yet, how did he explain that Long Haul didn't deserve to die?

Huffer went to Scavenger's room and knocked three times. Scavenger was in deep recharge, so he didn't wake up. Huffer got annoyed standing in the doorway, so he tried the door to see if it was locked. Wonder of wonders, it was unlocked!

Huffer walked inside, or at least tried to, because immediately he bumped into a large wooden box. Huffer stopped and looked into the room, and his jaw dropped. Scavenger had piled up his quarters with wall to wall junk! There was stuff hanging from the walls and stuff cluttering the floor. There were boxes, old rusty parts, random earth items, random Cybertron items, random items from other worlds, and tucked away in the corner was a berth filled with stuff and just barely enough room for Scavenger to recharge. Huffer wondered how he slept like that without falling off the edge, and also how he navigated the room when there was only one narrow hallway.

No wonder Hook was so happy. Huffer thought bitterly. He is punishin' me! He wants me to get lost in here along with the rest of Scavenger's junk! Well I'll show him, I'll find that stupid scalpel and carve my name on his door.

Huffer barely fit in the hall Scavenger kept clear, which made Huffer wonder how a big guy like Scavenger navigated this limited space. He climbed over a box full of buckets with moss growing on it and landed on a stack of human-sized papers that nearly caused him to slip. Huffer grabbed the box for balance, and winced when he felt the stupid squishy moss between his digits.

He continued to search boxes, bags, and piles of stuff for the scalpel, but he couldn't find it no matter where he looked. He sighed longsufferingly, and Scavenger heard the noise and woke up!

"Huh? Whazzat? Oh, hey Huffer. What are you doing in my quarters?" Scavenger asked groggily as he tried to get his bearings.

"Hook wants his scalpel back and sent me to get it," Huffer explained; grateful for once it was the truth.

"I'm not surprised he sent you," Scavenger grumbled, "Nobody ever visits me in my quarters. Even Long Haul gets more visitors! Last year someone went to visit him, once, and that's still more than me! Most mechs just go to my lab. So which scalpel did Hook want? I've borrowed several over the vorns."

"The blue one that was made in Kaon," Huffer told him.

"Oh yeah, that one," Scavenger nodded, "It's in that old energon cube on top of the chest of drawers where I keep every blade I've ever collected. I'm hoping to find enough time to use these blades to make a rock crusher that can also slice and dice scrap metal. Don't worry Huffer, I'll find it for you."

Scavenger then got off his berth in one graceful fluid motion and then walked through the trash piles like a mountain goat scaling a cliff. It looked impossible to Huffer, but Scavenger navigated like a pro; most likely because it was his home. He got to the drawers and sorted through the cube full of old sharp objects until he found the blade Huffer had been sent for. The scalpel was rusted and bent at an odd angle, and Huffer dreaded giving that ruined thing back to Hook.

"Here you go, little fella," Scavenger said cheerfully as he handed Huffer the scalpel, "Hey, as long as you're here, you wanna check out my candy wrapper collection? I've got candy wrappers from all over the planet!"

Huffer really, really didn't want to stay in this junkyard any longer than necessary, but Scavenger looked so eager for a friend to talk to. Huffer hated himself for giving in so easily, but nonetheless he reluctantly sighed and nodded. Scavenger dumped a bunch of cans full of nails off of a chair and offered it to Huffer. Huffer sat down and prepared himself for a long night of pretending to be interested in Scavenger's collection of garbage.

The next day Megatron ordered the Constructicons to get to work on repairing the space bridge portal they kept in the Rocky Mountains. Huffer was allowed to go as well, but not before several Decepticons made jokes about the Constructicons' new pet Autobot. It really angered Huffer, but he didn't want to start a fight he couldn't win, so he let it go for the moment.

The seven mechs got on the small transport ship, and after a few breems everyone started coughing and holding their nose cones.

"Phew! Scavenger, you smell wor-wor-worse today!" Mixmaster exclaimed in disgust.

"It isn't merely Scavenger. I think Huffer forgot to shower," Hook commented.

"I didn't forget," Huffer smirked mischievously.

"What? You dirty turbo rat!" Bonecrusher shouted.

"Yeah, literally," Long Haul laughed, "Lemme guess, Hook sent you on an errand?"

"Yep," Huffer replied unapologetically, "It's a shame you couldn't join us Hook, Scavenger has the biggest collection of Rolo foil I've ever seen."

Scrapper, Long Haul, Bonecrusher and Mixmaster all laughed at that one, but Hook pouted due to the smell and Scavenger pouted because no one else wanted to see his candy wrapper collection. Huffer didn't really care about it either, but he didn't want to get on the excavator's bad side. Scavenger could be wily when he was upset, and the last thing Huffer needed was to be beaten to a pulp and added to that crazy mech's collection.

They arrived at the space bridge site and Scrapper immediately started giving orders. Huffer and Long Haul were the only ones not given a task right away since their job was to haul debris and there was none. This meant they were both leaning against the side of the ship so they could stay in the shade while awaiting orders.

"I heard you were in the medbay last night," Long Haul started the conversation after a few minutes of relaxed silence, "What happened? Did you drink too much energon at the party?"

"Nah, I just had an accident in my recharge," Huffer replied casually.

"I know what that's like," Long Haul replied sympathetically, "I used to wet the berth all the time when I was a sparkling and didn't really stop until I was 10 vorns old."

"Not that kind of accident!" Huffer snapped defensively, "I just, I spilled somethin'."

"What was it?" Long Haul asked curiously, and Huffer dreaded answering him.

"Well...I had some corrosive acid in my hardtop," Huffer told him, "It broke and I had to get to Hook before it ate through to my spark."

"Where did you get acid?" Long Haul asked, his full attention on Huffer now.

"I, uh, I brought it from the Ark and forgot about it," Huffer lied feebly, "You know how it is. When you build stuff sometimes tools and chemicals get misplaced, that's all."

"You don't work with chemicals, Huffer," Long Haul pointed out skeptically, "In fact, if I remember correctly you're just a laborer."

"Yeah, well..." Huffer was running out of excuses, and he finally trailed off without saying anything.

"You stole it from the Nemesis," Long Haul accused with sudden realization, "You were going to use that stuff against Megatron!"

"Megatron? No, I wasn't!" Huffer exclaimed in surprise, "I could never get close enough to Megatron for that kind of stunt! Besides, his armor is too thick."

"Then why did you take it, Huffer?" Long Haul growled as he looked over the minibot threateningly.

"I...I...I...was gonna use it on...you," Huffer admitted shamefully as he scrunched into himself awaiting whatever punishment was coming.

"Me?" Long Haul asked softly; shocked and hurt, "Why me? It is because I was the one that captured you?"

"No Long Haul, it's because I volunteered to do it," Huffer confessed; his voice subdued and his optics staring down at the ground, "I don't wanna do it anymore, but at the time I would've given anythin' to kill you and destroy Devastator forever. You guys have killed so many of my friends over the vorns. Brawn might die too, and I just couldn't let you get away with that. My brother was killed by Decepticons. My world was torn apart by you guys. I can see now that there's more to you than that, and that both sides of the war can have good people. It don't matter though. Even if I like you and a couple other 'Cons, well...you're still 'Cons. All I can think of when I think of you is evil."

Huffer was surprised Long Haul allowed him to speak for that long, but he knew that once he was done Long Haul would turn him in and they would kill him. He would die for nothing, and the strangest part was that he didn't know how to feel about that. What Long Haul said next though surprised him.

"I guess I get it," Long Haul shrugged, "When I think of the Decepticons I think of the group that has protected me and my rights for vorns. When I think of the Autobots I think of the caste system that kept me and my brothers down, and it infuriates me. We were the best architects and designers in all of Cybertron. Even back then our names were known to everyone in the construction community, yet we didn't have the same privileges and rights afforded to those that lived in the cities we built. It was like 'Yeah, thanks for forging Crystal City from the ground up, now go back to the gutter you crawled out from you scrap heaps'. I hated it, and when I see Optimus Prime and his merry morons it just reminds me of what life used to be like for us."

"Hey, I lived through the same slag you did, pal," Huffer reminded him, "I wasn't even considered as good as you. Just another construction worker that had to stand in line to collect energon rations that barely kept me goin'. I never really got into politics though. I called myself an Autobot, but that was just because everyone in Iacon was an Autobot back then."

"So are you willing to renounce the Autobots and stay with us?" Long Haul asked intently.

"Honestly?" Huffer asked, and Long Haul nodded, "No, I'm not. I know I give Optimus a hard time, but we go way back. He took me in when I had no one, and he gave me a job and a home. The other Autobots might be overly cheerful jerks, but they're my family the same way the other Constructicons are your family. I understand if you have to kill me now, but I just want you to know I'm sorry. Maybe if the war had never been and the world had been fair...maybe then we could've been friends."

"Huffer," Long Haul forced the minibot to look up at him before he declared, "We are friends."

"Even after all that?" Huffer asked skeptically.

"Yeah, even after all that," Long Haul smiled fraternally, "That being said, you can't stay here. Eventually they'll find out what you tried to do, and then you really will be killed."

"So what do I do about it?" Huffer asked.

"What else?" Long Haul replied conspiratorially, "Run."

Long Haul then surreptitiously left to join the other Constructicons, and Huffer figured out what Long Haul meant. He snuck inside the transport ship and locked the doors behind him. He had one chance to get away from the Decepticons, and he wasn't going to waste it. He got in the navigator's chair and started up the ship, and then took off for freedom.

The Constructicons looked up at their ship as it flew away, and Scrapper was the first to notice who was missing from their group.

"Hey, where's Huffer?" Scrapper asked, but then just as quickly answered himself by growling, "That thief! He's trying to go back to the Autobots! Get him!"

The Constructicons flew into the sky and gave chase to their ship. Long Haul joined his brothers in the hunt even though he was the only one that knew what Huffer was doing. He needed to keep suspicion away from himself, after all. What he did for Huffer could be considered treason by the Decepticon ranks.

Huffer saw on the sensors that the Constructicons were already after him, so he activated thrusters in the hopes of escaping. The energon burned through the engines with enough force to cause blue flames to burst forth and lick the sides of the ship. Huffer pressed down hard on the steering mechanism and took a deep intake to keep himself calm.

The Constructicons weren't the fastest fliers, but somehow they managed to keep up with the speedy ship. They started firing on the ship to take it down, and Huffer gasped as one of their shots hit the hull with enough force to send him flying out of his seat!

He quickly clamoured back into the large chair and frantically searched the control board for the weapons array. He found where the laser cannon control was and he fired rapidly at the Constructicons. He was trying to miss, but he also needed them to slow down so he could get away.

The Constructicons flew in separate directions to get away from the energy blasts, and Scrapper growled at the idea of the minibot getting the better of them. After several minutes of this useless dogfighting Scrapper had finally had enough.

"Constructicons!" Scrapper shouted with authority, "Merge to form Devastator!"

Huffer couldn't hear the command from inside the ship, but he could see the results on the sensors. Six little dots began to form one massive dot on his radar, and soon Huffer could actually see Devastator flying right toward him on the rear monitor! He was definitely going to die.

/Huffer to Autobot base! Come in Autobot base!/ Huffer shouted into his comm link; trying to sound calm, yet desperate for an answer.

Huffer received no response at first, and he had to maneuver the ship to keep Devastator's giant servo from swiping it out of the air like a fly. He tried to get away, but Devastator kept coming back for more.

/This is Autobot base,/ Prowl answered over the comm, /Huffer, are you undamaged?/

/Not for long!/ Huffer screamed as he veered a hard left, /Devastator's on my bumper and I need air support now!/

/Send your coordinates and I will send help,/ Prowl replied professionally.

/Great. Make sure you send a clean-up crew as well in case all that's left of me is pieces,/ Huffer replied pessimistically.

The comm link was cut, and Huffer was left to dodge Devasator's every attack while hitting him with laser blasts that might as well have been water squirting from a leaky garden hose for all the damage it was doing. Devastator wasn't even winded, and Huffer was overheating the ship just trying to keep it out of the big green brute's clutches.

Huffer evaded the monstrous combiner for another 10 minutes, but then when they were over a gorge Devastator swatted at Huffer; sending his vessel careening into the chasm below!

The ship landed hard, and Huffer was knocked out for a few seconds. When he onlined his optics again Devastator was landing in front of his aircraft. Huffer knew what was coming next, so he scurried out of there before it was too late.

Just as Huffer ran out of the cockpit and into the open Devastator's pede slammed down onto the ship; crushing it! Huffer hid behind a boulder, but it was no use. Devastator found him and grabbed him in a big green fist. Huffer struggled, but it was to little avail as Devastator laughed evilly in his face plate.

"Alright, go on! Tear me apart!" Huffer challenged the giant without breaking optic contact, "I'm ready for you, ya big ugly pile of slag!"

Devastator squeezed tighter and laughed harder at the minibot's misplaced courage. Huffer could feel his systems overheating as his plating was crushed tighter in Devastator's grip. He groaned from the pain and struggled in vain to find relief. He knew he was a goner, but at least he would die like a mech.

"Autobots, attack!" A powerful baritone suddenly boomed around the chasm in an echo.

Huffer dared to look, and saw Optimus Prime and the other Autobots coming to save the day! They even had the forethought to bring Superion! Huffer sighed in relief, grateful that his friends really did care about him.

Devastator threw down Huffer and began to grapple with Superion. Huffer fell and was sure he would break when he hit the ground, but he was caught mid-air by Skyfire's wing and brought into the Valkyrie aircraft by Inferno and Red Alert.

"Thanks guys," Huffer moaned as he tried to maintain consciousness.

"Thanks? Wow Red, Huffer must be really hurt!" Inferno joked at the out of character moment.

"What did they do to his paint job?" Red Alert exclaimed worriedly, "He looks like one of them! Wait, Huffer, did you betray us!? Admit it, you joined them!"

Huffer just glared at him; knowing this would take too long to explain in the moment, and Inferno laughed even harder.

The battle lasted a few more minutes before Devastator separated into the Constructicons and together they retreated. They knew they were outnumbered, and Long Haul was secretly glad they were. He didn't want Huffer to be scrapped, even if he was still an Autobot.

Back on the Ark, Huffer recounted his story to the other Autobots that were gathered around Teletraan 1 with him. He mentioned being imprisoned, the compassion showed to him by Long Haul, and why he was currently covered in green and purple paint.

"That must've been terrifying," Bumblebee commented sympathetically.

"Sort of," Huffer shrugged; trying to seem macho about the ordeal, "I gotta tell you though Optimus, I don't think I could do it again. Long Haul doesn't deserve to die, even if he is a 'Con. I'm hopin' someday he and the other Constructicons will see that the Autobots can offer them more than the Decepticons can. Maybe someday."

"Hm," Optimus nodded sagely, "I couldn't agree more. If I had been available to consult before this mission, I would not have authorized it. Huffer and Bluestreak, I know you both wanted to help the Autobot cause, but this mission was too much to expect from either of you. Besides, Megatron is the real root of the problem, not Devastator."

"We just wanted to avenge you and Brawn," Bluestreak replied contritely, "You have to admit, he was hurt pretty badly."

"Speakin' of which, how is Brawn doin'?" Huffer asked in concern.

"Ratchet is still repairing him as we speak," Optimus replied; pleased to be the bearer of good news, "His spark is a strong one. Brawn will eventually make a full recovery."

"Whew! That's a load off," Huffer sighed in relief, "I gotta say, considerin' everythin' that went down, this didn't turn out too bad."

"Hey Huffer?" Bumblebee called out, "Um, you said that during the Constructicons' party Long Haul gave you a gift, but you never told us what it was. What was it?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, I've been so busy I forgot to open it," Huffer replied sheepishly as he pulled the thin foil package out of his subspace.

Huffer ripped away the wrapping and pulled off the bow to reveal a box. When he opened the box it revealed a data pad. Oh, great. A book. Well, that was disappointing.

"What does it say, Huffer?" Gears asked curiously.

Huffer turned on the data pad and began to read...

"It says: I Long Haul, bein' of complete processor and fully functionin' frame, hereby state my final wishes in the event of my termination," Huffer read, "Huh. It's a will."

"Keep going!" Gears egged him on.

"Alright already!" Huffer snapped, though not angrily, "To Scavenger I leave my rock collection. I know he always wanted it, and I'm pretty sure bein' buried with it or whatever would be tacky. To Scrapper I leave the blueprints to my frame so that my portion of Devastator can be rebuilt. To Shockwave I leave my frame's middle digits as well as a book on earth profanities so he'll know what that gesture means. I only wish I could tell him where to stick them. To Hook I leave my tools. To Mixmaster I leave my high grade. To Bonecrusher I leave my data pad collection as well as my back issues of Popular Mechanics. I know he loves readin' the articles as much as I did. I leave all of my credits, however few they may be, to the Decepticon's fund for retired veterans. Finally, to my friend Huffer, I leave my most prized possession. I leave him my...oh, scrap!"

"What? What is it?" Bumblebee asked; his curiosity bubbling over.

"Finally, to my friend Huffer," Huffer read slowly and with dread, "I leave my most prized possession. I leave him my place as Devastator. In the event of my demise he shall henceforth be the central connection node to our gestalt unit. Scrapper will know what to do."

"You mean if Devastator dies...?" Bumblebee gasped in realization.

"You get turned into a crotch? Hahahaha!" Gears laughed until his struts hurt as he rolled on the floor.

"Shut up, Gears!" Huffer snapped irritably, "I don't know why I let you guys talk me into anythin'!"

The End