"The burrito bites!" Hot Rod yelled, jerking his servo away. Enigma growled at him and bared her sharp dentas, rolling around on her mat as she tried to untangle herself from the nest of blankets she'd trapped herself in.
Jetfire laughed and pulled one corner, making her yelp and roll onto her face, her little pedes kicking uselessly out the other end.
Bumblebee snickered and went over, rolling her onto her back and patting her helm as she wiggled unsuccessfully.
Chromia just sighed and watched the little mechs, seeing how they also somehow got snared in the fluffy trap as well. "You guys are a mystery," She said, kneeling down and easily helping them.
Once they were free, she easily picked Enigma up and helped her stand, unwrapping the blanket that restrained the small femme. She was about to put the blanket down when Enigma's thin appendages took it from her, the turquoise sparkling draping it over her helm and holding her edges in her servos, looking up with a big smile.
"You really like that blanket, don't you?" Chromia smiled and rubbed her helm. Enigma giggled and nodded.
"Come on slowpoke!" Hot Rod yelled and ran to the entrance with the other mechlings, "Let's go play!"
Her face lit up and she ran after them, waving to Chromia as she left. The blanket fluttered behind her as she ran as fast as she could to catch up with the older bots, holding her arms wide.
"Over here, Iggy!" Jet called with a grin and waved her to them. She walked out into the main room only to see it was empty.
"Most of the others aren't going to be up for a while so we have the run of the place for now," Bumblebee explained, waving to the whole wide open area, "Can we play Tag?"
Enigma tilted her helm curiously, "What's Tag?" She asked.
The other three looked at her, flabbergasted she'd never heard of the game before. Bumblebee smiled and walked over.
"It's simple," He said, and pointed at the other two, "Someone is it and the others try to run away from them. If they touch you and yell tag, you're it and then it's your turn to try and catch someone else."
She looked at them with wide, excited optics and nodded. "Right! In that case..." Jetfire grinned then quickly hit Hot Rod on the shoulder, "TAG! You're it!" He yelled and took off running. Bumblebee quickly sprinted away, leaving Enigma standing there.
"Hey!" Roddy cried and started running.
"Run Iggy!" Jet yelled, seeing her not moving. She looked and noticed Hot Rod coming for her, quickly jumping back as he took a swipe at her. She grabbed the blanket and held it close as she ran to duck behind some crates.
She quickly slid in between two stacked next to each other, grinning when she heard Hot Rod yell in frustration, unable to follow.
The morning went on and she successfully managed to avoid being tagged by any of them. That was until Jetfire used Shadow to get some extra reach.
She yelled and chased him angrily, "Cheater!" She cried. Bee and Hot Rod both stood off to the side, laughing uncontrollably at her reaction.
Jet grinned and even ran backwards to tease her, waving as he effortlessly kept out of her reach. She growled and let her tentacles out, stabbing them into the ground by him and launching herself.
The white mechling yelped as he was suddenly tackled, Enigma dropping her blanket so she could grab him around the stomach and send him to the ground. Hot Rod was now rolling around on the floor laughing so much.
She quickly slapped her palm down on his chassis, "Tag!" She yelled with a victorious grin.
"You cheated!" He objected, pointing at her tentacles.
"Well, you cheated first!" She hissed, pointing at the pair of yellow eyes peeking innocently over his shoulder.
"What is going on here?"
They both froze and looked up, seeing Ratchet standing there with his arms crossed, looking at the sparklings blocking the hallway.
They quickly scrambled up and pointed at each other "He/She cheated!" They both yelled, then looked at the other when they realised they'd both said it.
"Well you're both standing in the way and I need to get to my computer," The medic said. They quickly shuffled to the side to let him through.
Ratchet looked down at Enigma, "So you finally came out?" He asked, "What convinced you to?"
"He said we could be friends," She smiled, looking at Jetfire, "So we are. Them, too." She pointed at Hot Rod and Bumblebee.
"We are enemies!" Roddy yelled, throwing his fists into the air. Bee just giggled, "Though it seems to be quite one-sided."
Ratchet just rolled his optics and walked away. The two looked at each other and giggled before walking back to the others. Hot Rod hummed thoughtfully before he walked over and put his servo on Jetfire's shoulder, getting confused looks from them.
He then turned to Enigma and walked forward, "Hey Iggy?" He asked and quickly tapped her arm and took off, "This is revenge! You're it!"
She let out another furious yell and sprinted after him, appendages out and snapping at him. Roddy smirked as he was stopped by Ratchet's computer. He quickly turned to face her before sidestepping from left to right, "Where'm I gonna go? Which way?" He said as she tried to copy him.
Hot Rod made a break to the right and she dove, only for him to pull a feint and suddenly launch himself the other way. Enigma sent one tentacle after him.
The mechling yelled and dodged under it, his whole frame except for his legs going almost completely horizontal while the tentacle shot over his helm.
And connected with the large main computer behind him.
No one had time to react as the burst of electricity traveled along the thin surface and back to the femme. She screamed as her optic flashed white and an explosion of information hit her, bombarding her processor and overloading her systems.
Data streamed in front of her visor and her whole frame started to burn before someone grabbed the rubbery appendage and yanked it off. Enigma's knees gave out but a large servo quickly caught her.
"What were you doing?!" Ratchet demanded, bringing her up to his chassis with a furious expression, "I know your brother is this technology wizard but someone your age is incapable of handling an energy surge so large!"
Enigma looked at him, and between the throbbing in her mind and body and his yelling, she started to cry. She hated when people yelled at her, even her brother's disappointed tone was enough to make her tear up.
The medic quickly regained himself and sighed, holding her close and running her back as he walked to the medbay, the soft patter of pedes behind him followed while the other three ran after him.
"It's ok, I'm sorry for raising my voice," He said, looking at her slightly smoking frame, "I was just worried."
She sniffed and nodded, clutching onto his plating tightly. "Hot Rod!" The medic barked, hitting the little mech to stiffen, "Apologize to her."
He scowled and muttered something about it not being his fault, but fell silent under the older mech's look, "Sorry Enigma." He said, kicking at the floor.
She just nodded again as Ratchet put her down on the berth so he could scan her properly, the others climbing up to her. Jetfire sat next to and pat her back, giving her a comforting smile, "Are you hurt?"
"A bit," She mumbled and let out of her appendages wrap around his servo. Shadow came out behind him and hugged her with Bumblebee who was on her other side. Hot Rod was there as well, trying not to look guilty for what just happened.
Though seeing his face made her giggle. What was it Cyclonus had told her? Humility was one of the hardest things to accept.
After they comforted her for a bit and she'd been declared fine except for a few burnt wires, Ratchet soon received a message and he quickly left. The sound of him then opening the groundbridge got their attention. The three mechlings all yelled happily and hopped down, running forward while Enigma stayed back, watching them in confusion.
As soon as the bridge opened, two figures stepped out. The larger of the two was a mech with a red and blue colour scheme, the second a shorter pink femme.
"Optimus! Elita!" The three sparklings cried happily and ran forward. The Prime smiled and kneeled down to their height as they jumped and all threw their arms around him. He carefully supported them in his arms and stood up, "Hello there," He said in a gentle voice, "Did you three behave for Ratchet like I asked?"
"No!" The medic called from the computer, turning around, "Yesterday they ran out after the others when the team went on an energon raid. We might have accidentally left them there if Jazz and Blaster hadn't picked them up.
Optimus frowned and looked down at them, "Is this true?" The three avoided his gaze and slowly nodded.
"I just wanted to see the fight," Hot Rod said, "Jet and Bee just followed to keep me safe."
The Prime sighed as his sparkmate gently took and held the red mechling, "I expected better from you three, especially since you know how dangerous those missions are," He said with a slightly disappointed tone that made even Enigma flinch a bit.
They all looked down, their expressions now miserable. "But," Optimus said, making them turn their helms up slightly, "You do get some credit for looking after each other. That is what a team does, even if it is risky. Just next time, I'd like you two to stop Hot Rod before he get out." He smiled down at Jetfire and Bumblebee.
They both beamed slightly and nodded just as Ironhide, Chromia and Jazz came into the room. "Hey! OP!" The white and black DJ grinned, walking over, "How'd the meeting go?"
Elita laughed softly, "The human government is stubborn, we'll put it that way," She said, "It took Orion quite a while to convince them we were not their enemy."
"But in the end, they have offered their services to help us win this war," Optimus smiled and stepped closer to her though now looked over at Ratchet, "That as well as providing you with the right technology to help with your work."
The medic scoffed and turned back to his computer, "Please, their electronics are primitive compared to what we have. And how do you even know to trust these humans? For all we know, they're setting us up to take us apart for scraps!"
Optimus Prime lifted one servo, silencing him, "While I do not doubt that there will be natives of this planet with those very intentions, the ones we have allied ourselves with right now can be trusted. They may end up providing us with more help than we could ever account for."
"Besides, they're entertaining," Jazz grinned and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
The group went quiet until something fell in the medbay. Enigma squeaked and jumped back as the can revealed she'd been watching, having quietly gotten off the berth and walked over.
Optimus and Elita both turned and looked curiously. "Who's this?" The pink femme asked, seeing the little sparkling peeking around the corner.
Chromia smiled and walked over, gently picking her up and feeling Enigma clutching onto her plating, "This is Enigma," She smiled, bringing her forward while her single optic watched them closely, "Blaster brought her back yesterday."
A series of emotions crossed the Primes face when he saw her, the main two being relief but also concern. The turquoise sparkling tilted her helm and studied his face, "Orion." She whispered and slowly pointed.
He smiled and walked forward, gently taking her tiny servo in his larger one, "Yes, that used to be my name." He said, "You knew me before the war, Ratchet as well. However, I would not be surprised if you do not remember us. You were still quite young."
"Now may I ask why we're keeping the little sister of one of the most dangerous cons here?" Elita asked, looking to the team for an explanation. Jazz coughed awkwardly in his fist, "Blaster thought we could use her in a hostage situation."
Optimus looked up and frowned at him, "You know I disapprove of those methods," He said and turned to Ratchet, "Arrange with Blaster to meet with me shortly."
The medic nodded and did so while the others turned and looked down at the series of clicks and chirps coming from their arms as the sparklings spoke with each other. Hot Rod said something that got them all to giggle and Bumblebee grinned, leaning over and patting her helm.
"They're friends already?" Elita asked, to which Chromia smiled and nodded, watching as Shadow melted away from Jetfire and hugged the little femme who chirped and embraced him back happily.
"Jetfire," Optimus said with a warning, though wore a smile on his face, "What have I said about letting Shadow out around strangers?"
"But she's not a stranger!" The white mechling protested and pointed at her, "Iggy is our friend! And he likes her!"
"He's cute," Enigma mumbled and pat the little shadow's head, getting a series of chitters from him. Optimus kneeled down to her height and looked at her seriously, getting her to flinch back a bit.
The Prime reached up and rubbed her crown spikes, making the femme freeze before chirping softly, melting into a little puddle, and getting what sounded like a coe out of Jazz. "Enigma?" He asked, stopping now that he had her attention, "Could you do us a favour?"
She blinked at him and tilted her helm, "What?"
The large blue and red mech gestured to Shadow, who now had his head resting on hers, looking at the Prime with big white optics, "Can you not tell your brother or anyone else about him?" He requested, "I know you'll be excited to tell the others about your new friends, but there are some things the Decepticons cannot know about the mechlings. I do not want to put any of them in harm's way."
Enigma stared at him for a bit before lowering her gaze and nodded, making eye contact with Jetfire who smiled and reached over, holding her servo.
"Easy there lover boy," Ironhide laughed. The two blinked before quickly pulling away and shaking their helms, "We're just friends!" Iggy cried while Jetfire nodded with her, "Love is gross!"
"You can say that again," Bumblebee said and stuck his glossa out. Jazz just laughed and ruffled the yellow mechs helm, "Yeah right, Bee," He grinned, "We'll talk when you finally find someone."
"Never!" Both he and Hot Rod cried, wiggling and trying to escape as though that would help. They dropped to the floor and ran behind Elita's legs, glaring at him. The other two laughed but they all screeched and jumbled when the whole base shook and what sounded like a bomb exploded.
"We're under attack!" Roddy yelled and took off running to the crates, "It's the Cons! Every mech for himself!"
"It's just thunder ya doof!" Ironhide called after him. Chromia looked down at Enigma, the little femmes optic wide and her digits were locked onto the older bots arm, her whole frame ridged from shock.
"Never heard thunder before?" Optimus asked, seeing the sparkling. She shook her helm and burrowed into Chromia when another blast shook the base, "Soundy keeps the ship away from the loud booms." She whispered, "It's scary."
The semi-truck gently took her into his arms, the two mechlings already there both immediately hugging their younger friend, "It's ok," Jetfire smiled, "It can't hurt you in here."
Hours later———
"See?!" Jet laughed and spun around before falling back into a puddle. Enigma blinked and looked up at the sky, holding her servo out. "Why are you acting like you've never seen it before?" Hot Rod asked with a laugh, kicking water at Bumblebee.
Sure she knew what rain was, and she'd seen it before, but always from inside the Nemesis. She was always brought inside when it started raining because no one wanted her to catch a cold with no proper medic and that was something Soundwave always fretted about.
But here, out in the desert, it was nothing like that. Rain was already rare enough by the lack of vegetation and vast stretches of dirt and rock meant that everything was now just muddy puddles.
"Are you not going to go play with them?" Chromia asked, leaning down by her. She looked at her and smiled, "I will, I'm just enjoying myself here," She said and turned her face back up to the rain, feeling it on her cheeks.
Jetfire walked over to her, grinning with his white frame now covered in mud, "Hug time!" He yelled and brought her into a bear hug that brought her pedes off the ground, Enigma yelping in shock as she was smeared in dirt now as well.
She blinked as he put her back down, looking at the mud on her frame. She used one digit to swirl the patches on her arm, amazed by the feeling of it and how easily it flowed, watching it wash off her armour.
"This is what makes rainy days the best," Jetfire grinned and opened his mouth to catch the drops on his glossa, "Thereth tho muth to do!"
Enigma laughed at how he pronounced the words. She leaned down and scooped up a big handful of mud before dumping it on his helm the second he closed his mouth and looked down.
Jet shook his face as the brown sludge dripped down his fins and between his optics, looking at Enigma as she giggled mischievously. His face quickly broke into a grin and he flicked his helm in her direction, sending it splattering across her chassis.
She spluttered and held up her servos in a feeble attempt to stop him. Enigma looked down at herself and burst out laughing before she ran over and slapped his shoulder, "Tag!" She called and ran off.
Chromia smiled in amusement as she watched the four of them run around and be little idiots, sliding and slipping in the mud and every few seconds, one of them would faceplant or have their pedes shoot out from under them.
"Don't get too dirty!" Elita called as she stood with her friend, "You know that'll mean you have to hit the washracks after this!"
"No!" Hot Rod yelled and took off running, only to be tackled by Jetfire and for the two of them to then go sliding along a long stretch of ground. Enigma and Bee laughed before they ran after, dropping to their stomachs and intentionally gliding after them.
After about an hour, the rain finally stopped yet the four still returned to the two femmes almost completely brown, still taking every opportunity to run and jump in a puddle, splashing the others with the murky water.
"I see everyone had fun here," Optimus Prime smiled as he walked out of the base with Jazz. The black and white mech laughed and crouched down by the sparklings, "Oh man, look how muddy you all are." He said, seeing them. The four looked at each other and smirked before they pounced on him, sending him into a mud puddle.
Jazz cried out and flipped over, throwing them off so the sparklings fell in it next to him, "Gotcha!" He grinned and dumped a pile of mud on each of them, "You're all little mud pies now."
"Stop encouraging them," Chromia smiled as the kids smeared his frame until he was just as filthy as they were.
Jazz just shrugged and laughed, picking them all up and falling back, sending a wave of water over the pedes of the other the. The four sparklings all cracked up as they lay there in a messy pile.
Bumblebee turned his helm up and smiled, "Look! You can see the sky!" He said, pointing at the few stars that were beginning to poke through the clouds, "I wonder if that's a constellation!"
Enigma followed his digits and studied it for a second, "That's Orion," She said and gestured up to three bright stars in a row, "You can always find it by those, the Three Sisters. That's his belt."
She traced her digit around in the sky, "And there's Gemini. Below it is Tauros, and off to the side is Monoceros. There are a few smaller ones around it as well like Lepus, Canis Minor and Major and Cetus is just below it. My favourite is Draco and Pegasus but they're not here right now."
They all stared at the little femme as she gazed up happily at the sky. "Damn, what are you, a constellation map?" Jazz laughed, breaking the silence.
Enigma shrugged, "That's really simple stuff. I know most of them already." She smiled and reached up, "I love the stars."
"Do you know all the major events of this planet?" Optimus asked, crouching down next to them with a soft smile, "The ones that happen up there such as the times of solstices and eclipses?"
"They're not hard to figure out, but brother works them out down to the second. I can only get them down to a week so far. And I was born in an eclipse," Enigma said proudly, "The first one on Cybertron in 1000 years! Soundy said that's why I have the sky in my optics."
"I can see his reasoning," Elita said and looked up, "So do you want to be an astronomer when you grow up?"
Enigma furrowed her brow, "What's that?"
"Someone who studies the stars," Bumblebee explained next to her, "I think that would suit you very well."
"Yeah, I could see you sitting glued to a telescope for hours upon end," Jetfire grinned, "You'd find so many new planets. I'll bet you that right now."
Enigma beamed as all of them nodded, looking back up at the sky, "Ok then," She smiled, "I'm going to become an Astronomer."