Lost and Found Part 6

"If the two of you don't turn off that contraption in thirty seconds, I'll turn it off for you."

If either of the twins heard Prowl's threat, they didn't even twitch in response.  Their optics remained glued to the vidscreen, their attention focused solely on the video game they were playing.  Between them, Metronix was equally fascinated by the game, and was so engrossed in it that he leaned from side to side and even jumped in place as he mimicked his character's moves on the screen.  The sight of the tiny mech so enthralled by the game had drawn curious stares and even laughter... and at the moment, Prowl's ire.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, your commanding officer just gave you a direct order," Prowl snapped.

"We're kinda busy at the moment," Sideswipe replied, not taking his optics off the screen.

"Do the two of you think I'm joking?" Prowl demanded.

"Aw, c'mon, Prowl," Jazz chuckled.  "It's just a game.  Ain't doin' th' little one no harm."

"I thought the purpose of keeping Metronix in the base was to rehabilitate him and educate him in the Autobot ways," Prowl retorted.  "This game not only interferes with that rehabilitation, it could engrain dangerous behaviors into him."

"Dangerous?" Jazz guffawed.  "It's a game!  Not even one of th' bloody ones!"

"Looks can be deceiving, Jazz," Prowl countered.  "It looks harmless enough, but it's been known to bring out aggressive and over-competitive tendencies in even our most laid-back troops.  Do you know how many fights we've had to break up due to this game alone?  It's a wonder we haven't banned it entirely by now."

"Aw Prowl, just 'cause a few mechs get worked up while playin' it don't mean-"

Sunstreaker's angry exclamation overrode the rest of Jazz's sentence.  "GRRAAHH!  Fraggin' blue shells!"

Sideswipe cracked up laughing.  "Way to go, Metro!"  He reached over to high-five the sparkling, who giggled and returned the gesture.

"Oh, you wouldn't think it was so funny if it was YOU!" Sunstreaker snarled.  "Who was the one whining when they got knocked over the waterfall on Koopa Cape on the last lap?"

"And you were laughing about that," Sideswipe pointed out.  "Don't dish it if you can't take it."

Prime, sitting back and watching the game session, simply chuckled in amusement.  "There are far worse games he could be playing than Mario Kart, Prowl.  And if he's happy with it and having fun, what's the harm in it?"

Prowl sighed.  "It seems I'm outvoted in this... but don't say I didn't warn anyone."  He touched two fingers to his temple as he received a radio call.  "Hound's just come back from scouting the battle site.  I'd better go take his report."

"Battle site?" Prime repeated.  The battle had been over a week ago -- why would Prowl want scouts sent so long after the conflict?

"Perceptor has requested we obtain energy readings from the area where..."  He searched for a way to word his explanation.  "Where Metronix came to be.  It may offer some clues as to what went wrong."

Jazz laughed.  "If this is th' immobilizer goin' wrong, I don't want it to go right."

Prime nodded, accepting that explanation.  "Then I'd better go with you," he replied, standing.  If this concerned Metronix, he needed to hear it.  Anything that affected the sparkling's well-being and safety was his priority.  And if any of the data Hound had collected hinted at Metronix's condition reversing at any time... no, he didn't want to think about that right now.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, watch Metronix while I'm gone," he ordered.

"Can do, sir," Sideswipe replied, saluting.  "Hey Metro, want another race?"

"Yeah!" he shouted, wriggling excitedly.  "Special Cup!"

"Of course you have to pick the hardest one," grumped Sunstreaker.

"It's fun!" Metronix insisted, glaring up at Sunstreaker.  "An' I like Rainbow Road!"

"Trust a kid to like anything bright and shiny," Sunstreaker muttered.

"Can it, Sunspot," Sideswipe advised.

"Children, behave," Prime chided.  He reached down and patted Metronix's helm.  "Be good for Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, Metronix."

"'kay," he replied, not looking away from the screen.  "Bye, Daddy."

Despite himself, he felt warmth flood his spark at being called that.  "I'll be back in a little while, Metronix."

Prowl gave Prime a sidelong glance as the Autobot leader followed him out of the room.  "Are you sure about leaving him with those two?  They're not exactly ideal role models."

"They mean well," Prime replied.  "And they like Metronix.  I'd rather he were in their hands than in the hands of a mech who still saw him as Megatron."

Prowl frowned, but he didn't argue.  "How is he adapting to life among the Autobots?"

"Quite well," Prime replied.  "He's rather energetic, but that's to be expected.  I just hope we can channel that energy to a good purpose rather than a destructive one."

Prowl nodded.  "How long before we can begin a proper training regimen for him?  The sooner we can introduce him to the Autobot way of things, the better."

"He's a sparkling, Prowl, not a soldier.  For now his 'training regimen' will be learning by example.  We can worry about his so-called 'training' when he's a little older... but for now, let him enjoy being a sparkling."

Prowl gave Prime an odd look, but whatever he was thinking, he didn't voice it aloud.

Hound was waiting in the briefing room when Prime and Prowl arrived.  The scout looked rather muddy and dinged-up, but he tended to come back that way anytime he went outside -- unlike most mechs, he had no qualms about getting a little dirty to get his job done.  He carried something in his hands that was equally filthy and battered, but it only took Prime a moment to recognize it... and it caused a jolt in his systems.

"You found that at the battle site?" Prowl asked.

"Yessir," Hound replied, setting the fusion cannon down on the table.  "It must have snapped off just as he got hit, seeing as it's still full-size."

Prime reached out and pulled the weapon closer, unable to suppress a slight chill at the touch of the smooth black metal.  Megatron's fusion cannon wasn't simply another weapon discarded on the battlefield -- this was a thing of terrible legend among the Autobot troops.  It had slain millions, and rumor had it that it was this very weapon that had cut down Zeta Prime at the beginning of the war.  The sight of it was almost as iconic as the Decepticon sigil itself, a deadly symbol of the warlord who had terrorized Cybertron and hundreds of other worlds for millennia.  Prime himself was not immune to the terror it could invoke, for he'd had that weapon pointed at him too many times to count.

And yet... for all the horror this cannon and its wielder had inflicted, it brought back other memories for Prime as well -- of finding Metronix shaking and terrified amid the burned trees, of ruby optics looking up at him with utmost trust, of a small warm form curled up against his chassis.  His CPU kept trying to push those memories aside, calling up images of the silver tyrant who had caused such pain and destruction, who had conquered their homeworld and would have sucked Earth dry for his own whims, but his spark refused to let go of the more recent memories of Metronix.

He pushed the cannon back at Hound.  "Take it to the armory and lock it up.  We'll decide what to do with it later."

"Yes, sir," Hound replied, lifting the weapon in his arms.  "Hoof!  This thing's heavy... how'd he even manage to lift his arm with it on?"

Once Hound had left the room, Prowl spoke up again.  "We should melt that thing down as soon as possible.  Having it around is dangerous."

Prime shook his head.  "We'll ship it to one of the Moonbases.  The Autobot Council will want proof that Megatron has been dispatched."

Prowl raised an optic ridge.  "But he's not dead."

Prime regarded Prowl coolly.  "The Megatron we know and fear is dead.  Metronix may have been Megatron in the past, but not anymore.  I would rather the Autobots as a whole saw him as a new mech entirely, rather than a transformed Megatron."

"So you propose lying to the Council to cover up Metronix's identity," Prowl stated, frowning.

"I propose telling them a portion of the truth," Prime replied.  "That Megatron is gone.  If they choose to interpret that as news of Megatron's death, then so be it."

"Prime, we can't lie to the Council," Prowl countered.  "They HAVE to know who and what Metronix really is.  If they find out you hid that news from them, it will only compound the problem.  And should Metronix show any signs of turning back into Megatron..."

"That won't happen."

"We don't know that."  Prowl didn't raise his voice, but his doorwings hitched up at a tense angle.  "We're in completely uncharted territory in regards to Metronix.  We don't know if this condition is permanent, or if his memory won't return at some point, or if he won't grow up violent and aggressive despite all our efforts.  And we have to prepare the Autobots -- ALL the Autobots -- for any possibility."

Prime clenched his fists, trying to clamp down his angry retort before it could emerge.  His first instinct was to defend the sparkling and argue with the tactician, but with great effort he held his vocalizer.

"I know you care about the sparkling, sir," Prowl went on in a softer tone.  "Everyone sees it -- one would have to be blind and sensor-less to miss it.  And believe it or not, I don't see that as a weakness -- your compassion for all life has been one of your greatest strengths.  But I fear it also blinds you to the possible dangers Metronix poses.  Someone has to remind you of the risks, and if it has to be me... then so be it."

Prime sighed heavily.  As much as he hated to admit it, Prowl did have a point -- Metronix had already secured a place in Prime's spark, and he didn't want to even consider the possibility that he could become Megatron again.  He needed Prowl to be the devil's advocate, as it were, and remind him to be careful.  That didn't mean he had to like it, of course.

"We'll decide what to do about the cannon later," Prowl said finally.  "Just promise me that when the time comes, you'll be honest with the Autobot Council.  Even if it means possible action against Metronix."

Before Prime could reply, his radio pinged.  Which was probably a blessing, as he had just been about to say that he couldn't make such a promise.

Prime speaking, he responded.

The response he got was the nightmare of every parent, foster or otherwise.  Um, Prime?  Sir?  This is Sideswipe and... I think we lost Metronix.

***

It wasn't as if Metronix had gotten himself lost on purpose.  The base was so big and full of hallways, some part of the original Ark ship and others carved out of the solid rock of the volcano, and even the Autobots who had spent years here got themselves turned around on occasion.  And Metronix had only been in a few of these hallways, and rarely without his father's company, so he was even more unfamiliar with the layout of the base than the average mech.  He'd only intended to take a short walk, not wander the halls for what felt like hours.

Still, Metronix wasn't scared, not yet.  He was utterly confident that either Daddy or one of the twins would find him soon.  Until then, it couldn't hurt to explore a little, could it?

The trouble had started not even a minute after Daddy had left the room.  Sideswipe had declared himself bored with the game, and wondered aloud what they could do now.  Before Metronix could come up with any ideas, the red mech had gotten a sneaky, mischievous look on his face.

"Dare I ask what you're concocting in that pile of melted silicone you call a CPU?" Sunstreaker had asked.

"Just thinking we could use the kid's help with something," Sideswipe had replied.  "Just a quick little errand, anyone could do it.  And I'm sure he'd LOVE to feel like he's helping here."

That idea had appealed to Metronix -- he knew Daddy was an important mech here, even if the exact details of why he was so important went over his head.  He wanted to be helpful, even in a small way.  "Yeah!  Wanna help!"

"Excellent!" Sideswipe had replied, and he had pulled something from subspace and placed it in Metronix's hands.  "See this?  Ratchet needs this, and he needs it soon.  All you have to do is take it to the medbay and give it to him."

Sunstreaker had snorted in amusement.  "Sides, you're evil.  Roping the kid into this?"

"It's perfectly safe," Sideswipe had replied.  "Trust me, he'll be just fine."

Metronix had no idea what Sideswipe had just handed him.  It had looked almost like a length of rope, except colored a funny greenish-gray and with a strange texture that somehow felt bumpy and smooth at the same time.  And it had moved in his hands, squirming and wrapping around one wrist even as he had watched.

"What's this?" he had asked.

"Just something for Ratchet," Sideswipe had replied.  "Careful, don't squish it.  Do you know where the medbay is from here, kid?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Well, it's not hard to find.  Just go down the hall, turn right at the first hallway, and it's on your left, okay?  Right, then left.  Really easy.  Then come back when you're done, okay?"

"Okay!"  he'd replied eagerly.  "Right then left?"

"Exactly.  See you in a few minutes."

"If this ends badly, I deny all responsibility," Sunstreaker had muttered as Metronix left the room, repeating "right then left" to himself over and over as he headed down the hall, eyes fixed on the weird thing Sideswipe had given him.  It wouldn't seem to hold still, and he had sworn it had turned one end and stared at him at one point.

Ratchet had been busy working on a datapad when Metronix entered the medbay, and he hadn't even glanced up when the sparkling had gone to stand by his side.

"Ratchet?"

"Oh, hi Metronix," Ratchet had replied, optics still fixed on the datapad.  "Give me a moment, okay?"

"Got something 'portant to give you."

Ratchet hadn't turned to look, but had just held his hand out.  "Little messenger boy now, are you?  I'll take it."

"'Kay."  And he had unwound the "rope" from around his wrist and dropped it into Ratchet's outstretched hand.

Whatever had happened between him handing over Sideswipe's "gift" and his panicked flight down the corridor two seconds later was something of a blur.  He had no idea why Ratchet had suddenly begun screaming and flailing, or what "Fraggin' sonofaglitch SNAKE!" was supposed to mean, but he didn't want to stick around and find out.  

Now that he'd put a respectable distance between himself and the angry white mech, though, he realized he didn't recognize his surroundings.  He kept walking, though, not too worried yet.  Surely sooner or later he'd run into an adult and they'd help him find his way back, right?

The hallway split into a T-shaped intersection just ahead, and he looked down each corridor, wondering where to go.  The one on the right was more brightly lit, but he heard voices and sounds coming from the one on the left.  After a moment's thought, he turned left.  Whoever was down there could help him get back to Daddy, he figured.

The hallway terminated in a set of wide, reinforced doors.  He stared in awe for a moment, wondering what they were for.  The top of the doorway came higher than Daddy's head!  Whoever used these doors was probably HUGE!  And the voices and noises were coming from behind them!

He didn't even think to be scared -- curiosity took precedence in his CPU.  He had to stand on the very tips of his feet to reach the door controls, but with some effort and stretching he finally managed to open the doors, and after a quick peek inside he hurried in...

...and ran smack into a leg the size of a tree trunk, sending him sprawling on his backside.  He opened his mouth to start crying, saw just who he'd collided with, and just stared, any fussing he had been about to indulge in forgotten entirely.

The owner of said leg turned to stare down at him, a puzzled expression on his long, toothy face.  He was massive, taller even than Daddy, with a broadly built gold-and-silver body and powerful clawed legs.  His arms were tiny in comparison to his lower limbs but still bore wicked hooked claws, and a thick tail swung behind him as he turned around to better regard the little intruder to his domain.  His optics narrowed as he leaned in close, and Metronix could smell smoke and ozone as the giant blasted hot air out of his vents at him.

"You Grimlock go quiet all of a sudden!" someone boomed behind the giant mech. "What going on?"

"Us Dinobots got intruder," the creature grunted, reaching down with a delicate-looking forearm to poke at Metronix.  "Little shrimp thing..."

Metronix finally found his voice, and he uttered only one word -- "Cool!"

Grimlock raised his head slightly, optics flashing in surprise... but a little pleasure as well.  "Huh!  Him sparkling think me Grimlock cool!  Him have good taste!"  He cocked his head to one side.  "What you sparkling doing all the way here?  Me Grimlock thought you supposed to be with him Prime."

Metronix ignored the question, and raised his arms toward the Dinobot.  "Wanna ride!  On your back!"

Grimlock snorted.  "Me Grimlock leader of Dinobots.  Me Grimlock king!  Not give pony rides for sparklings!"

Metronix lowered his arms and gave Grimlock his saddest, most plaintive look.  "Pleeeeeeease?"

"Hmmm... well, maybe me Grimlock give ride this once."  He lowered his muzzle to the floor and, with a nudge and a slight flip of his head, tossed the sparkling lightly into the air so he landed on his shoulders.  "Hang on tight!"

"'Kay!"  Metronix settled himself on the Dinobot's shoulders and cling tightly to his neck. "Go fast!"

***

I'm going to kill Sideswipe as soon as we find Metronix, Prime thought darkly as strode down the hallway.  Or at the very least have his tires removed and displayed on my wall for the next planetary cycle.

It had been an hour since that horrible call from Sideswipe, and they still hadn't found him.  Every mech in the base was on full alert and had been ordered to call Prime the moment they saw him, but there had been no word whatsoever.  Ironhide had grumbled something about Metronix finally regaining his memory and fleeing the base entirely, but a quick check with the sentries showed that he hadn't left out of any of the base exits.  He was somewhere aboard the Ark... but where?

"I swear I have no idea where he ended up," Ratchet insisted, having to run to keep up with Prime's brisk stride.  "I saw him leave the medical center, but I didn't see which way he went."

"It wasn't your responsibility to keep track of him," Prime told him in a clipped voice.  "I don't hold you responsible for this."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Sideswipe whined, hurrying behind the commander and medic and looking like he wanted to go crawl into a hole somewhere and deactivate.  "I thought he'd come right back, I didn't mean for him to disappear like this-"

"We'll deal with YOU later, Strawberry!" Ratchet snapped.  "Bad enough I've got a large python running loose in my medbay now, but using a sparkling as an accomplice for your pranks?  What were you thinking?!  If you were even thinking!"

"I said I was sorry!" Sideswipe protested.  "Look, I'll find the kid, I'll find the snake, this is all my fault, what more do you want from me?"

"Enough!" Prime barked, never breaking his stride.  "Let's focus on finding Metronix first.  I want to make sure he's safe before anything else is done."

"You're sure he didn't return to your quarters?" asked Ratchet.  "If he was startled, it's possible he just went to the place he feels safest."

"I searched my room," Prime replied.  "He's not there."

"Let's tell Red Alert," Sideswipe suggested.  "He's got security cameras all over this joint, I'm sure he could find him in two seconds..."

Prime halted so suddenly that Sideswipe nearly ran right into him.  They'd just reached a T-intersection in the corridor, and down the left-hand hallway he could hear the growling and roaring of the Dinobots... and the high-pitched shrieks of a sparkling.  Cold terror gripped his spark, and without a word of warning to Ratchet or Sideswipe he transformed and tore down the hallway.  Of all the mechs Metronix could have run into on his wanderings, it had to be the Dinobots!  Had he antagonized them to the point where they had attacked?  Or did Grimlock, like Ironhide, still think of the sparkling as Megatron and had acted accordingly?  Self-restraint had never been one of the Dinobots' strengths, and in the presence of their worst enemy he doubted even a direct threat from Prime would have stopped them from attacking.

Someone had left the doors to the Dinobots' quarters open, and he tore inside without even hailing Grimlock, figuring he could do something to appease the Dinobot commander later.  He started the change to robot mode before he'd even come to a complete stop, leaving a swath of skid marks behind him, and he had his gun out and ready to fire a stun blast the moment he was on his feet.

The sight before him was so incredible that for a moment he could only stare in shock.  Metronix was still shrieking -- but they were shrieks of laughter as he clung to Slag's back.  The Triceratops Dinobot was giving the sparkling the ride of his life, bucking and snorting and tossing his head like a rodeo bull, though his movements were just careful enough to avoid throwing Metronix across the room.  Grimlock, in robot mode, sat on a box off to one side, looking rather tired but content, and the other Dinobots hooted and cheered noisily at the unexpected show.

Grimlock glanced up, just noticing Prime's presence, and gave a lazy wave.  "You Prime lost something?"

Prime slowly lowered his weapon, though he didn't take his optics off Slag.  "Is that even safe?"

"Him Slag be careful," Grimlock assured him.  "And him Metronix like fast and exciting."  He laughed a little as Slag gave one more buck and flopped onto his belly, too exhausted to move even as Metronix bounced on his back and demanded that he go again.  "Tired me Grimlock out, so made him Slag take turn."

"So you're okay with Metronix?" Prime asked.

Grimlock snorted.  "You Prime think us Dinobots mean to sparkling?  Us Dinobots not smart, but us not animals either.  Him like us Dinobots, us Dinobots like back."

Relief washed over Prime, and he finally allowed himself to relax his stance.  "Why didn't you contact me when I radioed you?  We've been looking for him."

"Us Dinobots having fun," Grimlock replied dismissively.  "Not want to give him Metronix back yet.  Would have called when us Dinobots tired of him."

"Next time, alert me immediately if he enters your quarters," Prime replied sternly, then let his voice soften.  "But he's welcome to stay, so long as you're careful with him and let me know if he's with you."  He chuckled softly.  "You might let him ride Swoop next.  He might enjoy flying, so long as Swoop's careful."

Grimlock nodded.  "Will do, Prime."

"Thank you."  He turned to Metronix now, who had slid down to sit between Slag's horns.  "Be good for the Dinobots, all right?  They're new to having you around."

"'Kay, Daddy," he replied.  "Can I stay?  Wanna play more!"

"Of course.  I'll come get you when it's time for the energon break."  He nodded once at Grimlock in farewell before turning to the door, where Ratchet and Sideswipe were watching.  The medic wore an amused grin, while Sideswipe just gave Prime a sheepish look.

"All's well that ends well, right?" asked Sideswipe.  "Um, am I still in trouble?"

"Report to my office," Prime replied.  "We'll discuss this there."

Sideswipe groaned.  "I'm so dead, I just know it."  He slunk off.

"Cut him a bit of slack, sir," Ratchet advised.  "This is a first for everyone here, having a little one around.  We're all going to make mistakes.  And believe it or not, I'm sure Sides'll be more careful from here on out."

Prime knew Ratchet had a point.  Still, he had no desire to repeat this scenario.  The next time Metronix went missing, it might not end so benignly.