For starters, not that happy with the new robot movie. As I suspected. The whole "Optimus Prime, leader of the peace loving Autobots" continues to be "Optimus Prime leader of the piece loving Autobots". LIKE omfg! The wreckers tortured a Decept to death..and Optimus stood there and WATCHED! WTF! Among other things. Let's leave Earth to punish those humans a lesson! Er...okay. OH look, our planet totally died...All of us should just mill around and pretend like it's no big deal. And somehow we are supposed to believe the Autobots are the good guys for the sole purpose of siding with the humans. Uh, anyone notice what humans are like in Bay's universe! I hardly conciser that sentient! I suppose you could salvage it that Optimus utterly SNAPED at Ironhide's death...but then again that doesn't really count for anything because there was no character focus on any of the Transformers in any of the movies! To see how distraught Prime would have been over his..supposed friends death -well...who knows! I say supposed cuz well, out of the 5 lines Ironhide got per his last 3 effing movies, we're supposed to believe what a close, bonded friendship they have established? Wtf evar! I was going to get to this chapter sooner, but I had to take a month to cool off. In addition, most of this is a dialog chapter which means it's long anyway, and the chapter isn't even going to end because it was getting too long.

Ch 32

Idle Time

The stress festered in his head like a bad ion storm. For hours he had been subjugated to watching Hound's internals get wretched through, pushing him so far over the edge that Jolt's current attempts to wake him had no affect. Then there was the frenzy against death the humans went through the second the giant left. But now they were passive, unable to fight against something that was so determined to take them all. They had done all they could for the man. Now they sat quietly, huddled in the same storm he was is in. And now, even against Hound's best optimism, the Autobots who were supposed to ever so heroically rescue them, were becoming weaker and weaker at every encounter. Evident by Sideswipe's condition. The fighter whom Jolt secretly feared for his talents writhed on the ground next to him with his metallic guts halfway strewn across the floor.

This storm felt worse. Maybe it was because after finding something to hope for again, it was all for nothing.

"That's as much as I can do for now." Chromia slithered back and tried to dust off the fluids on her hands. The bluish oils were thick, so her efforts were fruitless. "Sorry. Without Arcee, there isn't much I can do medically."

Sideswipe grumbled out an 'at last' comment then glanced at his damage. The twisted metal, sprawling cords and thick oozing liquid that had coated everything in dripping slime caused him to draw his head back with a sickly groan. Venting and now knowing what to expect Sideswipe balanced himself into a sit and then returned focus to his wound. Carefully his digits went into his wound and he fumbled around the organ like metal structures. He grimaced and edged back as his metal digits brushed upon the inflamed pain receptors. Jolt went from staring to wearing a horrified gawk. Sideswipe found a cord that seemingly wasn't attached to anything. More lubricating coolant and energy dribbled off his hand and onto the floor as he found the loose end. He grabbed at the cord and pulled it straight out. It trembled for a second before snapping free in a sickening thwack. Jolt turned gape eyed and dumbfounded in horror. Sideswipe, wincing, regarded the piece for a moment before tossing off to the side and catching himself before falling back. Jolt made a yowl. He grated at Sideswipe's apathetic nature to this whole thing.

"I hope that wasn't something important." Jolt growled in disdain at his counterpart's bravado.

The ribbed hose seeped out its remaining fluids onto the floor. "It would explain why I can't feel my legs." Sideswipe's tone was thin and flat. Cradling the wound with one hand the other reached down to balance himself as he slowly made his way to his feet.

Jolt snapped with a growl. "You just wretched that out of your body!" He wasn't the animated type but his optics livened in display to how freaked out he was.

"Yeah." Sideswipe muttered in an strained and apathetic tone. "It wasn't doing anything anyway."

"Yeah but!" Jolt rasped with a cringe. His optics darted to the humans who were only half mindlessly focused on he robots. He then twisted and returned his gaze to Sideswipe. "Owwww!" Sideswipe merely shrugged. Jolt twisted uncomfortably as his hand clenched near his own thorax as if it was him who was wounded.

After a long moment of uncontrolled gawking at Sideswipe, Jolt returned to his neutral state of staring at the force field. Chromia and Sideswipe surveyed the prison.

Leo's muffled sob caught Sideswipe's attention. He glanced out of the corner of his optic to see a huddled Leo in the corner of his cell. His gaze drifted to Mikeala then to the humans on the other end of the large room. "What's with the humans?"

"Experiments." Jolt muttered dryly. "Or just left to die."

The comment caused an uncomfortable stir. They twitched, eyes darted back and forth then there was body language trying to will away the sickly man with his sickly breaths. One simmered at the truth before bolting to his feet to pace like a wounded and distraught animal. He balked and pressed his fist to his lips in any attempt to avoid going over the edge from panicked to rabid. Knowing that the robots were following them another person addressed them.

"This is usually when he takes them." The voice was shaky. The Autobot's glanced at the speaker to see him indicating the unconscious man. "When they get too sick like this-" he then looked to an area hidden behind the giant's panels, "he takes them back there. That's where he does it. He wait's until we're sick because one time-" he heaved uncomfortably, "one of us nearly escaped." There was a tremendous silence even though the pause lasted less than five seconds. "I don't know- if you can smell it." He was referring to the smell of death.

"Yeah. We can." Jolt mumbled through his face plates. The admission seemed to leave even more humans uncomfortable. They shifted in unease as they dodged glances at Jolt.

Sideswipe and Chromia glanced at each other in confusion.

"Look, any information you can give, it would be helpful." Chromia crouched towards Jolt's cell addressing the people past him.

"Why? It's not like it matters!" The man pacing finally snapped. "We're all going to die in here! What's the," he swore, "point!"

The room would have fallen silent if Sideswipe hasn't scoffed.

"Oh what?" Jolt snapped. He then stormed to his own feet and glared at Sideswipe. "Are you going to save us! In that condition! You think the others are going to come rescue us? That they'll be able to fight him off just because he has some stupid weakness that no one knows how to exploit!" Sideswipe took a long, glaring look at him. Jolt reeled as more outrage over took him. He leveled his voice but his anger made it tremble. "If they had any sense, they'd go back to the damn moon."

"I think you've been hanging around with the Decepticons too long." Sideswipe retorted drawing a disbelieving sneer out of Jolt.

"What does that have to do with anything! Why'd you even bring that up! I don't bring up how you went through and left a human population decimated in your wake of revenge!"

"Excuse me?"

"How dare you call me a Decepticon when you're the one that slagging acts like one!" Jolt was in Sideswipe's face the best that he could get.

Sideswipe cursed then charged at the force field himself. "Well aren't you damn lucky there's a force field between you and me right now!"

"Why? So you can mangle my metal? See! Exactly my point! Threats! That's the best you can do-" Sideswipe was spatting back over Jolt's seemingly unwarranted outburst. But Jolt only screamed out louder in frustration. In the end both were screaming so loudly at each other, neither could be understood. Sideswipe cringed to silence for a moment as a sharp splice of pain ricocheted through his body. Jolt was quick to get in his last word over the silence. "Why don't you just cool off and sit down before you bleed to death all over-"

"Don't tell me! What to do!" Sideswipe roared back grinding his fist as a distraction to the pain.

"No that's right. You don't like taking orders from anyone. Doesn't matter if it means getting yourself killed-"

Sideswipe's armor bulked up as more fury built up before it expelled, Chromia grasped at his arm to distract him. She glared at Jolt.

"Jolt!" Chromia barked with enough ferocity to silence him. "Knock it off!" She snapped her head at Sideswipe. "Both of you!"

The two robots turned furiously quiet. As they grew in anger at each other Leo's muffled cries grew louder in his corner. Leo was rolled up in a ball near the corner trying to will the world out of his mind. He still had tears plastered on his checks and his face was contorted into a stupid expression. Mikeala however, was carefully standing below Chromia. Mikeala gladly opted for robot cellmates rather than Leo. Even if by any standards one of them was direly frightful. Hell she'd nearly take Megatron over Leo. Ever since she first met him, and had to spend grueling hours in the desert with him, she learned that she- really- could not stand him. His same incompetence was blaring even as of now. He whined continuously before about how hungry he was. The other people who hadn't eaten for literally days were quick snap at him. She felt like a total bitch for being so, but that amused her. Likely because she too didn't appreciate going hungry or being without sanitation but she was making it a civil point not to become a whiny little piss ant in spite of them. And it wasn't hours ago that Leo squirmed and danced around like a moron because he had to relieve himself and didn't want to do it in front of a girl. She could only imagine it was over some macho inanity. In the end, in order to avoid peeing on himself, he took to the corner of the force field. Of course without being able to really see it he managed to arc his stream into the field, zapping himself into convulsions and ultimately, ended up putting a stream of liquid all over his pants anyway. He got all the sympathy in the world by the others, particularly the men in the other cell which might have given him relief from his earlier scorning, if he hadn't been unconscious to receive it. The founder of Real Effing Deal would for sure never want anything to do with giant robots ever again! Sam would ever be so relieved.

Jolt had turned away from the force field and begun his habitual pace. He stopped and stared at the ground for a moment before speaking. "He was here by the way."

"What!" Sideswipe snarled at the seemingly left field statement.

"Barricade."

Sideswipe lit up like a bad spark. "Oh. And what did he want."

Jolt shook his head slowly and thoughtfully. "The usual. Lying. Cheating. Deception."

"That all?" The tone was sarcastic.

"No. Of course not. But that's most of it." Jolt nodded to Mikeala and Leo. "He brought them for a reluctant trade. But Barricade and Soundwave tried to get him to go after Sam."

"What?" Mikeala balked.

Sideswipe ticked loudly. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know!" Jolt muttered excitedly. "Why didn't they just take Sam themselves?"

"Maybe he was going to. The people who took us were supposed to take Sam but they got us instead." Mikeala motioned to herself.

"No. That's just it. Barricade and Soundwave have been tracking Sam. They were telling this Decepticon here where to find him, along with the device. I just wish I could make sense about what he was babbling on about. He just goes on and on and on about the device. He's been working on that for days." Jolt motioned tot he panels and electronics scattered around, "That's supposed to be his backup and whatever it is, it's what he's been tampering with Hound's spark with it." Then as an after thought, he went down to Hound's side to reexamine his vitals.

"But the Decepticons would have more to gain if the AllSpark still in operation inside Sam's head by taking Sam." Chromia said.

"Right. Which is why nothing about this makes any sense." Jolt finished his examination on Hound's chassis. "He did ask what we did though. Like when he found out Hound was a tracker, he kept talking about how he needed that ability for his repertoire. He kept freaking me out by commenting on my energy. Saying things like it's such a wonderful gift and that he couldn't wait to have it. Is it possible to steal someone's abilities?" Jolt looked for an answer at Chromia and Sideswipe. They shrugged at the idea. Jolt vented.

"Not that I know of."

Jolt shook his head in confusion.

"With the Decepticon experiments I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised." Chromia grated. Jolt and Sideswipe regarded her for a moment. Then Sideswipe twisted back and glared at Mikeala.

"So Barricade took Bumblebee's pets. For bait I assume."

Chromia pulled out of her own festering thoughts and looked down at Mikeala.

"Bait. Why!" Chromia asked.

Jolt shrugged.

"You should know. You're more friends with Bumblebee than I am, aren't you?" Sideswipe asked her. She boiled and looked like a viper in a defensive posture. The only thing missing was a rattle.

"No. Arcee is."

Sideswipe's optic dodged back momentarily in thought on the comment that seemed so strange considering that came from a hive minded sister. He then glanced at Mikeala.

"Well that brings me to another question." Sideswipe then blurted out looking her over. "How the slag did you get into this mess?

Mikeala snorted. And didn't she just say how. "Isn't it obvious."

"No, your right. That was a stupid question. It's obvious. Let me rephrase that for you. How is it you're not dead?"

"Wow, you are just indiscriminately hating on everyone today aren't you." Jolt snapped.

Sideswipe growled.

"Easy!" Chromia demanded.

"Don't worry Jolt, I've dated worse." Mikeala responded with a wry smile. She twisted to glare at Sideswipe who hovered over her. "Oh and by the way, you're welcome, m'you know for saving Optimus's life."

"Wouldn't have happened if he wasn't so busy trying to save your fleshy hides in the first place!"

"Primus, Sides! What is your problem?"

"What do you think my problem is!"

"Knowing you, a lot."

"You don't know a damn thing about me!"

"I know you have issues! And I think you're jealous!"

"Jealous? Of What! Of all the stupid-"

"You are!"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"For starters? Because you don't have any friends."

"Jolt!" Chromia growled. He ignored her.

"Please." Sideswipe hissed.

"Why do I even bother?" Chromia hissed to herself.

"Like I really need friends like you." Sideswipe arched his pointer digit and stabbed at the air towards Jolt. He caught Jolt's subconscious glance to Mikeala. "Or a bunch of sniveling, weak humans." The word was tossed out in disdain.

"Yeah. We get it. You guys don't like us." The girl who was known for coming up with mindless games like eye spy as a distraction blurted out.

Her tone surprised Jolt. His tone instantly softened as he regarded her. "I wouldn't say that."

"I would." Sideswipe muttered flatly.

Mikeala snarled under her breath at him.

"Yeah. And that's because you don't like anything!" Jolt retorted.

"That's not true. I love killing Cons."

"Hey. I enjoy slagging cons as much as the next bot, but that's not something I want my whole life being defined as."

"Yeah? Well maybe it should! It's stupidity to befriend these flesh sacks! Think about it Jolt! How many have we lost in the two years of NEST's operation! They can't take a single hit without dying! Hell, all we'd have to do is step on them! It's no wonder they want us off this planet. Did you really think it was worth while to get attached to anything on this planet? Did you? Any of it? You knew it was only a matter of time before they got sick of us and kicked us off this rock! Only a fool like you, or Bumblebee, or Ironhide would think of getting attached. For what! More hurt! More disappointment! There is nothing to be gained from any of this but more pain!" By the time he reached the conclusion of his statement, Sideswipe was screaming in outrage. "Was it worth it! Was any of this pain and suffering worth it!"

The intensity made Jolt pause.

"And who's slaggin idea was it to come back to this mud planet? To play hero to a few billion organics who don't want our help! We get our afts handed to us by something we can't kill! And for what?

See, Jolt. This is why you don't get attached to anything! Your stupid little gardens, Bumblebee's frail companions! Everything you care about, they're going to destroy it! Everything! Do you know what it's like! To have everyone you ever cared about and protected! Wiped out! For no reason at all outside of some megalomaniac freak who slaughters and tortures them all, just for enjoyment? Do you even know what that's like! To have everyone dying around you, and you can't do a damn thing about it! To get hurt like this over and over again! Do you have any idea what it's like to have something like this hang over your head?" Sideswipes projected voice started rupturing and cracking away his anger exposing his pain underneath. Jolt stared past the haze of the force field that was blocking him from Sideswipe. Through the gold blur he noted that Sideswipe was awaiting a response. Jolt blinked slowly and readjusted his optics to look Sideswipe in the eye. Jolt's fiery banter utterly softened out of his voice.

"Yeah Sideswipe, I do."

Sideswipe glared in disbelief. He then heckled in case the look he gave wasn't clear enough.

"You act like you're the only one who's been damaged by this. By them! What do you know? It's not like you ever bothered to ask what happened on the planet I was stranded on! With no atmosphere and a dying sun! Ion storm's Sideswipe. Remember how we'd occasionally be hit by one on Cybertron. How bad they felt. How the surges managed to get into every circuit, every atom and you couldn't do anything to stop that gear wrenching pain! Imagine that being a thousand folds worse with no place for shelter and they never, ever stopped! What that does to you. What it did to them!" Jolt flared energy to his body. "All those bots that were stranded with me! I know what it's like Sides; I watched them all die slow and painful deaths and I was so utterly helpless to do anything about it."

Sideswipe straightened out of his defensive and erratic stance. Jolt vented softly.

"Why? Because my inherent unique abilities that I never wanted?" He looked at his energy in utter disdain. How the giant seemed to think it was such a prize! "This slagging energy manifestation is the only reason I survived! But I still had to deal with with the agony. The only difference was that it didn't kill me off like it did them. Everyone around me, everyone on that ship- Watching them all spasm in agony for so long." He flinched as his memory became too vivid. "I couldn't save them! I couldn't do anything to help them! You're not the only one who's been through this! And I was stuck on that planet with nothing but corpses because I couldn't even escape. It took vorns for the storms died down enough. You know how long I had been alone by that time? I couldn't even remember what it was like to have someone to talk to! I was out of my mind! Do you know what that's like!" His optics then charged to Sideswipes. Jolt then retreated. Recalling the source of animosity between him and Sideswipe. His tone changed. "So yes, when I saw those two Decepticon alt comets pass me, I was so desperate to join them. I was so desperate not to be alone anymore! And on Earth, with Barricade, he would turn on me over the slightest mistake! Over anything! It didn't matter. If it didn't line up with his perfect little thoughts, he made sure I knew it! But I was far more terrified of being alone than anything he could have done to me physically. I took every once of damage just so that I wouldn't have to be alone like that ever again." He drifted off, unknowingly shaking his head as if trying to shrug off the memories. "So it was because of that fear that I believed him when he told me the Autobots would never accept me. So I was stupid for it but I can't change that now!"

"Jolt-" Sideswipe offered out a more consoling tone. Jolt flickered at him briefly.

"I get why you're so upset all the time. I know why you're afraid to bond with anyone. Sides, what happened, with that con, just because you survived doesn't make it your fault. It's- hard to not have any control. To go with what you went through. It is terrifying. Nobody likes to be in that position." His optics sunk to the humans to the left of him. He regarded them carefully before speaking again. "Nobody. And this is where we're at right now." His voice softened even farther looking at the sick man surrounded by all the sickly people. "Listen, this- we need to stop." He then turned his head down bashfully. "The humans are pretty tapped on what they can sustain on these stress levels. I think we got enough out of our system so, maybe we should try and keep it calm. They're not doing so well and I guess-" Jolt fretted and rolled his claws over each other as he became aware of how he had been the main offender.

As Jolt trailed off, Sideswipe nodded his head at them. "Yeah. Sorry."

"No- I- it was me that started it." Jolt blinked. "I don't know. I guess I get sick of you saying how we should never get attached to anyone or anything, or just how, I don't ever seem to do anything right. I guess we all have our issues huh?" He huffed and stared at the ground or mainly at Hound. He knelt down and spoke out again before Sideswipe could answer his question. "Sideswipe, if we do manage to get out of here alive, you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It needs to stop or it's going to tear you apart. Or the group. What's left of them anyway." His optics shifted to Sideswipe. It was Sideswipe who was now staring off. But his gaze was burning, not dazed. They shifted and caught Jolt's optics. That burn lay on Jolt's bright blue optics for a time.

"You know," Sideswipe started off slowly, "I was getting attached. To the humans of all things." His pitch changed defeated but firm. "I don't expect anyone to listen to me when I don't even to listen to myself. I got attached. But with what's happened, I can't stand the thought of feeling like I've been betrayed."

Jolt drifted to silence. That silence hung over heard and wasn't disturbed outside of a muffled cough from one of the human prisoners. Jolt nodded.

"I know. But I don't think NEST would betray us like that. Out of everything we've been through together," he was shaking his head, "they wouldn't. They know better. It's everyone else that's the problem."

The two bots nodded to silence. The humans looked on feeling like they were somehow the offenders. With their eyesight gathered on Sideswipe he shifted uncomfortably and then went for a distraction. He spoke out again. This time his tone was back to it's usual cocky pitch and for a moment startled Jolt.

"So what about you Chromia." She blinked and startled as she had been silent through most of their conversation. "Any last will and testament to get off your chest before we kick it?"

She twisted uncomfortably. "No, I think you two said enough."

"Yeah but that's us. What about you?

"Yeah. Come on Chromia. It- actually helps."

"Besides, with the way Ironhide, and Bee and Optimus are tiptoeing over you and Arcee, there's something interesting you're not telling us!"

"And if there is?"

Sideswipe shrugged nonchalantly although he couldn't completely hide his fretted expression.

"Hell why not." Chromia then relinquished after a moment. "But- given the current circumstances, it's not going to be helpful for you to hear it."

"Oh right. What could possibly be worse than this?" Jolt nagged with a brush of humor.

"A brief recant of what exactly happens in a Decepticon experiment."

Sideswipe and Jolt perked.

"You were, in a Decepticon experiment."

"What did they do?" Sideswipe asked.

"Which part would you like to hear first? The bit of what they did to my sisters and I? Or how far the Decepticons absolute disregard for life takes them, which isn't limited to destroying viable protoforms?"

"Protoforms?" Both bots became more animated and obviously upset which baffled the humans who were watching from afar.

"What are protoforms?" A human called out.

The three Transformers looked at each other in discomfort.

"Uh." Sideswipe started.

"I guess," Chromia winced, "for rudimentary purposes, let's just classify them as Cybertronian babies."

"There are not enough words in the human language to explain this." Sideswipe concluded with a shake of his head.

"Wait!" Now the humans were more engaged in the conversation. With the way he was wild eyed while looking over Chromia over all three Autobots twisted and shrieked.

"Oh! No, no no!"

"NO!"

"No! It's not like that!"

"Oh Primus!" Chromia face palmed. Mikeala smirked catching onto the reversal of sexual misunderstanding.

Jolt just chuckled under his vents at more or less Chromia's expense.

"No. We are not capable of reproducing like you. That is why our hatchlings are so rare and precious and why it is uncanny that the Decepticons have taken so many of what remains to use in their experiments."

"So, what kind of experiments?"

"Robots have babies?"

Chromia lowered her gaze to the floor and decided to finally bite the bullet. "Elita-One," she started slowly, "Arcee and Chromia as Optimus and the others know them, are dead. Any who knew them of course recognize the different shells, but they think the sparks are unchanged. Well, they are wrong. When Arcee returned from Cybertron shortly after Trypticon's destruction she was intercepted by Thundercracker and Flatline. They proceeded to destroy Arcee's body but only after preserving her spark. The sparks from the destroyed sisters of Chromia and Elita-One were forced into two protoforms and Arcee's into a third host. They then split her energy to-" She paused in confusion, "you're right Sides, the human language does not have enough words to explain- how to say resuscitate? No," she sunk in thought. "Not resurrect." She then switched into their native language to give them a brief description of the terminology she was looking for. Both Sideswipe and Jolt nodded when they understood what it was the Decepticon had done. They too were then stumped at finding an English, or any other language, equivalent.

Jolt looked to the humans as he fumbled for words. "I guess, stolen life. Stole life and well, stole two lives if they removed the protoforms' own."

"Six." Sideswipe interjected. "The three protoforms and the three Autobots."

"But if two were already dead-" Jolt trailed off as the lighting down his spine was replaced by shivers. Just as well, for Chromia continued her story.

"-They then tried to destroy Arcee's mind and wipe the sparks' memories clean. To make their Decepticon warriors with mental capacities above drones, but to remove their autonomy. They were obviously unsuccessful. But at the heart of it all, the one now called Arcee- is just a clone, so I guess that makes me a clone of a clone. If even that."

"This whole time, that's what you've been afraid to tell us?"

"We didn't want our personal history to become an issue."

Jolt gawked in dumbfound. "I don't think it would have."

"Right. Not having an identity of our own wouldn't cause any conflict I'm sure. Especially to those who knew them."

"So instead you lied to them?"

"Not lied. With held truth."

"You're wrong." Sideswipe shook his head. "You're not a clone."

"That's nice of you to say-"

"No! I'm not just saying it. You can ask any one of us and we'll tell you since war started, we've seen some very strange slag. I can tell you before the war started resurrections were were the stories of fantasy. Now it seems to be happening left and right. Decepticon meddling or not you're the same Autobot I remember. Back when you were in the guardian division under Ironhide. Remember me? The trainee? And I think we all heard the way Ironhide and Bumblebee talk about Arcee."

Chromia regarded him for a long moment. "I- do remember things." She nodded with a twisting of metal faceplates to resemble a smile. "You and your brother are hard to forget." For a moment, a disturbed sadness ached its way into Sideswipe's facial features. "I'm sorry." Chromia drifted away and changed the subject. "Arcee gets so riled up when any discussion revolves around her."

Sideswipe shrugged off the memory of his brother the best he could. "Well, I notice how she won't address it. I'll say from what I heard, she hasn't changed a bit either."

Chromia nodded in quiet agreement while they all sunk into reflection. "No I guess she hasn't."

There stood a standstill of awkward silence. The three bots drifted into the throws of each of their own thoughts and memories. It was interrupted by a confused voice.

"So," a human standing close to the force field wall awkwardly broke the silence. "How do robot babies work now?"

There was groaning from the robots' cells.

Jolt was nominated the elective to try and give a reasonable explanation of their non biological reproductive function to the humans. The questions were strewn about from 'how do robots have twins?' which lead to 'how do you have family genealogies without genetics or breeding' to 'you have mental links?' and the nuances of 'so who has mental links if some twins do, and others don't and others with no relation outside of being conceived at the same time can-' which of course brought up robot conception in general and in regards to 'how is robot conception irrelevant to female robots!' or more pressing, 'robot conception! Wtf!' which had to be addressed with 'then why are there female robots!' which somehow eventually was translated to 'so robots do breed? They have sex?' followed with even more confusion of, 'well, which is it, they either do or they don't?'. Three robots looked rather nerve wracked with the conversation at hand. So trying to move past that the further details of just HOW transformers have more transformers Jolt found himself digging even deeper and deeper holes. So in the end he at least gave them the determination that they are not built, like everyone had originally speculated, but the details of just how one goes about birthing a robot, was, to say the least, a little muddy.

In short, the mother-like planet, Cybertron- also known as, or isn't, but is- the planet sized robot god- Primus, though a belief in a god may or may not be applicable, has a special well that contains rare and precious protometal- this well is known as 'The Well of Sparks' or also known as The AllSpark, but it's not really a well on the planet, or a well with rare and precious protometal, it's more like an artifact that has now been destroyed here on Earth, or it hasn't because it's a person now, but- it's not a person, and that person hasn't changed, so the AllSpark can't be used and if the AllSpark or Well of Sparks isn't used then large sums of energy must be used, but not the sun, although the sun does in fact provide energy, it's not the right kind of energy, so energy created from a sun harvester that takes energy from the sun is needed to give sparks that may or may not already exist in the protometal that somehow exist somewhere on the planet Cybertron-Primus-not Primus, to make protoforms. So the AllSpark gives protometal sparks making them protoforms, but high density energy can be used to make protometal into protoforms, but it doesn't have the ability to create sparks, but the hatchlings still have sparks because sparks are what makes a Transformer otherwise it's just a drone, but drones are built and Transformers aren't built. Then more energy is needed either from the AllSpark, or the sun, which the sun is fine to use this time, but so is the sun from the sun harvester so that those protoforms could be turned into hatchlings. Then the hatchlings spawn and that is how a new robot is born.

Oh . . . and machines with electrical components on Earth that have nothing to do with Cybertron-Primus-not Primus at all can spawn robots from use of the AllSpark, but they are utterly devoid of cognitive sentience so technically they aren't Transformers, they're more like drones, but they're not drones because they aren't built.

Any questions? Any at all? Where did all those crickets come from?

"I give up." Jolt then scrunched back onto his haunches as his own circuits screamed with static in confusion. The humans looked on dumbfounded, as they should, while Sideswipe and Chromia looked on in sheer disbelief.

"I think what worries me the most is that I understood most of that." Chromia then added after a long and dumb moment.

"I didn't." Sideswipe muttered.

"I didn't either." Jolt added.

"Okay." Was the best a human could come up with. Not really a statement of understanding but it wasn't like they wanted the process explained to them again.

"So," the woman was given the glare of 'oh don't you dare!' by organics and non-organics alike but she continued on anyways, "if you're race is on the verge of dying, and if the AllSpark technically exists, couldn't you use that?"

"First of all," Sideswipe pointed at Jolt to shush his complaints, "what would we do? Drag a human across the galaxy and try and use him as a tool to quell conflict on our mostly dead planet? Dig out his brain and save him the trip? Optimus would never allow him to be used like that."

"Yes, but the Decepticons would." Chromia reminded him. Sideswipe again held out a pointer digit to now silence her.

"Second. We don't even know how much the boy can access it. The general consensus by everyone, including the Decepticons who we know is monitoring him, is not much."

"Which is why I'm curious as to why they would send our delightful host after him."

Jolt cursed under his breath. "Decepticons, why do they have to meddle in everything?"

"Yeah but, aren't they here because you are?"

Sideswipe turned cold. He then paced in front of Jolt's wall to get a better view of the human who dared. "Out of everything we've been through you have the audacity to say that?"

"We are here because of the Decepticons! Not the other way around." Chromia added. Her tone not as biting, but teeth were there.

"If you're so mad, then why did you come back? I mean, you're not gaining anything from it?"

"I wonder myself if it was even worth it." Jolt agreed.

"We live by the sword and die by the sword. That's all there is to it." Chromia muttered flatly.

"What?" Leo weakly perked up. "What about what Sam said? Weren't you guys like looking for a new casa, a new home?"

"Sam is grossly mistaken." Sideswipe grumbled.

"Seriously though. If you're not coming here to hide, or make this your new place to live, why are you here?"

"In short." Sideswipe now had to settle closer to the ground. Though moving did help him regain some of his feeling, he was also starting to become drained. "We're here to finish what they started. I had a place to settle down and try to regain some peace and civility. A Decepticon passed by en route to Earth. -saw our outpost and made a pitstop just to see how many he could slaughter before we caught our wits about us to fight back." He drifted into his self accusatory thoughts again. "I ended up being the only survivor."

"Sideswipe. Don't."

Sides shook his head sourly and continued. "I went after him. Followed him to Earth and yes in a fit of rage I may have- attacked and some of your people got hurt along the way."

"Did'ja get em?"

"No, I didn't. But the Autobots did."

"What about you?" The question was to either of the blue robots. Jolt opted out so Chromia answered.

"To do my duty. I had the choice to go after revenge or to regroup and try and salvage a world before it was too late. I went with the latter."

The humans seemed to grow more alert per their gained understanding.

"You?"

Jolt sheepishly chuckled. "Pass."

"Go ahead Jolt." Sideswipe egged.

"That's okay." Jolt sidestepped.

"Either you do, or I do."

A wall. It cut Jolt's protest off with a fractured vent. "I um. Kind of joined the Decepticon side for a moment. After getting off of that forsaken ion torched planet, I guess I was desperate to be with my own kind again. So when I saw a couple fly by I followed them to Earth. That's about- all I want to say."

"You tell them about how that Decepticon that was here earlier was the one who tried to turn you on us?"

"No." Jolt shifted uncomfortably.

"How about how he beat you savagely and left you crippled so we'd target you while he made his escape?"

"Eh. Not really something I want to talk about."

"Nothing like-"

"Alright, alright, alright! I was just desperate for some social interaction! Had I known then what I know now, I most certainly wouldn't have let them beat me and bully me into submission! Okay?" Sideswipe shrugged. Jolt grated. "Wow."

"What?"

"I'm starting to think we are officially the most emotionally defunct group of Cybertronians to occupy a single space on this planet."

"I wouldn't go that far. You're forgetting the twins."

"I said emotionally, not mentally."

Both Sideswipe and Chromia almost chuckled at that. It would have been in ill humor but it was a lighter mood regardless.

"That was mean." Jolt lightly scolded himself in bad amusement. "Although I think the real winner on the mentally defunct scale would be our captor. It's really interesting listening to him have hour long arguments with himself!"

"And yet you still don't have a clue what he was saying."

"Nope."

"Can I add something?" A human asked sheepishly. "There was a couple times he spoke to us in English. I guess- if you say he has multiple personalities, it makes sense. It sounded like he was trying to help us. We all thought it was a sick joke at the time. But, you that word you said, Auto-"

"Autobot?"

"Yeah. That- personality that was trying to help us, that's what it called itself."

"An Autobot?"

"Yeah."

The three robots shot glances together.

"This keeps getting more and more convoluted the more-"

"Arcee!" Chromia suddenly burst to her wheel startling everyone in the room. Before anyone could question the outburst she screeched in joy. "Arcee! Arcee's awake!"

"The mind link!" Jolt realized!

"Mind link? What does that mean?" One of the humans asked.

"It means we're not going to die here!"