Charred Luck

Mona thought it was horrible enough when she learned how painful it was for them to watch the life leave their Carrier, their Mother. To add insult to the injury, the one to kill her was their own Father, who hated the twins from the very start.

And then their botched attempt for revenge only brought upon them more questions, more bitterness, and a whole new world of pain from both the big revelation and the fact that they'd fallen into what's considered as the Cybertronian equivalent to hot lava.

Only yesterday she'd have thought that her sensory issue was the biggest problem going on in the world. How pathetic and self-centered that thought was in itself. It was painful to see how big some other people's problems were compared to her own. She'd learnt the same lesson over and over again before through tragic stories and news reports, but like every other person she knew, it never completely stuck with her. And now, this time was no different, except the fact that robotic aliens were telling their story, and it somehow seemed more personal than any other story she'd heard for a very long time.

Which raised another thing she needed addressed…

"I have a question," Mona spoke up quietly, her voice seeming more timid, even though there's nothing to be afraid of. "You guys don't even know me that well; you came out here looking for Leo, yet you somehow let me tag along." She bit her lip. "What I'm trying to point out is that this is a very sensitive subject, even for protectors and their charge. Why did you both trust me to sit here and listen the whole time?" If she was anybody else, Mona could have felt the temptation to jab or tease what's been happening to "mindless robots" and criticize the possibility of them having emotions and capable of feeling hurt.

The twins shared a glance with surprised looks, as if they never considered the thought beforehand, or perhaps because it seemed partially off-subject that they didn't expect the question to pop up right now.

"Well," Skids started. "Ya're his mate, aren't cha?"

His what?

This time, Mona and Leo stared at each other with surprise and an air of awkwardness. "This is our first date." Leo spoke for her in a sheepish tone.

"But, Leo could have been hanging out with anyone less trustworthy than me," Mona elaborated. "That's just the way he is. You guys couldn't have just gone off of a simple observation like that, did you?" It worried Mona; sure, she's trustworthy, but she knew a few of Leo's other friends that would've taken the opportunity to snap a picture and post it on the social media or something.

What surprised her even more, though, was their simple response.

"We trust Leo, so we's gonna trust anyone he trusts."

Even that statement seemed to make her boyfriend pause to process what they just said. Mudflap said it in such a way he made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world, but she suspected that there was more depth to all of this than just their claim. Leo naturally holds grudges against people for even the simple things, and judging from how he behaves towards the 'Bots, their first impression was anything but a good one.

So what changed between them? The twins have gone through too much to just trust anyone blindly. The twins clearly helped to redeem themselves in such a way that might have lessened any antipathy that her boyfriend would have held against them. At the same time, Leo said or did something that made him fractionally worth the effort of befriending or being close to.

After all, she's very sure that alien robots have more important things to do than cozy up to a random civilian.

Personally, Mona had never been in a dire situation that was anything close to the Egypt incident that they keep mentioning, let alone any opportunity to form unusual connections to people she otherwise wouldn't associate herself with.

She'll never completely understand the strength or reasoning behind that kind of relationship, but she's seen enough about it to know that it's powerful - despite the seemingly contradicting messages that Leo constantly sends outwards.

"Plus, we's hacked inta his laptop. We knows everythin' 'bout 'im," Skids whispered lowly so only she could hear.

Well that explained a lot now, and helped Mona relax a bit more from knowing that it wasn't just blind trust. Especially after all they've been through.

Surprisingly, Leo seemed to be in deep thought at the moment, and slowly shook his head. "Damn, even I couldn't imagine any of that happening to me in my entire lifetime." Mona craned her neck to look up at him behind her and saw how conflicted he appeared inside, though he seemed to try and hide it. No matter what happened from here on out, he could never think of the twins like before ever again. "You guys weren't the same after that, were you?"

There was a pregnant pause. "It...affected us in mor' ways den one," was Mudflap's hesitant reply.

Skids stared at the ground. "I'll never forget wha' happened." He sounded drained as it was, and Mudflap's voice was even more guarded, more careful. Mona suspected that they were close to losing control and reaching an emotional breaking point. It suggested that the aftermath of what happened was...somehow even worse than what happened in Kaon with Mixmaster.

….

Time seemed to have slowed down even more as it kept going. What was really an Astrosecond felt like a Klik. When a Klik passed, it seemed like a Breem. When a full Breem went by, it seemed more like a Decavorn. They hadn't even been alive for a full Decavorn yet, but it felt like forever.

The twins had fallen into a smelting pit, a result from making the mistake of seeking revenge against the Constructicon known as Mixmaster.

Smelting pools were dangerous, but still took time to break down the unfortunate victims that fall in. The extra time taken to slowly kill a Cybertronian only made it feel more painful. It was a horrible way to die.

Mudflap and Skids had developed a habit on the battlefield - encouraged by Ironhide - to keep their twin bond wide open to hear each other's thoughts, feel their physical state and send/receive short-range communications, pings, and other various signals. The downside of it was feeling phantom pains if one of them got hurt.

The moment they fell into the smelting pit, it was pure agony from the unbelievable heat, but they were in so much shock that they went still, unbelievably silent than they ever were in their earlier lives. It only got worse when the sensations traveled between both of them in a seemingly endless feedback loop that seemed to become more and more excruciating the longer it kept going. Mudflap had eventually managed to throw up a barricade to make it stop for both of them, but there was still little relief in even that small act.

They were being melted alive, bit by bit, the fluid leaked between their armor plating, which was also breaking apart molecule by molecule, and the insulation around their cables started to dissolve, further exposing their sensitive neural wiring.

From the more direct senses, their raw circuitry began firing even more pain signals to their processor, which was frying from the overload of messages and the heat of their harsh, deadly environment. Both finally screamed until static formed in their vocalizers, started to thrash, which only stirred up the molten liquids even more, and speeding up the process of melting them down.

Skids only wanted death to come for him faster; he didn't want to live after this suffering. If only he and his brother could completely sink beneath the surface, it would all happen at a more speedy pace. It's just anyone's bad luck that the pure substance that makes up the majority of the fluid in smelting pools is more dense than most Cybertronians or material, so anything that falls in would bob on the surface until it's completely broken down into slag. And then that molten metal simply remains floating until it drifts to the edge of the pool to make contact with the edge and begins the gradual process of cooling back down and becoming one with the planet.

Before any of this happened, the twins would have thought that literally becoming part of the circumference around a smelting pool would be a pathetic way to go, and thus, would have tried to avoid that. The problem was that neither of them thought of this before confronting Mixmaster, and didn't use enough caution. Their foolishness got them into this whole mess and now they both want nothing more than to feel a peaceful calmness before death, similar to what their Carrier had in comparison before she left to become one with the All Spark.

Both brothers were dead to the world, and so trapped in their own agony and desperation that they never noticed their nemesis simply turning to walk away and leave them to their fates, satisfied with his victory, and their manner of death. It was only a few Kliks later that two sets of footsteps were approaching the area, paused for a few Nanocycles, and then bolted towards the two bobbing figures in a random pool - Brawn and Inferno.

Skids and Mudflap weren't even aware of the grapples that were shot outwards and hooked onto whatever was left of them, and then began to reel them over to the edge. Servos grasped parts of their cooler, less damaged plating to haul them out of the searing dense liquid, and gently laid them on the ground.

Both mechs that saved the twins thought that everything would be better from there, but they couldn't have been more wrong.

After being submerged in a smelting pool that slowly melted away their armor plating, the protection around their neural circuits, and sensitive protoform, their ruined sensor net was further exposed. Now their heated, almost completely melted bodies were exposed to the chilling air that was rapidly cooling the softened or even liquidated metal around their joints, cables, and energon lines. The sudden temperature change wasn't just detected by exposed neurons; the signals were also amplified. It caused the twins additional pain that couldn't be helped. Some of their brittle dermal plating cracked from the temperature that rapidly cooled it, and it didn't help their pain any.

The twins started screaming all over again and attempted to thrash around like before, completely out of their right state of mind. Neither were able to notice, but their rescuers were terrified, and started to panic at the primal state the two younglings were in. They quickly commed the rest of their team to come quickly with utmost urgency in their voices.

It wasn't until then that they realized a mistake: when they set down the half melted twins and began to cool, they became practically welded to the ground.

By that time, Skids and Mudflap's frames cooled to the point that they were still scorching to the touch, but was completely solidified and nearly immobile so all they could do was groan from the agony, immobile and glued down. Sparks were seen from any visible circuit and Inferno could have sworn that smoke was wafting from their helms now. He nor Brawn were medics, and didn't hold a lot of knowledge regarding such emergencies, but they knew that smoke was a very bad were relieved that Perceptor arrived when he did. Although the mech was a scientist, at least he knew frames and their functions a lot better than the other two did, and would be able to perform whatever field repairs he could possibly do.

At least that's what they thought. Perceptor probably would have been sufficient for minor injuries until they got back to base, but this was so severe that it may take a whole army of medics to fix if they ever wanted Skids and Mudflap to survive this.

Everyone stood back as Perceptor did what he could for them, mostly dulling down their sensory net so they would feel less pain. At this point, if their pain receptors were deactivated, there's a chance that it may never start up again if - no, when they're repaired. Both still groaned while the scientist contemplated how it would be best to separate them from the metallic ground.

Meanwhile Ironhide scouted out the area and caught sight of their discarded recording device near the base of the cliff, undamaged. He picked it up and subspaced it for later examination, and continued patrolling nearby to watch out for incoming hostiles.

Frustrated, Perceptor turned to the bystanding team members, "Why isn't anybody contacting Iacon?! We need an immediate groundbridge! Send Ratchet and every other medic that's available."

Cosmos immediately opened up a long-distance comm to Blaster, informed him of their setting and parroted the exact instructions Perceptor had given. A bridge had opened up within Nanocycles and Ratchet was the first one through, followed by First Aid, Jolt, Digitalon, and Fixit.

"Slag! They're a mess!" Digitalon exclaimed. "Ratchet, what's your verdict?" He was clearly nervous, he didn't know the twins well, but he didn't want to give up on them just yet.

"I'm not writing them off." Ratchet stated with unquestionable determination, as both CMO and as their guardian. He'd sooner choose to go to the pit before he let them offline without helping them somehow.

"So...how are you going to remove them?" Pipes asked while Perceptor respectively made way for the medics. "Are you gonna use a welder to heat the metal back up, or…?"

"SHUT UP!" Ratchet snapped as he examined his delirious patients. "Welders are used for fusing two objects together, it can't be used for the opposite purpose!" He turned to Perceptor. "Are their pain receptors toned down?" He received a quick nod in affirmative. "Good, because they'll not want to feel the brunt of this." Then he proceeded to transform his servo into a buzzsaw.

"Wait. You're not going to seriously CUT them OUT, are you?!" Brawn asked. "There must be another way to salvage what's stuck-"

Jolt looked at Brawn cooly. "Are you a medic?" he inquired.

Brawn paused and said, "No."

This time Digitalon stepped up after running a diagnostic scan on both twins. "We're currently in enemy territory. Our top priority is getting our patients to safety once they are stable enough to move. And look at the state they're in; very little of that is salvageable." Ratchet's saw started up and he began severing the welds Mudflap had that tied him down as Digitalon continued. "About 94.29% of Skids's frame will have to be replaced, and that's including all of the damaged energon lines, circuitry wiring, and protoform plating. Mudflap needs 82.61% of his own frame either repaired however way possible, or replaced. There's very little use for the remainder of their bodies anyway; a miracle they're still alive. They'd be better off if we just built them new frames and performed an emergency spark transfer-"

"NO!" Ratchet's voice cut them off. He'd finished freeing Mudflap, and the incoherent twin was placed in the care of Fixit and First Aid, who were less focused on talking, and more on their patient. "The twins won't want new bodies. They'll be willing to keep whatever they have left that ties them to their past." He left out that it's all they truly had left of their family besides their twin bond. As their guardian, he knew what was best for them, and what they'd prefer.

Everybody went silent after that, and Ratchet began cutting Skids out of the ground as the two other medics transported Mudflap through the groundbridge and directly into the medbay. Ironhide returned from his patrol by then. "Decepticons are coming this way," he informed them in a neutral, authoritative tone. "ETA five Breems. How long do you expect this to take?"

The roaring of the saw didn't quiet down, nor did the medic's speed slow as he thought of his answer. "About just as long, if I'm gentle." There was apprehensiveness in his voice. He never wanted to bring harm to his patients, even if the situation was dire. Ironhide knew that all too well.

The dark mech warmed up his cannons. "My team will cover you," he reassured his friend.

Everyone was silently preparing for a fight, weapons ready, as Ratchet kept grinding down on the solidified metal with his saw. A gurgling noise was then heard from Skids, and the CMO immediately stopped what he was doing.

"What did you say Skids?" Ratchet kept his tone level and calm, professional. But deep down, he felt worry, and a twinge of guilt, knowing that with their neural circuitry not offlined, he was still hurting both twins when trying to save their lives.

Skids struggled to speak, static was heard from his vocalizer for several painful Nanocycles, but a single undamaged blue optic focused on the medic's own aged ones. Then something just barely audible was spoken over the static, and reflected in the twin's pleading optics. "Just…..Pzzzht….stop….I-It…..Pzzzzzht…..end me…...Pzzzht….p-please!"

Even though it was difficult to hear, everybody knew what was said. It was painful to see anybody this way, but it felt even worse to see them give up.

This was bad for Ratchet. In any dark situation, a twin would only be thinking about their other half, but Skids was begging to be killed quickly and painlessly, not paying any mind to Mudflap. It meant he was getting closer to a point of no return. He had to stop that progress.

The medic shook his head. "I can't do that Skids. What about Mudflap? He can't be left behind. He can't fight without you. You need each other."

The green youngling's entire manner gradually changed as Ratchet's words sunk in. His good optic widened in shock, and guilt. Then, in a stronger voice, he said, "Take...me to…..Pzzzzht….him."

There was more to that statement than what was just said. Skids wanted to be in the company of his twin as soon as he could. He had given Ratchet silent permission to work faster, albeit more carelessly when it came to being gentle.

The CMO gave the youngling a curt nod and restarted his saw to continue cutting through. Skids groaned and offlined his optic. "Digitalon! Perceptor, I need both of you to keep Skids conscious! We don't want him going under yet! Jolt, monitor his spark!"

Meanwhile Ironhide's optics started picking up on headlights of several grounders and a chopper. Everybody else was lining up between the medics and their opponents like living shields, weapons readied. Ratchet had cut through over three quarters of the metal, and was nearly through. Skids's groaning got louder, but he didn't beg Ratchet to stop. He was so close to freedom, so close to Mudflap...he couldn't give up.

The grinding sound of cutting immediately stopped as the saw severed through the last of solidified protoform and Primus knows what else. It met the and unyielding metallic ground directly underneath, the cool air could be seen battling the heat caused from the friction. Ratchet's saw transformed back into a servo and lifted up the upper half of the green twin. "Digitalon, help me out." The silver and light blue mech quickly nodded and gripped the lower half gently as they transported Skids through the green, white and blue portal.

Gunfire was heard through the other side, and the remainder of Ironhide's troops retreated through the bridge one by one, until their commander was the last one through. There was little more than scorch marks on their armor plating, nothing that couldn't be resolved with their repair nanites, or another coat of paint.

"EVERYONE OUT!" Ratchet bellowed as he set down Skids on a berth right next to Mudflap and drew some curtains for privacy. Soon, every mech had left except the five medics and their two only patients; the rest of the med bay was cut off from their makeshift ICU area, the other staff and patients were irrelevant at this point.

Slowly, so painfully slowly, Mudflap turned his helm a few degrees sideways to look at Skids, who appeared a lot worse than he did.

He knew exactly who to blame for that. Anger rose up quickly before the orange twin was able to come back to his senses and stamp it back down. What little remained of his precious energy had better uses than to waste it all on feelings he couldn't express at the moment.

There was a flicker through their twin bond before it began to fade rapidly. Digitalon had only just hooked both of them up to spark monitors before Skids's screen began to beep and flash in warning. It was only a matter of time before Mudflap was in the same way. Ratchet cursed and started barking out orders. "Jolt! Electrify! Keep his spark active!" He turned to Fixit and told him to help First Aid with keeping Mudflap stable. If one twin started going critical, then the other one would quickly follow downhill. Ratchet wasn't about to let that happen.

The CMO activated his saw again to carefully slice through Skids's chassis when he found the seam completely glued shut from the melted metal that recooled. He pried open the plating to expose the young, pulsating spark before sidestepping away to give Jolt more space.

The blue mech's electro whips were freed and curled around the spark casing before shocking the body. Any joints that were still movable on the green twin's body stiffened during each shock and relaxed after. Eventually, the spark rate started evening out, so they had a small window of opportunity to get through with their severe injuries first, and then work up to the minor damages.

But first, Ratchet needed more information. He commed Ironhide and asked him if anyone on his team knew how long the twins have been in the smelting pool. The weapons specialist said that nobody witnessed what happened, but their recording device and events that occurred during its running time could be timed to figure out when they likely fell in.

In the meantime, both twins were put into medical stasis, and four out of five medics - including Jolt - armed themselves with laser scalpels and began to more carefully cut away the useless pieces of metal. A lot of it had melted and resolidified into indescribable lumps that held nothing but weight and only got in the way of their view of the problems. Because it's only metal and hadn't likely gotten circuits and wires tangled and bundled together, it could probably be melted down again to reuse and redesign as new armor.

While the others were at work, Digitalon was going through the storage rooms to carry out boxes containing what was left of spare parts for replacements. Most of what they needed were neural circuitry, energon pumps, coolant lines, optics, and skeletal protoform materials that had yet to be measured and cut down to appropriate size and shape for the recipient. He also looked through the cupboards for other tools that they would be likely to fall back on if there were complications or anything unexpected.

Like Ratchet, he had some experience with working on smelting pool victims. Few actually survived out of the number of patients, but he knew what to expect: anything that isn't replaced will have to be ground down and smoothed out; joints would have to be cleaned of any shrapnel or loose pieces, and all circuitry looked over for any damage.

It was long, tedious work that really involved taking the patient apart piece by piece, even removing protoform plating to expose their metallic skeleton, neural wires, energon lines, coolant pumps, antifreeze pipes, their core processor, ingestion tank, and optic and audial cables to ensure that all of it worked correctly. Then they would have to sort through every other removed component and determine whether they could be repaired or not. Everything that was stripped off or was part of their base frame that couldn't be salvaged would have to be replaced. No doubt, every part of their internal workings were going to be a mess.

However, there were two critical organs that couldn't be repaired or replaced if there was severe damage, which were both the processor and the spark. The second of which usually meant that they either stayed on spark support full-time, or it'd fizzle out on their own. Neither fate was ideal for an Autobot warrior.

Sadly, the Autobots couldn't afford to support anybot for very long in that way, and had to let them go...almost every time. Ratchet analyzed both sparks and was relieved that he wouldn't have to face the pain of writing off more patients for the time being.

However, processor damage was the most common out of both, but also the most concerning if a patient was to survive. At least severe damage to a spark would determine whether they were able to live or not without constant spark support, and if they could even be saved. Processor damage could be anything from the logic circuits and thought center to the automatic bodily functions such as venting and temperature control to maintain homeostasis.

As the three other medics stripped the twins down to their barest components, Ratchet ran a diagnostic scan over each of their helms and frowned at the results.

Processor damage. It indicated that they've been in the smelting pool for at least four Kliks, and caused minor but irreparable damage to their logic and thinking centers; their fine motor skills may be less coordinated from thereon as well. There was also a chance that some of their memory files were fried due to the heat of the pool and the overload of sensory messages.

Ratchet couldn't say that there's shame or embarrassment from such a predicament. It only pained him to even think about how their social behavior, combat techniques, and thinking strategies would change after this. The twins were bound to become two different versions of their former selves. How fitting it was that they'd also be getting a complete body makeover and then some.

Jolt let loose a stream of curses that snagged Ratchet's attention. He was clutching a decent sized protoform piece that had partially melted and recooled. The problem was that it hadn't just caught some wires, but some of that metal has layered itself over an energon line, so it couldn't just be cut off. Ratchet picked up a grinding tool to carefully disconnect the majority of metal from the pump. Digitalon grabbed the tool from the CMO and got to work with Jolt while Ratchet went back to one of the cupboards to pick up a vial that was nearly empty. It was a "gift" of sorts he'd collected during one of his run-ins with a Decepticon scientist named Oil Slick in the battlefield. He put a few drops of the substance into a beaker and then diluted it before carefully bringing it back to the table next to Skids's berth.

He used a new pipette to suck up the fluid, and then slowly, bit by bit, put two drops of it over the metal that rested on top of the energon line. The metal fizzed and bubbled before dissolving, and Ratchet quickly rubbed the excess off with a clean rag that would have to be discarded later. He repeated the acid treatment several times in different areas until he was satisfied that all traces of metal was gone and the energon line was flexible again, and set the beaker and dropper aside on a table.

Ratchet got a comm from Ironhide at that moment which clarified that the twins had been in the smelting pit for about 8.4 Kliks. What bothered him was that the commanding officer found something else and he wished to discuss it with the medic whenever he was able to separate himself from the twins.

It took a long time - too long for Ratchet to track - but the twins were finally stripped down to the barest of their components. It looked disturbing, even haunting to see any Cybertronian like this. Every physical characteristic that one familiarizes himself with is suddenly taken away to see the very skeleton and organs of what makes up that person. The only trait that looked partially recognizable was whatever remained undamaged on their faceplates.

Surprisingly, their skeletons weren't as horrible as the medics expected, which showed how durable their external frames had been up until they were liquified from the smelting pool. Their coolant, antifreeze, and energon lines were a little deformed, at worst, from the extreme heat, but no part of their systems was deprived of their life blood. Their tanks were ruptured, but they hadn't had much energon before leaving for Kaon, so nothing was really lost. It wasn't fatal - the twins would require medical grade energon injections until it's repaired, however. Mudflap's audio receptors would need to be checked later, seeing that nobody was sure how well they worked after the majority melted off the helm. Skids on the other hand, didn't appear to have any difficulty communicating earlier, so at least that's in good shape. Lastly, at least one of each twin's optics were in bad enough shape to be replaced. Skids seemed to have a "good optic," but it's questionable how well it's actually functioning. It could clearly see, but Ratchet suspected that it was having trouble focusing. Mudflap's optics would be checked as soon as the rest of his vitals were examined and repaired.

From that point, they'd focus on building the twins back in the best way they can before bringing them out of medical stasis for their input...and to check on their psychological health.

~=[,,_,,]:3

Ratchet vented deeply. Ironhide wouldn't be happy when he saw the state the twins' weapons were in...or lack thereof for Skids. The green youngling's sword was missing, presumably destroyed, and Mudflap's cannon was completely slagged from the smelter. The sad part was that Ironhide had those weapons designed specifically for them, in particular. That wasn't Ratchet's top priority, however; the physical state of his patients' frames were more important, then his team would move up to mental examination, given that they've endured processor damage, not to mention psychological trauma.

Speaking of Ironhide, he'd had that "talk" with him about what the recording device contained. Well, first he listened to the whole thing, and then quietly conversed with the weapons specialist of what exactly came to light. To say that it disturbed Ratchet was an understatement. It was simply too hard to believe that the two handsome twins had been the result of their gorgeous Carrier's...affair...with Mixmaster, of all the ugly mechs.

They knew that this situation was serious. Neither had been aware of who actually killed Skids and Mudflap's creator, but they had known that the twins wanted revenge for what happened. Ratchet never considered that the younglings - who had been in shock from sparkbreak and severe injury - had known of who committed the act, either. The problem is that presenting them with an opportunity like that on their own wasn't just stupid, but suicidal - the results of their battle with Mixmaster proved it. This whole time, the twins were left unchecked, and now Ratchet paid the price.

At the same time, however, it would be wrong to deny anybody the opportunity for justice and closure. There wasn't anything that could be done to keep the younglings away from the battlefield, so where Skids and Mudflap are positioned is much more important, and they definitely shouldn't be without help.

What surprised and impressed Ratchet was not only their strength, but also that Ironhide had expressed fondness about the twins, and that he actually wanted to hunt down the mech himself for what happened. Despite how annoying and hard-headed the twins were, even their gruff instructor couldn't ignore their endearing nature.

He looked over his datapad that explained the changes and procedures that the twins had gone through when their external frames were being rebuilt. Mudflap's left arm, right optic, audio receptors, and doorwings had been replaced. His face was also asymmetrical due to partial melting. Skids had it worse, most likely because he flailed around more in the pool than his brother; his right arm was replaced, along with several digits on his left arm. Both of his optics were removed and switched out for two mismatched ones - as they were the only ones available.

Supplies were dangerously low, however, and their critical state had demanded that they couldn't take the time to properly shape and design a lot of their materials accordingly. Skids also had most of his jaw removed, but kept enough of unharmed materials and plating to ensure that it still worked properly; and he also got new dentas. The twins both had their legs shortened due to damage, but not worth replacement. They look quite similar, but the brothers each had different designs of ped stabilizers now.

Digitalon had analyzed their frame types in their records, and suggested that they had a redesign that's more suitable for their function as footsoldiers. Their torsos were shortened to be at equal length to their legs, but also widened to take more punishment in battle. Skids also received new shoulder plating. Ratchet couldn't lie, the injuries they both sustained were quite severe, and their bodies turned out very deformed even in the final result due to a few of the replacement parts not being exactly right, or the refinery work was far too delicate to devote time to. A lot of their tools were outdated and the medics had very little material to work with - They had to cut down or sever bits and pieces of their skeletons, protoform, and armor plating alike to melt it down accordingly and reuse it because they were so desperate.

Although the twins didn't look as visually appealing like they used to, there was no doubt that they were stronger and able to withstand more together.

At this point, not much more could be done for Skids and Mudflap, so the next priority would be bringing both out of medical stasis for analysis. It wasn't going to be a pleasant experience for either party, given that smelting victims that survived would be experiencing neural memories of the experience. And they had lots of sensory circuits replaced, and the recovery from that procedure wasn't very fun for patients either. The CMO wasn't sure how either would react to their new appearances; worst case scenario would mean that both would whine and sulk about it, whereas the best that could be expected meant that the twins would take in all in stride like they did with all their battle scars. But with processor damage, there was no telling how they'd behave anymore.

First Aid was present with Ratchet when Fixit brought the two brothers out of stasis, given that he was more of the psychological expert than any other medic in the department, and he was familiar with the twins just as much as the old yellow mech.

At first, nothing happened, and the younglings remained completely still. First Aid shot a quick glance at the CMO before he looked at a data pad to analyze the processor images that were scanned to determine what could possibly be wrong. He didn't get far in his search when they heard groans, which quickly turned to keens and whimpers from pain.

….

Mona blinked her dry eyes a few times, no doubt getting bloodshot from sleepiness, and she stole a glance at Leo's watch.

3:47 am

There was no doubt that she'd be cranky for the next few days but so far, this time spent is worth it. Besides, it'd be impolite to ask to leave now, after the twins had gotten to a sensitive subject in their life stories.

The least she could do for them is show sympathy, if not to just shut up and listen. It was already a brave move on their part to be opening up to a stranger and their own charge.

Personally, she wouldn't have been able to just talk about it as if it was a story with some emotional ties to it. If anything of the sort happened to her, she'd clam up and not want to talk at all.

What if something like that happened to her?

Mona pinched her chapped lips together - she wished that their extra water bottle hadn't been wasted by dumping it on each other. She shuddered at the thought of her parents dying. The young woman certainly wasn't fighting in a civil war, but even the strain of losing somebody close, without feeling physical pain from a broken spiritual bond would feel unbearable.

If there's a lesson she's learning right now, is that life was so delicate and temporary for anything and everything, and it could so easily be taken away in just a moment.

She made a mental note to call her parents when the story's over...and maybe open up to Leo more about her family. Her boyfriend seemed understanding, and equally curious.

Mona looked back up at Skids and Mudflap, who'd taken a moment's pause to gather their bearings and let everything sink in. They may certainly come off as stupid, but they could tell both an engaging and effective story that could touch a listener's emotions - at least her own.

She stifled a yawn and cuddled up against Leo's warmth more. It felt so comfy…

A hand slithered up to her hip and then stayed there.

Mona rolled her eyes. She felt ready to go to sleep just a split second ago, but she supposed it didn't matter now; she felt wide awake again. She let the hand stay though, she wasn't mad and personally didn't mind a more grounding sensation from her boyfriend right now.

"How bothered were you guys from the changes?" she wondered aloud.

The twins looked at each other, and Skids shrugged. There was something in his optics though, and it made Mona look closer. It looked like sadness.

"It wasn' so bad 's much as da pain," Mudflap answered slowly. "At leas' in da beginnin'."

….

Skids had just begun onlining his optics when he was immediately overwhelmed by various sensations.

Bright light.

Ringing in his audios.

The smell of molten metal, and spilt energon.

His mouth was sore and felt like it was caked with dust and ground down metal slivers.

And pain.

Blinding pain all over his entire body, from his internal wiring to his protoform plating to his fluid pumps.

His protoform skeleton felt raw.

It was horrible.

His vocaliser let out a few bursts of static before his own whining could be recognized

Skids unconsciously turned onto his side and curled up in a fetal position in hopes to make himself feel less significant. Maybe whatever cruel God that was unleashing this torment would eventually grow bored and bother somebody else.

It still felt like his scorching circuitry had just been taken out of the smelting pool and exposed to the chilly air, and then had pure francium rubbed in.

He still thought he was partially melted and then solidifying on the cold, uneven ground. His spinal strut was still shooting pain signals up to his processor.

He then heard Mudflap's moaning as well and tried yet again to online his optics. Skids was scared to see what kind state his brother would be in, but he still wanted to look at him one last time.

The green twin was blinded for a few Kliks, but kept them open and gradually adjusted to his environment. He turned his helm to the side and gazed upon the uncolored steel of his brother's mismatched form, but relaxed when he saw that his appearance wasn't as bad as he'd thought. What bothered him was the moaning. He didn't look damaged, so what was making him feel as hurt as he was?

Skids gritted his denta, but his circuits weren't settling, they kept firing signals throughout the network to his processor, and it felt overwhelming.

"Easy." Ratchet's deep, gruff, yet soothing voice was heard nearby. "Just relax. Your new circuitry will adjust soon. Give it time."

"R-R-Rat..chet?" Mudflap's weak voice was heard next, and Skids watched his twin's blue optics online, but quickly shut from being unused to the light shining overhead.

"Don't strain your systems." The medic sounded a little irritated now, and that somehow calmed Skids down. If there were any serious problems, then the CMO would feel more obligated to show a more kind and gentle nature. And they weren't currently feeling that smothering behavior.

Mudflap was slower this time to try and take in his surroundings, and the pain he was feeling surely didn't help. The first 'Bot he set sights on was his own brother.

Something felt different from his brother though. Skids couldn't quite place it, but the utmost love and affection he'd normally see on Mudflap's faceplates was surprisingly lessened - not quite from pain, but something else. He couldn't tell since their bond was still cut off aside from feeling each other's life force.

By now, the pain Skids was feeling began to fade ever so slightly, so it was easier to focus on his brother's facial reaction. "Ugh, S-Skids," he weakly began.

"Yeah?"

Mudflap coughed out some dust and grime that settled in his intakes. "Ya look like scrap."

Skids blinked. That was his word choice? He looked like he wanted to say something different, something more...biting. Even his vocals would sound like he's teasing, but it was like a weak deadpan.

Despite everything, Skids managed a chuckle. "Look who's talkin'," he teased. He still felt bothered about his brother's behavior toward him. Something wasn't right.

They both heard Ratchet groan from their antics and muttered about ridiculous younglings and their continuous behavior. Strangely enough, it made Mudflap smile the tiniest bit, and Skids bathed in the comfort of being around everyone he loved.

Nobody noticed that Fixit left the room to give them privacy and to return to his own duties. Digitalon, however, stepped closer to the berths that the twins rested on.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little moment, but a lot has happened in the last 3 Deca-cycles you both were out for-"

"Three Deca-cycles?!" Mudflap sat up quickly in shock, but his new plating and circuits were unaccustomed to use, and still needed therapy for proper integration with his systems. Simply put, it caused him a lot of pain, and Ratchet got mad.

"You glitch head!" the CMO raved and stomped over to push the youngling back down. "I told you not to strain your systems!"

"B-But Ratch!" Skids spoke up this time, his vocalizer sounding hoarse from being unused for such a long time. "T-Three Deca-cycles, dat's too long!"

Ratchet held up his infamous wrench and pointed it at Skids threateningly while keeping his other servo resting on Mudflap's chassis to prevent him from sitting up. "Stay down if you know what's good for you!"

"But ah didn't even-"

"You haven't moved yet, but you will," he growled.

Skids didn't know anything worth saying in protest, but he didn't want to just take it silently. Normally, he would have just obeyed Ratchet without question, but somehow this felt like an exception.

"We'll see, ol' rustbucket," he rasped before coughing to clear out his intakes again. While occupied with that, he missed the change in expression the CMO had, and lowered his wrench before sharing a look with the other medic.

The way he replied...it was like he cared less of what was happening around him, and more focused on whatever goal he had in mind. He still used the nickname "rustbucket" the same way as before, but he teased less and sounded more serious. Ratchet never took offense to it - he was indeed quite old, but it still seemed strange to him.

And Skids never challenged anybody without having some sort of hint at feeling timid, or shy. He was anything but shy now.

Ratchet personally wasn't sure which kind of recent behavior was worse: Skids begging for death, or his change in personality that could never be reversed.

Mudflap spoke this time, "Ratch...do whateva' ya need ta do, but we need ta get back out in da field soon."

The medic's demeanor changed then and became more grim, and his normally gruff voice had a more edgy tone to it. It didn't allow room for negotiations. "We'll take things one step at a time, at whatever pace is needed in your recovery," he stated. "We're not cutting corners, or speeding things up just because you want it to; you know how healing processes go. It takes time, and patience."

"We can't afford dat," Mudflap looked frustrated now.

Ratchet's optics narrowed. "What's the hurry?" He already knew the answer, but he was curious to see it they'd admit to anything or not. Both Ironhide and himself were worried for the twins under this subject.

With processor damage and their new behavior patterns, there's no telling what could happen now. He felt awful that he never noticed anything before, or that their secret even got past Ironhide, but they couldn't let things like this slide anymore.

Skids stared at the ceiling with unusual interest, "Dat's not ya concern."

Ratchet couldn't stop himself from growling, "It's my job to be concerned for both of you, and not just as a medic, but also a caretaker!" His tone softened a bit more after, "You know you can trust me to help you."

Digitalon stayed silent throughout the exchange, but was paying close attention to the twins and logging any unusual changes in behavior or any abnormalities that was worth noting.

Mudflap scowled at the wall but quickly changed his expression to one of neutrality and looked at the yellow medic. "We don' need ya help in anythin' but recovery."

Ratchet crossed his arms and tapped his index digit against his bicep in a thoughtful manner, and nodded contemplatively to himself before addressing the twins again. It stung that the way they spoke was less playful and involved more argumentation, but he wasn't going to back down.

"Ironhide has relieved you both from duty until further notice. Once your healing is complete and you made it through physical and psychological therapy, then we'll all sit down and have a little talk."

Skids did nothing but offline his optics, meanwhile Mudflap let out a short, humorless chuckle and sighed, shook his helm ever so slightly before turning away from Ratchet.

Before the atmosphere got even more tense, Digitalon decided to step in now. Even if the twins were trying to hide it, they were very distressed. He decided it would be best to discuss how their frames were rebuilt and go over their processor damage, let them have closure of what happened, and go on from there.

He explained in detail of what happened when they were transported to the Medbay, and how their frames were dressed down and rebuilt. Neither twin showed any reaction, which also troubled Ratchet, because if they weren't cracking jokes over what caused the injuries, at least they'd show thoughtfulness or nostalgia over something.

It wasn't until they addressed the processor injuries that it changed.

"Your development and mental growth has turned static, so it's unable to change or adapt further." Digitalon spoke gently the entire time, knowing that distress wouldn't help in any case. It hurt from knowing that even as these mechs physically aged, they'd remain trapped in the same mind functions as younglings.

"And?" Mudflap pushed for more, still not looking at anyone.

Digitalon's expression looked pained from the entire situation. Because of the severe frame damage that led them being completely redone, it also meant their bodies would also stop growing. Skids and Mudflap would never stop being younglings in any sense, and it already hurt so bad from knowing it, and being unable to do anything.

He cleared his intakes before slowly continuing: "For both of you, there's moderate damage to your logic and thought centers; your fine motor skills may be less coordinated as well...until we can get to physical therapy. There's also a chance that some of your memory files were fried due to the heat of the smelter and the overload of sensory messages, but we're still unsure. Only you two can clarify if that's true or not."

And then he waited, but Mudflap only narrowed his optics at the ceiling, though it didn't appear to be out of anger or thoughtfulness this time.

Skids suddenly flinched, which appeared random to the medics, but they didn't realize what was going on over their bond. He was trying to reach out to his brother for comfort, pried through the barrier of the bond that was still being reinforced on the other side...but why? Why was his brother shutting him out?

He felt ready to panic. Digitalon was right: there was a memory problem.

He couldn't remember what his Carrier looked like.

Skids remembered her gentle voice, the feel of her soothing touch, her smell…

But her image; even her exact color seemed fuzzy to him. The best idea of her appearance he could conjure up now was a blurred silhouette of a femme.

He managed to get down the wall between him and his brother, but quickly regretted it afterward.

Mudflap was mad. He was mad at Mixmaster the most, but also directed it towards Ratchet, he was annoyed with Digitalon for little reason.

And his feelings for his own twin now...it was as if Mudflap blamed Skids for their accident in the smelting pool.

That thought was enough to trigger a physical reaction in the youngling, small as it was. He'd flinched. By then, Mudflap blocked him out again, and let out a short grunt.

From what Skids saw within his brother's head, he wasn't having horrible memory problems. The worst was probably that some seemed amplified, or more intense than they should have been. The cortex files on Mixmaster was the worst, which explained the source of his abnormal hatred. Skids was afraid that his brother would never get over it, that he'd continue hating the universe and leaving his younger twin in the dark forever.

Nothing hurt more than to be blamed by one's other half for reasons that couldn't be entirely justified.

~=[,,_,,]:3

It took many Megacycles of physical therapy with Fixit before their neural circuitry was properly synchronized with the rest of their systems so they would stop experiencing random phantom pains or spasms. They had to endure many long Stellar cycles afterward to even get close to maneuvering around the way they used to with their motor movements and everything.

While the brothers retained their individual skill, they lacked the grace they used to have. It was frustrating at first, but Mudflap eventually took it in stride and accepted it.

Skids wasn't too far behind his brother in recovery, but he was still being blocked out by his brother, and it hurt even more as every Solar cycle went by.

Ratchet still checked up on them as always, but their relationships were more strained, and became less personal to avoid crossing any boundaries that could result in unwanted consequences. The medic knew the worst could be hurt feelings, but he was already too bothered with the personality changes in the younglings that he didn't want to deal with anything more.

And then the twins had moved on to counseling with First Aid.

The first few sessions had not gone well for either party, and it was all anybody could do to prevent any issues from turning into physical disputes.

Mudflap refused to accept any words he was given, and didn't let anything get through his mental barriers. He seemed to only want to stew in his own thoughts and feelings forever. All he wished inside was for Mixmaster to die by his servo, and he wanted to savor every moment of that.

It wasn't until later that First Aid noticed something unusual. Even though the twins never strayed too far from each other, there was still some serious tension going on around them. He tried a different approach by talking to each of them privately a few times to see if anything new would happen.

While Mudflap reacted differently and became more mellow and collected, he still refused to talk much.

Skids was the first to spill everything. If he had been the same as before, he'd have been hysterical and uncontrolled. But when he let all of his feelings out, his tone of voice was more level, and even cold, albeit broken at times.

He talked about how he'd been constantly blocked off by his twin, and what had happened that one time he got through. He remained honest about everything, only leaving out anything regarding Mixmaster. He was never going to be comfortable talking about it.

The one time he almost broke down was when he mentioned his Carrier, and how he'd forgotten what she looked like. His voice had taken on a more harsh one, but his facial expression remained the same: focused, but pained and angered at the same time.

Everything he talked about helped all the medics make better sense of what was going on with him, Mudflap, and their relationship as twins.

It took them several more Meta-cycles of further therapy with the twins both together, and separate to use their knowledge effectively and get Mudflap to talk as well.

The conclusions they had made based on their observations and what Skids had described had been accurate.

While that helped First Aid to come up with ways to help the twins individually, and let Mudflap sort through his thoughts and feelings, the brothers had grown apart after leaving their bond closed for such a long duration of time.

They would never be the same as before. The twins would become become completely different 'Bots compared to their former selves.

It took another Deca-cycle before Mudflap had been able to manage his anger and to stop directing it at others. His thoughts cleared up, and he decided to open their twin bond again.

But Skids was caught off guard when it happened, still grieving and trying to cope with all the overbearing emotions and trauma. He suddenly felt naked and too open, so he put up his own barrier, much to the frustration of his twin.

That led to being counseled by First Aid with group sessions again to help their relationship as brothers improve.

The young medic knew that there was only so much he could do for them - he could help guide them, but it was ultimately up to the twins to decide how to behave and treat each other from then on.

Even when they both found equal ground and agreed to keep their bond open again, there were still hiccups in their relationship.

Before their mission that went wrong in Kaon, they used to joke around with each other, whether it's to annoy their own brother, or somebody else. They hardly ever did that anymore. The closest they'd ever get was petty debates, nitpicking, and constant bickering.

They understood each other quite well once again since the bond was always open, but they couldn't stop expressing some form of competition, or the friction between them.

Eventually, Ratchet and his team decided that it was the best they could do for the twins, and the rest was up to them, and whatever adaptations they were capable of from thereon. Given the processor damage, their recovery timing was painfully slow, and that could have been a factor in the mutual frustration, but there was still one final thing to address before the twins were released back to duty: their confrontation with Mixmaster.

Both Ironhide and the CMO wanted to discuss the conflict with Skids and Mudflap before anything else was done.

Surprisingly, the discussion had started when the twins asked about the Decepticons, the latest news and Project: Harbinger.

It turns out that the Decepticons had indeed been constructing a ship, but different from the Nemesis. It was designed to carry precious cargo including the latest technology and prototypes that was rumored to strengthen the faction's ranks, or cause great devastation.

One thing they'd figured out was that the ship had been completed a while ago while Skids and Mudflap were still recovering. Its location had been kept secret, but a new disease had been designed by Shockwave while onboard that ship, a project that was personally overseen by Megatron.

Cybonic plague.

Ratchet's medbay had long since been overflowing with patients that he didn't know how to save. The best he could do was treat a minority the symptoms, but was unsure how to expel it from a 'Bot's systems. It was frustrating and painful to see so many sparks extinguished long before they should have.

But there was an even bigger problem.

The disease hadn't just infected Cybertronians, but it eventually mutated and spread to the scraplets, some wild hives of Insecticons, and groups of Sparkeaters. It wasn't long until it had developed into something nobody could contain at that point.

Ratchet dubbed it Cosmic Rust, and it had begun to infect Cybertron itself. Soon some energon deposits the planet had produced had gone bad, became poisoned. The disease was rapidly making its way towards Cybertron's core, and to make it worse, the Decepticons weren't trying to do anything about it. If anything, the evil faction had been working on a way to fire Cosmic Rust from a gun.

Recent intelligence had also revealed that they have nearly finished building several spaceships meant to go off planet for a very long time.

As of late, the Autobot's numbers had quickly depleted, and eventually had to quarantine everyone that was infected with either of the two diseases, and they were beginning to construct their own ships.

However, everybody was frustrated, and even a little worried over everything, especially the Weapons Specialist and the CMO themselves.

The twins knew that with the news update finished, there was little that could prevent addressing the conversation they dreaded.

Mixmaster.

What were they supposed to say?

Mudflap was ready to fall back into his old habits and stop talking altogether. Only Skids prevented him from doing that, but also wanted to tell the truth. However, his brother disagreed.

While they were having a private argument, Ratchet watched closely while Ironhide studied the surface of the table they all sat by.

"When did you first meet Mixmaster?"

That seemed to stop both in their tracks, and they quickly remembered that their confrontation with the Constructicon had all been on the recording device.

It meant Ratchet and Ironhide knew all the facts, but only wanted more in-depth views about their relations to the other mech.

Both twins shared a look. Mudflap had a hard expression, but Skids held his ground against his brother, and turned to the elders. "The only other time we saw 'im was when he offlined ah Carrier," he said quietly.

Mudflap glared at the table. "He left us fo' dead after dat," the other twin added.

"Ya gotta understand," Skids started. "It's personal; he took our only Creator away from us." It was clear to everyone that even if Mixmaster genetically contributed to their existence, he didn't deserve the title of Sire, or Creator.

"We know how much that hurts," Ratchet reassured them quietly. "Believe me, we do."

It was Ironhide's turn to speak. "However, it's too dangerous for you two to remain alone together, especially if your only focus is revenge. That can blind you." He didn't talk about the many comrades in arms that he'd lost to the Decepticons because they didn't care about living as much as killing their mortal enemy.

If such a thing happened to the Twins, he'd never forgive himself.

"...If you two want to take on the Constructicons, you can," the two perked up. "-On the small chance you'll find them again. Just don't do it alone. You have teammates for a reason, and we can back you up." Ironhide knew determination when he saw it. Although he didn't want the twins anywhere near Mixmaster, there was little he could do to prevent any opportunities for the younglings. His best bet was to avoid creating further friction in their relationships by not attempting to dissuade them. That way they would be less resistant to having extra company in the field and potential combat.

The matter of that situation was finding somebot that was compatible for long term relations to the twins. An idea of having mechs assigned shifts and changing off briefly crossed his processor before he discarded it. The twins would only feel like they're being babysat, and that wasn't the point with such an idea.

Ratchet spoke up, "You don't have to suffer alone anymore. You have us now, and we'll do everything we can to support you."

If Skids and Mudflap could cry for joy, they would have.

Their vents nearly shuddered from the raw emotions that were coming out because of the genuine, caring words.

It was so unlike Ratchet and Ironhide to behave or talk that way, but Skids was willing to take anything he was given. Mudflap tried to behave more reserved, but even the clarification that Ironhide would actually help them was nearly overwhelming.

Ratchet didn't appear to have known Ironhide's idea beforehand - it showed on his faceplate - his servo formed a fist and protested. "I'm not certain that having them so close to combat...given their situation...is a good idea."

Ironhide looked Ratchet in the optic. The Medic had clearly thought that they were on the same page, but this didn't turn out the way he expected.

"Ratchet," Ironhide addressed him. "We all know how they feel." The CMO couldn't reply. They both knew how their respective situations ended a long time ago. Their closure wasn't on the best of terms. The elder mechs prayed that few bots would have to face anything similar.

Besides, Ironhide found on more than one occasion that when someone's out looking for trouble…

They always find it.

But Ratchet knew that no such scenario revolving around revenge could possibly end well, either. And looking back, Ratchet personally regretted focusing solely on such a personal issue instead of the bigger picture. The consequences, needless to say, hadn't been very rewarding in the slightest.

He only hoped that Skids and Mudflap would have the sense to stop, otherwise they'd better hope to get lucky.

~=[,,_,,]:3

Tap-Out was the Autobot chosen to stick with the Twins. They hardly agreed on much besides a common enemy, and Ironhide had begun to wonder if he'd made a good choice with the mech.

However, it couldn't be denied that the trio fought well together when they were out in the field. Plus, the Twins seemed to picked up some grappling techniques from their companion - and Skids did very well in handling the grappling gun - which made training more interesting together.

While everyone complained about being unable to get along, it hadn't escaped Ratchet's notice that the Twins exited battle with less injuries than they used to. Nothing seemed to come with consequence, as Tap-Out hardly had a scratch on his armor unless he'd recently brawled with the Twins.

This time, a signal had been picked up by Blaster and sent to Prowl for processing. He then developed an estimated guess based on the evidence that they'd finally discovered the Harbinger's location.

Such news was exciting for the Communications Officer and Tactician, it simply came up at an inconvenient time. Most of the Autobots were focusing the majority of their attention and resources on the All Spark to keep it away from the Decepticons. For the time being, they had several squadrons of troops in Tyger Pax to guard the great relic. Meanwhile even more troops were stationed at Simfur as a distraction to keep Megatron's attention on them, as if they actually had the All Spark.

A limited number of teams were left at Iacon - besides guards and security - on standby in case anything of interest came up, Ironhide's team was among them. It was just their luck that Prowl selected them as the best candidates to investigate the possible location and cripple the Decepticon forces. Ever since the Twins went back out in the field and Tap-Out joined, Ironhide's team worked their way up to one of the most successful divisions - given their diverse expertise and differences in rank and department.

"Listen up," Ironhide barked at his squad, demanding their full attention. "Prowl has shared some intel that suggests the current location of the Harbinger lies near the ruins of Crystal City. Our goal is to investigate and gather information. We will later regroup and report back to Prowl, who will give us further instruction on how to carry on with the mission, whether it's sabotage, invasion, or retreat." He sent the twins a hard look that meant all business. "And you're all going to follow given orders without question or hesitation. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" The group chorused. Tap-Out merely gave a curt nod in understanding.

Ironhide then turned and signalled Wheeljack to open the groundbridge. With the exception of the engineer, all mechs transformed into their alt modes and drove through at a brisk, speedy pace.

As last seen, the large mass of rubble that was once a beautiful, prosperous city still laid in ruins. The Twins had never been in this sector before, though they'd seen "before" and "after" images of what had happened. It was also no secret that the Constructicons had been involved with Megatron's plan of destruction.

"Fan out," Ironhide's voice halted all thoughts. "I doubt the ship would be hidden in the city, but perhaps somewhere just outside the boundary lines."

It made sense, there were still plenty of standing buildings within sight around the city, but had been long ago deserted for fear of also being destroyed. Even several of those skyscrapers had been demolished some time ago.

"Sooo...it could be 'idden in one o' those suspicious lookin' warehouses 'round 'ere?" Mudflap joked.

Ironhide and Tap-Out shared a look, "It very well could be," the former admitted. "But don't eliminate other possibilities; the Decepticons can be quite creative." He focused back on the Twins. "Since you're focused on the warehouses, you can search by those within communication range. I don't want you and Tap-Out wandering further without authorization."

The trio saluted, "Yes sir!" and transformed to drive to the nearest warehouse as Ironhide listed off the duties of the other mecha.

As usual, Tap-Out remained silent. He rarely talked to the Twins on a mission unless he was helping to direct them in a firefight, or the rare moment when he had to drag them back - either from their imaginations, or back to the team.

They slowed to a stop near their first warehouse, which was quite a fair distance from their rendezvous point, but not an unreasonable area. The team transformed to their bipedal mode - the Twins casually walked up to the front doors while Tap-Out proceeded with his guard up - their usual approach.

Skids took the time to knock in mock-politeness, which seemed to humor Mudflap. "Well," the orange twin shrugged, "Guess no one's home." He made a sweeping bow that oozed playful sarcasm. "Femmebots firs'."

Skids placed a servo on his chassis and changed his vocalizer settings to imitate a femme. "Oh no, afta you, dear brotha."

They grinned and shared a look, passed an idea over their bond, and turned to Tap-Out. "Would ya do da honors?" Mudflap offered while he gestured toward the towering doors with his servo.

Tap-Out rolled his optics. They seemed to have no care for their safety most of the time. He opened the left door a tiny bit and peeked in. No movement. He opened it a bit more and braced his left servo against the door as he scanned over the interior; in his right servo was a miniature plasma gun.

Without warning, a shot was fired from within the warehouse. It passed under Tap-Out's left arm and nearly grazed his torso. On instinct, he recoiled, "Slag!"

Skids and Mudflap quickly came to his aid and blindly fired inside based on a rough estimation of where the laser came from.

But there was nobot to be seen. Tap-Out stopped firing for a moment and scrutinized the warehouse that was filled with gigantic machines and vehicles covered in tarps for later use. Movement caught his optic near the far wall near what was presumed as a cargo transporter.

The supposed figure wasn't visible, but he saw the outline where it didn't completely match up with the background behind him. It seemed like the figure inside was attempting to bend light around himself as a means to blend in.

"Mirage?" he guessed aloud.

He was answered with more rounds pouring out of their opponent's weapon, and he took cover whilst shoving Skids out of the way as he waited for his weapon to cool down.

"Not Mirage." Mudflap answered for his teammate as he managed to land two shots on the Decepticon and disabled his camouflage.

It's not like the camo or what it did matched up with Mirage, but it was the only Mech they knew that could do that.

Their attacker turned out to be a Decepticon, not that the trio were surprised at this point. Tap-Out squinted at the dark figure for only a moment before he recognized who it was.

There were very few Cybertronians in existence that had white optics.

Mudflap was more grudgingly impressed with the mech's sharp and angular armor. Skids just wondered how the figure didn't cause himself any damage yet with all the spikes that jutted out of his plating.

"Makeshift," Tap-Out growled. The Decepticon was better known to take on the forms and appearances of other Cybertronians, but nobody knew that he could turn invisible. Perhaps it was with the help of engineering and a new handy device.

There was no doubt that Shockwave could come up with something like that.

From what Tap-Out had heard of the Harbinger's purpose, he could guess what kind of "precious cargo" it'd carry. For all anybot knew, it could even serve as another private lab for Shockwave himself.

None of that is something the Autobots can allow, or they fear what could become of the Decepticon's work.

Skids and Mudflap straightened up on higher alert when they heard the name. Unlike Tap-Out - who'd had plenty of horror stories to tell - the twins haven't met the 'Con, but have heard enough to know he's a genuine threat.

The looming dark figure abruptly turned and transformed into a ground vehicle and hightailed it out of the building through a previously unseen backdoor.

There was little pause before the twins and their companion pursued Makeshift by vehicle mode as well.

"Tap-Out to Ironhide," he hailed through the comlink.

"Report."

"Discovered the Decepticon called Makeshift and currently in pursuit. Permission to engage?"

"Granted. I'm sending backup."

"Whoo hoo! We's sendin' him runnin'!" Skids shouted triumphantly as he drifted out of the warehouse and regained traction so he could pick up speed and get closer to catch their opponent. And he was gaining ground.

Makeshift was larger but the twins were smaller, and lighter to allow for less air resistance; their engines were also more powerful, so they were ahead of Tap-Out in the chase.

Before they knew it, they've passed so many rocks and boulders in the rough terrain that they've also left the warehouses and ruined city behind and have made their way into mountainous areas surrounding the city's ruins.

It was such an intense chase with Makeshift finding ways to leave them little surprises on the already difficult setting that it was hard to tell how much time had passed. There was a constant risk that one could flip over because of hitting a nasty bump.

After rounding a mountain's base, Tap-Out could catch a glimpse of a decent sized facility hidden against the metallic rock-like formations. Large enough to hide an entire ship somewhere, but small and hidden enough to not be detected by air surveillance.

And that's where Makeshift was leading them.

The trio of Autobots knew this was easily a trap they're walking into, so Tap-Out swerved behind a large boulder and urged the twins to stop out of the Decepticon base's range until reinforcements arrive.

They didn't want to listen though.

From intelligence gathered, the Constructicons were assigned to continue working on the Harbinger. If that ship was hidden within the facility, their enemies could possibly have time to evacuate the base before reinforcements even arrive.

Not only is it important to destroy the Harbinger, but the twins needed to see Mixmaster again. They were desperate for another fight with the Mech that offlined their Carrier, they needed vengeance. They needed closure.

"Skids! Mudflap! Wait for backup!" Tap-Out shouted, but was promptly ignored.

He weighed his options. It was very likely that the Decepticon's special cargo ship was somewhere within the facility and had to be destroyed, but the twins could get themselves killed if they kept going without assistance. Tap-Out knew the likelihood of the Constructicons being there, as well as other 'Con troops. Not to mention Makeshift…

Tap-Out growled. He was assigned to protect and help the Twins, it's why he's still with them. He quickly checked his radar, and took comfort that their reinforcements would arrive soon.

As long as they didn't face any interesting surprises on the way.

Then he sped out from behind his hiding place to continue after the twins. They'd likely need his cover fire until more help comes for them.

Skids kept pace with his brother as they passed through the gates that didn't close behind Makeshift. Definitely a trap.

Good thing they knew that then.

The duo slammed on their brakes and halted once they were inside. They transformed back into bipedal mode and had their weapons ready at hand as they snuck deeper into their enemy's territory; they'd lost track of Makeshift.

It was also noticeably dark and empty where they were. Is this place already abandoned…?

Skids picked up on the sound of a roaring engine before Mudflap, and quickly turned to see it was Tap-Out. "Ohh, so ya did follow us afta all!" he teased. "Yay! We's got backup, brotha!"

Their companion transformed with his weapon ready. He's never appeared more livid than he is right now.

"You two are in big trouble when we get back to base." he clipped out his words in a deceivingly calm voice.

A shot was fired and nearly hit Tap-Out. The twins reacted by running closer to where the shots came from, and Mudflap returned fire as they kept going.

Tap-Out noticed there was an absence of available cover, so could only mimic the tactic Skids and Mudflap were doing. Judging from the angle the round were fired, their opponent was on an upper floor or a catwalk of sorts.

That meant there was a large object of some kind within the walls of this base.

The shots suddenly ceased and they heard retreating steps until there was silence in the room again. Skids wondered why they were being lured further into the base instead of being finished off right here.

"Stay here," Tap-Out snapped. "Let reinforcements arrive so we can pack more firepower against them. I know you two want revenge, but-"

"Dat allows 'em time to escape!" Mudflap argued back. "Da Constructicons are 'ere. I can feel it, and dat means da Harbinger's here too."

Tap-Out's lip plates set in a grim line. If Mudflap could subconsciously sense that a Constructicon is nearby - or more specifically, his Sire - that's really concerning. Ratchet suspected that something like this would come up.

When sparklings are produced, they share a bond with both creators, and often have a stronger connection with their Carrier. But over time, the bond they have with one of their creators may fade significantly, even die out quietly if they're separated for a long period of time.

This is especially applicable to Sires who never bond to their sparkling's Carrier.

Skids and Mudflap never knew their Sire when they were birthed, and it was assumed that the bond had faded away forever because nothing had been reinforced.

But… Tap-Out wondered if something awoke or reestablished inside the twins when they were around Mixmaster the first or second time.

Ratchet needed to be notified when they got back to base.

In the meantime, the three turned on their built-in flashlights and rushed further into the facility. Tap-Out found a way onto the catwalk above them and they dashed into the next room, which was lit and one wall was lined with windows.

Skids moved forward to glimpse through and was met with the sight of a very, very large dark grey ship that had yet to be painted. But it looked finished.

Its appearance was daunting, but at least it wasn't as big as the Nemesis. Still, this was bad.

With something this size, Tap-Out explained the only likely way to destroy everything is to blow it all up.

"Well," Skids began. "We ain't got bombs."

"We can improvise," Mudflap replied and pointed out one of the windows. "Look."

The other two peeked out to see what he was talking about. "Fuel tanks," Tap-Out shook his helm minutely. "This should be fun."

"I don' see any 'Cons," Mudflap murmured. "We's got a chance at dis."

Tap-Out nodded. "Then let's not waste time." He pressed the panel next to the door to open it and slipped through with the twins following close behind. Skids and his brother knew their companion was locked on his current target, so it was up to them to ensure he wouldn't get shot in the back. They hadn't forgotten this could all be a trap.

It was awfully suspicious that the tanks were left out unattended like that. They weren't in plain sight, but it was just… weird.

Nobody was seen or detected though, so it got to a point where Tap-Out paused and looked around for himself. There was movement behind a stack of crates and the Autobots instinctively fired upon it. It nicked the Decepticon drone and it retaliated with its own gunfire before Mudflap shot its helm off.

Then they were ambushed by at least fifteen more drones and Makeshift. Skids and Mudflap instantly took out two drones and Tap-Out took on the Shifter. The drones knew the minibot was more of a threat than the twins, so the Autobots did their best to cover their companion.

After five more fallen drones, Makeshift had lost a servo to Tap-Out, who'd been stabbed in the abdomen from the talons of the 'Con's other hand. Another drone had also managed to shoot him in the shoulder - thankfully not his dominant side.

Makeshift swung at his opponent and Tap-Out managed to duck in time as he crouched and swept the Shifter's peds out from underneath. A drone accidentally blasted the 'Con as he went down and hit him square in the chest plates, barely missing his spark. Then the spiky Shifter and Tap-Out started wrestling and rolling around trying to gain leverage over the other.

In the meantime, Skids and Mudflap took out three more drones so the remaining five stopped firing erratically at Tap-Out and turned their attention to the twins. Skids left his brother's side to rush at them and Mudflap provided cover fire. He successfully offlined one drone as Skids jumped at one and stabbed it through the spark chamber with his new sword - moves that would make the Terror Twins proud. Skids quickly swung at another, who ducked and was then shot down by Mudflap. The fourth lost a leg to Skids's sword and the fifth was shot dead by Mudflap's canon. Skids looked down at the drone who lay helplessly on the grimy floor and stared. The 'Con had its arms raised in surrender but didn't move, possibly from the shock of losing a limb.

Skids glanced back up and noticed that Tap-Out was now bleeding energon from deep gashes caused by the spikes on Makeshift's armor. And the 'Con had their teammate pinned on the ground as he prepared for the killing blow.

Without thinking, Skids threw his sword as hard as he could and it managed to slice off Makeshift's other servo. A feat that surprised everyone in the moment. The Shifter stared at the stub on his arm for a moment before redirecting his attention on Tap-Out again.

The minibot managed to get free underneath him though, and delivered a hard kick to the 'Con's faceplates, sending him staggering backwards.

Skids was engrossed watching the fight that he didn't notice the last drone still on the ground had lifted his blaster and shot him in the face.

The green twin collapsed on the ground, clutching at his face and screaming in agony as Mudflap fired one last time and shot the drone's helm off.

As Skids was comforted by his orange counterpart, they looked back up and saw Makeshift unconscious on the ground. Tap-Out stood victorious, though weakened.

The minibot noticed that Skids was injured, so he quickly slapped cuffs on Makeshift - and ensured they wouldn't slide off the stubs on his arms - before rushing over to make sure the younger 'Bot was okay.

"Lift your servo off, I need to look at it and assess the damage." Tap-Out was frustrated, but did his best to sound gentle.

When Skids removed his servo from his face, the burn damage was minimal, but easily seen. The majority of plating along his lower jaw then broke off and fell to the ground. All three stared down at the parts in shock.

Mudflap looked at his twin again. "Can ya still talk?"

"Ah t'ink so." Skids replied, his jaw was barely existent. "I'mma nee' t'erapy."

Mudflap quickly shushed him and Tap-Out advised Skids not to aggravate his injury too much, that this mission will be over soon and he'll get to see a medic.

"Tap-Out?" Mudflap asked the minibot. "Why didn' ya offline Makeshift?"

"He's a Decepticon spy," he answered easily. "If we can get him into Autobot custody alive, there's a lot of information we can get out of him." Then he brought his attention back to the fuel containers.

When he determined everything around them was clear, he took aim from a safe distance behind a crate and fired several times at a tank.

They'd expected some kind of explosion to knock them off their peds, but nothing happened.

The tanks were empty.

Tap-Out's optics narrowed quizzically and the twins were equally puzzled. "Da frag?"

Mixmaster suddenly appeared from a shadowed corner and fired from the left side where Tap-Out was unprotected. The minibot was hit in the back and he toppled over, energon poured out of his wounds faster.

The twins both retaliated with their blasters yet again, but now found themselves surrounded by all of the Constructicons - one of them bent down to pick up Makeshift and went aboard the Harbinger.

The 'Cons closed in quickly and the twins realized how futile their situation was. They didn't think their backup was going to get here in time, either.

Mudflap also noticed that none of them were moving to strike them either, though their rounds were pretty much bouncing off their armor harmlessly, so they paused.

The smirk on Mixmaster's face was subtle as he limped towards them, but was still noticed and Skids could swear that he felt the satisfaction rolling off the 'Con's frame in waves. At least the twins could also feel proud that they've permanently crippled their sworn enemy.

Meanwhile Tap-Out was curled up in a fetal position nearby the twins, his entire frame shaking from pain and shock of losing so much energon. There was a frighteningly large puddle of it around his body.

Yet another being that their unrightful Sire was taking away from them.

"Are ya happy?" Mudflap spoke up, sounding tired. "Is dis what ya wanted?"

The smirk slowly faded from Mixmaster's faceplates, which was enough to answer the orange twin's question. He wasn't happy.

He was very disappointed, almost crestfallen and nostalgic. Frustrated, even.

This revelation of such emotions both surprised and disturbed the twins, enough that they slowly lowered their weapons.

Mixmaster looked away, gazing into something distant. "Perhaps… things could have been different… if your Carrier had stayed." This comment made his Constructicon companions shift their stances and gazed at the floor. They clearly knew something that the twins didn't.

The behavior seemed so unusual to Mixmaster though, especially when compared to his abrasive and goading attitude towards them and their Carrier the last time they encountered each other.

What's changed him so much?

The Constructicon seemed to sense their question and looked at them again. "She designed this ship," he spoke in a soft tone as he trailed a servo down the Harbinger's side. "She dreamt of the time she'd get to see it completed, of how she'd celebrate all her hard work put into it."

Mudflap and Skids couldn't hide the stricken looks on their faceplates.

Their Carrier had been… a Decepticon?

The revelation hurt them, in more ways than one. Neither of them were able to deny the words; they felt them ring true in their Sire's voice, felt it within their own sparks.

"And all the Autobots knew who she was, who you two were birthed by," Mixmaster looked at the twins' friend. "Even him."

Tap-Out let out a long, shaky sigh and pressed his forehelm against the cool, dirty floor as the 'Con continued.

"Yes, I remember how your Carrier explained it to me right before we fought that Solar Cycle. She'd encountered an Autobot mech named Ratchet and his pet minibot here. And somehow they tricked her into believing the Decepticon cause was meaningless and completely immoral, that nobody in the faction would care if she ever got hurt." The Constructicon nudged the small bleeding 'Bot with his ped, making him groan in pain and agitation. "Isn't that how it went, Tap-Out? I know you remember that time very well," he crooned. "It's not often you get to turn one against their own cause, is it? She was as loyal and caring and innocent as they come. And you destroyed all of that. She held that loyalty and care towards no one but her own creations and she no longer held her trust and innocence," he sneered. "And yet you claim that Decepticons destroy things."

The twins remained shellshocked and unresponsive. All of this was… incredibly emotional. Too emotional for a 'Con that hated their Carrier one Orn and then seemed to care the next.

"You was gonn' bond wit' her, weren't ya?" Mudflap asked quietly.

Mixmaster grunted, "On the very same Solar Cycle she'd left, that same one she spoke to those Autoscum."

"An' it took ya a few vorns to track 'er down," Skids guessed next.

"Far too long!" Mixmaster snapped. "By that time, she'd long since raised you to believe something you should have decided on your own. And your interference in our battle destroyed any chance for me to simply exhaust her and then try to convince her to return. You two," he pointed a digit at them accusingly. "...You two reignited her willpower to fight me to the bitter end and forced my hand. Now this!" He gestured to the ship. "This is all I have left of her!"

"We didn' wan' her ta die anymore dan you did," Mudflap defended weakly.

"An' we had los' just as much as ya did at da time," Skids added. "If not mor'."

"Do ya have any idea wha' a broken bond feels like?" Mudflap asked him.

Mixmaster vented and spoke more calmly, more gently, "Of course I do." There was a long pause.

"That's why I established a creator's bond with you two in our first encounter."

The twins blinked up at him in disbelief.

"I didn't like you two, and I still don't. But you were too young at the time to lose your Carrier and you would have died from that kind of sparkbreak without support. I had decided at the time that... if you two were ever to offline, you should have the choice on how it would happen."

That was why he'd acted the way he did towards the twins in their second encounter. When they came, he knew they came for vengeance. He accepted that he deserved their hatred and any pain they bring for what he did to their Carrier, and his intended bondmate.

He had vowed that he'd give them the chance to live in the moment and die at a later time. And if possible, they'd have their own hand in the circumstances of their deaths. He had thought it was fitting and something they deserved. A choice.

When he'd knocked them into the smelting pit, he could feel their agony through the bond, not much different than when he'd fueled their rage towards him through that same bond during their fight.

He was so sure at the time... that the next moment would be the end of it, that they'd melt into slag in the smelting pit after their fight, but he was wrong. And the longer time went on, he realized that they must have been pulled from the pool, because they clearly hadn't been melted into scrap yet.

That's when he alerted the rest of the Decepticons of Autobots within their territory.

It was the second time he'd felt… regretful about his family. There could have been a faster and easier way to kill them for sure. Deep down, he knew they wanted nothing more than to rejoin their Carrier, and Mixmaster believed that the least he deserved was the pain of sparkbreak from losing his own twin creations.

"Why didn' ya just let us die wit' 'er?" Mudflap asked in a broken voice. "When we fought ya da firs' time, we made it clear we was willin' ta die."

"That was blind rage," Mixmaster argued. "You weren't truly thinking, and that's how I know you would have preferred to be alive still. To avenge your Carrier."

"You subjected us to a life of hurt and cruelty!" Skids yelled.

"Perhaps," Mixmaster said slowly after looking at one of his other Constructicon companions. "But it doesn't have to be that way anymore."

The twins looked at Tap-Out, who was shaking less now and seemingly close to death, then looked at the floor. "Are ya gonna kill us?" Skids asked.

"I can," Mixmaster replied coldly. "Or you could choose to join us."

---

I'd actually intended to make this chapter a couple pages longer. But since a year's gone by now, I thought this was a good stopping point. Chapter five will be a bit shorter than this so you have less to cram down your throat now.

I've also been pleased with how my poll's been coming along on my profile page since I've been gone.

Anyway, hi guys... it's been a while. How've you been? Good?

Well, I've had an interesting time since I last posted (which was like... over a year ago). I'd say it was a roller coaster of emotions for a while and I think I got a little bit of a taste of what insanity feels like.

And what I mean by that is kind of weird. But for those of you that are curious, I got my "first boyfriend" not too long after my previous update. The reason I put it in quotations is because we "dated" for about two months and only went on, like, one date. Then I tried to break things off in December of last year.

Here's some background: I met him in speech two years ago and were in the same category for creative expression. He was an endearing fellow and often seemed to enjoy listening to me talk on and on about my fanfiction ideas and what I could do with my writing. In fact, he seemed to enjoy listening to me talk about myself more than anything else. What I didn't realize at the time was that it was likely a tactic for me to lower my guard and trust him (I've had serious trust issues in real life since a very young age... but that's a totally different story). He also liked to follow me around A LOT. That was a big red flag that I ignored for a long time.

...He was a really creepy dude though. At first, he seemed kind of awkward and charming, but... he made my skin crawl after a while. Especially after he tried to take advantage of me...yeah, it was kind of bad. My parents don't know about it and wonder why I seem to hate the guy. They liked him.

Then I went through a total boyhating phase and a sense of paranoia that I couldn't trust any person that was male (in real life anyway). In cyberspace, they can't touch me.

But while I was dating my "first boyfriend," I had a classmate who sat in the back of the room and ignored the teacher, instead choosing to play games on his laptop. And he liked wearing leather jackets.

Do you guys see where my life was going in this? XD

Anyway, the guy who wears the leather jackets was somebody I immediately categorized as a weirdo who was probably heading nowhere in life and had this expression on his face that made him look like a total douchebag. All the time.

We ended up getting partnered in gym class to play badminton against other teams.

I suck at sports. And what I failed to realize is just because he didn't care about class didn't mean that he wasn't competitive.

We lost 7 rounds in a row. XD And he got really pissed because I was ruining his reputation. So in a weird way while I was dating the creepy guy, this jerkwad of a classmate pretty much made my day because of how amusing he was when he was angry.

He called me a "peasant" once or twice, and it even got to a point where he practically insulted me in front of the class (I was laughing through all of it, by the way) until the teacher made him stop talking. Then a red haired guy in my class - he's a class clown, by the way - abruptly called him a "dick," and the teacher admitted that she had to agree.

And... let's just say that this class comedian is one of those people that teachers rarely see eye to eye with, so you can already tell that the leather jacket dude totally stepped out of line when a teacher actually agreed with him on something.

Then I later learned that the leather jacket dude had a crush on one of the captains on my speech team (I found out through another guy that just happened to be friends with both the leather jacket dude and me, let's call this friend "John"). At first I thought it would be funny to try and sabotage them, but then I decided that was mean and put forth my efforts to make them a couple. Yes, I can't resist cuteness... and I hoped that pairing the douchebag with someone would make him a happier person.

Well, it got to a point that in my efforts to get him together with this girl, I got to know him a bit (and he had calmed down around me after a bit of time), and I found out that he couldn't stay mad at me. The reason was because the way I acted in certain situations was the same way he would've done it, even though it was annoying for him to be on the receiving end... so he developed a grudging respect for me.

Somewhere along the way, I passed promising information to "John" about leather jacket dude's crush possibly being single. Well, "John" ended up giving my phone number to him as well because he had more questions to ask about this. Both seemed very surprised that I'd simply walked up to the girl and asked if she was dating anyone. She's my captain; I'm comfortable around her. XD

Anyway, possessing my phone number led to leather jacket dude texting me on occasion and eventually he thanked me for helping, but he'd rather deal with the rest on his own.

We didn't stop texting each other though. I think you guys know where this is heading.

By this point, I was starting to become infatuated with the leather jacket dude (and I was still dating the creep), and the leather jacket dude started treating me like a respectable friend.

And when I finally broke up with my "first boyfriend," I realized that I really liked the leather jacket dude. But he liked another girl. This is where I started going a bit crazy because I became afraid of my feelings. My poor dating experience with the first dude made me afraid of what could happen if I started dating anyone else later on.

So... I started plotting to abduct and... get rid of the leather jacket dude. (I know, it's really messed up)

Heh, I didn't realize at the time that he was going through his own crisis of which girl he liked more, me or the speech captain.

Let's fast forward a bit. I gave up on planning to kill him because it got to a point that I liked him too much to do that, and part of that was because we still kept texting back and forth. Spring break rolled around, and I went on a trip down to Arizona to visit an aunt with my mother and little brother.

Oh, what an experience. Climate differences, mountains, cacti, desert... it was actually quite beautiful. I just found it uncomfortable to wake up in the middle of the night dehydrated because of how dry the air was and had to keep a water bottle nearby.

I spent about four days down there and were always busy. I even got to hike up a mountain - I believe it was about 2,000 feet or something. That was when I figured out I was allergic to sunscreen. That meant that my face swelled up and my skin that was exposed to it turned rough and bumpy. It didn't close my airway or threaten my life at all, so it was just hilarious to me. XD

By the time we got back from vacation, I was scheduled to get my wisdom teeth yanked the next day. It wasn't a horrible experience, I actually thought it was alright. I recommend the surgery to those who need it. (although I've seen and heard cases of people who get emotional or goofy from anesthesia, I wasn't one of those people. I was mild tempered and calm and I actually remember a lot from before, during, and after surgery)

During spring break, my creepy ex texted me about possibly getting together and hanging out (he liked to claim to others we were still friends). Even though, you know, he didn't ask for consent or permission when I was in a vulnerable state around him and not in my right mind...yeah. I wasn't intoxicated or drugged, but I didn't get more than a couple hours of sleep in several nights, so I was really out of it at the time.

Anyway, I was ordered to rest and had pretty good excuses to play nice and get out of hanging out without... upsetting him. (Note to girls AND boys: abuse and the idea of taking advantage of people doesn't discriminate between genders! Anyone could be the victim and anyone could be the abuser. Be very careful when you're around new people).

I was put on some really strong painkillers after the surgery and was back to talking with the leather jacket dude. Yep, him. It eventually got to the point where he just dropped the question on me, a very simple question.

"Do you have feelings for me?"

I spent the next ten minutes panicking and unable to think due to painkillers. I tried to think of any way to dodge the question because, you know, the idea of relationships scared me. But in the end, I'd confessed to him and he revealed that he liked me too.

And then we turned into the kind of couple that scares people because of how weird we are... that's also a long story.

We've been together for about 9 months now and I can say that I've come a long way since my mind state before. He's also more than proven himself to be a very affectionate and supportive partner in that time. He's also one of the few who knows all my deep dark secrets and what I've been through in life. He can be a boyfriend, and he even does a better job with encouragement and taking care of me than my parents do (also another story).

With all bitterness aside, we've been on some very interesting and somewhat creative dates. I'll just talk about the most interesting one though, it was the first date.

He took me to a gun range.

It was a one-time experience that I'll never forget. I had no prior experience with firearms and it was definitely worth my time (for those who haven't handled guns before, they can have quite a kick to them, so always be ready for the recoil if you ever try them out).

Now, we're both still under 18 and were at the time, so we had a chaperone with us, but it was his brother in law, and he's also pretty cool. Chaperones really aren't that bad, either. I didn't know the guy, but he was an adult with experience, so I felt safe there and a lot more comfortable than I would have been if it was just the leather jacket dude and me.

For the sake of still keeping this chapter shorter than it could have been, I've left out some quirky details. I usually don't talk about myself anymore in author's notes because I'm convinced that most readers don't care, but I wanted to do it this time.

And to those who actually read through this insanely long author's note that talks about the basic summary of my previous year, congratulations! You're a person that most likely cares! The world needs more curious people like you out there, and I'm sure your family and friends are proud.

I'm counting on chapter 5 not taking nearly as long as this one, so that'll be awesome for everyone. And then I can begin the story for what I have next. Once I'm finished with the next chapter, Suffer With Me will be concluded, and I will show you guys some "trailers" I threw together for my two different choices for upcoming fanfictions I write. It'll either be Tron or Transformers.

I appreciate the amount of patience you guys have had about my lack of updates. I think I'd be among the few authors that doesn't have to complain about readers that immediately demand more chapters after they've read the most recent one.

I've also said this to you guys before, constructive criticism is always welcomed with my writing. You don't have to worry about my feelings, I work in retail. I have thick skin now. Complements are nice, but it's something constructive in reviews that I find the most motivating. I'm certain there's something you guys can pick out of this chapter that I could improve on.

Until next time!

Toodles.