Oh my god 3 years too late am I right? Just some idea I've had in mind, but it's obviously not original. It all depends whether I have time to continue it or not. Pretty sloppy because this was written like...2 years ago *sweats profusely*

D-16 didn't know what to say or do now that he had sparklings trailing behind him. His only plan was to act as though nothing had changed, that he had sparklings his whole life even if he had not one clue on how to take care of them properly. If anything, they'd possibly die from exposure in the mines. Possibly.

His fellow coworkers wasted the time to turn and watch the unusual sight, giving him either confused, amused, or even horrified looks. Sure, some miners had sparklings, but they were usually the sparklings of Elite Miners: the ones that made the most money for the Bosses and hoped to pass that gene to future generations. The Elite Miners also served as their own little Police force, bringing order and making sure everyone knew their place in the tunnels.

D-16 was still a young miner and, although he looked promising with his fit body and quick mind, he had yet to show the Bosses he was worth keeping around.

The sparklings were odd looking and of course didn't blend in well with the dark environments. Knock Out was far too small to hold a pick-not to mention his sudden bright red color scheme. Soundwave was pretty skinny, but unlike Knock Out, his paint perfectly camouflaged with the darkness, but it all really depended on his growth. Breakdown could probably pass as an excellent future miner due to his large size for someone his age, but likewise it all depended if he'd survived to adulthood.

When the older miner finally got to his work area, the sparklings huddled around him. They were clueless to the procedures so he reassured them that they can simply watch for now.

The que to begin was started by the loud hollering of an Elite Miner, the head of the tunnel's designated workforce. Their Elite Miner was called Grayback, who not only led their tunnel but also the whole force of Elites. He was a well-built mech with strong arms and a silver back that shimmered in the light, which was rumored to hold up collapsed tunnels. But what made him stand out more was that he was a flyer, something rarely seen in the Mines. Grayback was given the best workers and his batch was expected to work harder than any other workforce. D-16, however, was an odd exception. He imagined that the only reason for his place here was out of suspicion.

As a sparkling, he only caused trouble. There was a time in his childhood where he caused a small rebellion with his "friends" against the other miners who refused to feed them. It ended with harsh punishments, and for D-16 it earned him a tight cage in the office of the then current head boss of the mines.

There he was reminded: no one is to ever undermine their masters.

Grayback made sure his order was obeyed as he walked down the tunnel to observe who would be getting lunch in a few hours and who would be kept digging. D-16 stiffened when he felt his hard gaze on his back that encouraged him to work harder and faster. It was known that he gave the sparklings a look when he heard a whimper from all three of them.

"...Mind telling me when you became a breeder, D-16?" Grayback asked as he crossed his arms.

"They're not mine, I...found them last night. I guess they were separated from the group the bosses brought in," D-16 admitted, there was no use lying.

He guessed Grayback would become quite logical to ask why he didn't return them, but it surprised him when the Elite Miner simply shrugged and continued on with his examination. Yet not without saying, "Just make sure they're working by tomorrow."

"..Yes, sir," D-16 replied.

By lunchtime, Grayback allowed D-16 and the sparklings a break. And once again, D-16 ignored the confused, and mocking looks as he and the little ones walked past the feasting mechs just outside the tunnel. He settled down in his usual corner, one that faced away from everyone else but gave him the opportunity to look around in case he'd get jumped.

The sparklings eagerly gathered around in a circle, which made him uneasy. He wasn't exactly expecting to pack a meal for all four of them. And due to some cutbacks he only brought three cubes of energon. Down in the mines, two energon cubes was the limit for two separate meals. Bringing three was suicidal.

D-16 stared at the fuel inside the container as if they may disappear before him. He knew the consequences, but by being a good bot he reached in and took them out to eat.

He handed all three a cube, and watched as the babies ate happily as though this were their first meal ever. "Only eat half of it so you can save some for later," D-16 warned. Luckily, they listened and gave him back the half-empty cubes. He ignored the hungry groans in his own tanks and stored them away.

Because there was still enough time left in their break, they were allowed to relax, which gave the sparklings the stimulation to rouse up some answers.

"So is this what you do?" Breakdown asks, leaning back on the arms behind him and kicking his legs out. "Just dig into walls for a long time?"

"Well...yes, in a way we do. But only to search for energon shards," D-16 explains. "And yes, it does take a long time before we find anything."

"It's gross," Knock Out shivers. "Too dirty for me."

"You get use to it after a while. You start to find dirt in places you never expected. Besides, all three of you will start picking those walls tomorrow. But the good news is is that since you're pretty young you won't work as long as me. Consider that a blessing."

Knock Out scoffs. Soundwave was rather intrigued by the certain miners walking back and forth from the tunnel.

"Do you have friends?" Breakdown asks. "Like to play with or talk to?"

"...Friends are rather defined differently down here."

"What are they like?"

"Friends are the ones that make sure that the tunnels won't collapse on you and won't literally stab you in the back with their own working tool. To make this a rather short answer, I don't have many friends."

"Do you at least have one?" Breakdown continued to ask. It made D-16 rather uncomfortable that these sparklings, whom he just met, wanted to know so much about him. Then again, he would have acted the same way if a random strange mech decided to take them in.

"..I have one, though I'm not so sure if I'd consider him a friend. More like someone whom I owe, but doesn't seem too eager for the payback."

"..That's a weird friend..," Knock Out says after spending some time removing dirt from his arm by dabbing spit on his fingers.

D-16 shrugged. Instead he continued to watch Knock Out clean himself. Sparklings born in the mines were use to dirt the nanoclik they were sparked, and it was amusing to watch them cower in fear when they were moved to a place that was clean. Knock Out was probably the only creature in this entire hole to despise dirt.

He heard Breakdown ask yet another question.

"What's your friend's name?"

"Shockwave."

"Is he a miner too?"

"Not exactly. He is a medical officer, however, this is when he is called for the more fatal conditions. Up above, he serves as a scientist, and makes sure the energon we pick is suitable for digestion."

"You mean its not always?" Knock Out asked.

"There are many types of Energon, though not all of them are safe for consumption. When I refer to something that is "suitable", its usually pointed towards the upper class. Bots with power that they buy with credits."

"I didn't know there were "classes"," Breakdown moved closer. "What class are you? What are we?"

"...We are lower class," D-16 said. "We live in ruin and get the short end of all deals. We have no voice."

"Do we get suitable energon?" Knock Out's voice seemed so full of hope that it almost made D-16's spark swell. Almost.

"No. We don't."

"No, please no!"

D-16 stood up in full alert when he heard the shrill pleas coming from down the tunnel. He looked over from his post, immediately spotting the frightened mech being cornered by four larger brutes. The mech was much smaller, and more frail, than D-16. Due to the darkness, D-16 was unable to identify him, however he was quick to recognize the ones terrorizing him.

"Come here," he ordered in a low voice towards the sparklings. They hurry over, huddling next to his right leg that was able to block their view of the commotion.

"What's wrong?" Breakdown asked.

D-16 didn't answer and continued to hammer away at his spot on the wall. He was still able to watch the group from the corner of his optical, occasionally zooming in to get a better look.

"This isn't the first time you've been late on a payment," their leader said, "Honestly, no one enjoys being reminded over and over again, and it so happens that the reminder feels the same way. It's why I just sit back and wait for them. But you just have the worst memory bank, don't you?"

"But Overlord, please, I-I would have paid you sooner if they hadn't lowered the amount of energon rations! I swear!" the scrawny mech pleaded. He yelped when two of the cronies took a hold of him, one grabbing onto his upper torso and the other taking a hold of his legs. The third associate's arm suddenly turned into a saw, the loud engine whirring to life causing everyone in the tunnel to finally turn their attention to them. But as soon as they saw the mech's predicament, they quickly went back to work, pretending to not even take notice of the scene.

Sadly, D-16 did the same thing. It was none of his business. But his spark ached of guilt because of his choice as the saw started edging closer and closer to it's newest victim.

"Overlord, please! I will get you the energon, I will!" the mech cried, oil tears running down his face.

But Overlord simply smirked, arms folded over his chest as he watched in glee as the saw began to cut right through the mech.

D-16 flinched at the screams that lasted for a mere 5 seconds until the only sound were the workers. Overlord waved a hand, causing the mechs to immediately toss the two pieces of their victim into a corner before they headed out of the tunnel.

Looking over his shoulder, D-16's optics met with Overlord's chilling gaze as he examined him while passing behind. Usually, those who feared Overlord wouldn't dare to make optical contact with nor even speak to him unless approached by the maniac. D-16 couldn't have cared less.

They stared at each other until Overlord grew tired and continued down the tunnel. During that small stand off, D-16 didn't even hear the whimpering and little cries of the sparklings at his feet.

"I-I don't like it here," Knock Out whined.

"Idon'tlikeitIdon'tlikeitIdon'tlikeit," Soundwave repeated so quickly out of fear, his little body shuddering as his arms wrapped themselves around D-16's leg.

"I wanna go home," D-16 tensed when he started to see tears begin to form in Breakdown's eyes.

He sighed gruffly, "Alright, alright! Just-just stop that, all of you." He looked up to see if anyone was watching, but luckily everyone was still minding their own business, and with all the work going on he doubt they could even hear the sounds emitting from his area. Glancing back to the sparklings, D-16 let out an irritable sigh and knelt down.

"Hey, hey calm down," D-16 said in the kindest voice possible, but it was hard to hide his irritability. "I still have to work for a few more hours, and I doubt I can withstand your crying for that long. You want to leave? Fine, we will leave once my shift is over, but if I even hear you complain, we will stay longer so you can see Overlord in action again, got it?"

The sparklings nodded and tried to wipe their tears away.

"..Who was that?" Knock Out asked.

D-16 continued to dig as he answered, "His designation is Overlord, second to Grayback. He usually keeps the miners on track with their energon rations and how much they use. Greyback is in charge on how much energon you find. If a Miner takes out more energon than their given amount, they must work for the loss, but if the Bosses don't receive it on time, you're basically dead weight to the production."

"...But Grayback seemed nice...," Breakdown says.

"Just because he spared you three doesn't mean he's all that friendly. He's just as ruthless, just as crazy. He just so happens to hide it well."

The questions seemed to stop after that for the day. The trio had then sat down at his feet and played in the dirt, besides Knock Out. For the next few megacyles, it was silence. Occasionally, one of them would start whining about being tired before passing out in some random place, such as in the opposite corner of his work area or within the mine cart behind him. Soundwave was so tired that he passed out on top of D-16's foot.

A bell rang and Grayback hollered. The day was over. D-16 woke up the sparklings and began to push his cart back out of the tunnel to be inspected.

"Hm, I've seen better from you, D-16," Grayback stated. "Though I'll wave it off due to your...unfortunate predicament." He glanced down at the sparklings as indication.

"I appreciate it, sir," D-16 thanked him.

"Do you think they will be able to handle tomorrow?"

D-16 had no words, only because he was not sure. He was not an expert on sparkling care, and the fact that no one had confronted him to claim them did not help either. "...I suppose?"

Grayback raised a brow, "..Very well."

"Come on, let's go," he said to the sparklings and began to push the cart to where it would be sorted.

He wanted nothing more than sleep. Laying back on his berth, D-16 swung an arm across his face and groaned, letting his body somewhat relax after a long solar cycle.

Then he felt someone tug on his other arm. "...D-16, I'm bored," Knock Out complained.

D-16 grumbled and lifted the arm across his optics to glare at him. "What do you want me to do about it? Entertain yourselves."

"But all that's in here is dirt and empty energon cubes!" Knock Out kicked at the ground to emphasize the word that made the little one cringe. However, behind him, Breakdown and Soundwave were using the said cubes as building blocks. Soundwave giggled and crawled through a small square tunnel he had made. Breakdown went to follow him when his bulk frame prevented him and caused the cubes to topple over.

D-16 flinched, expecting the large sparkling to begin bawling, when instead he heard laughter. This sort of laughter wasn't sinister or sarcastic, but was out of innocent joy. The sound was pleasant on his audios and the Miner found himself laying on his side to watch the sparklings and listen. Knock Out had reluctantly gone to join his comrades in their little game and in a short amount of time he too was laughing.

It was hard for him to believe that in such a horrible place, after such a day, these three were able to find content and wear a smile on their faces. Or, in Soundwave's case, laugh.

D-16 felt comfort in the happiness that beamed off of them and was able to close his optics in rest.

The biggest major reason that I'm updating this SOO late is because I couldn't decide whether I wanted to keep Overlord in the story or have someone else take his role. But because I couldn't think of anyone, and because this is nothing more than AU, I decided to keep him.