"Okay...Now."

Heatwave started out of the alleyway, his optics searching the streets for movement as he held his daughter in his arms like a small dog.
 It had only been a few hours since he'd given birth; his body still hurt from the ordeal, but he knew that the hours of early morning would mean less humans on the streets, and he wasn't ready for his daughter to have her first closeup just yet.

He was grateful when they reached the firehouse and the garage door was open, allowing him to slip inside quickly and then close it behind him.
Still, he waited until the door was completely closed before relaxing and setting his daughter down on the floor. She stumbled a few steps on her inexperienced legs, but quickly regained her footing. She squeaked to him, and he transformed back into dino mode to lead her further into the garage.

"Heatwave?"

The firebot looked to the bulldozer as he entered view, and then to his daughter as she ducked under him for protection. "Aww...It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Heatwave bent down, looking to his daughter and then to Boulder. "Downpour...This is your Uncle Boulder." He introduced. "Come on, it's okay."

Downpour tiptoed out from under her father, her long neck reaching out as she sniffed Boulder's awaiting hand.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of." Boulder assured, giving a smile. "...She's gonna be just like you, I can tell."

"Oh joy..." Heatwave muttered with a smirk, the smirk being replaced with a grimace as his insides pulsed with pain. "Ah...!"

"Still hurting?"

"Y-Yes... Could you watch her for a little while? I need to refuel and then rest."

"Of course." Boulder gave the little bot's muzzle a gentle boop as her father started to walk away, and he gave a reassuring wink at her before heading for the energon storage.

Heatwave paused however, as he passed the medical bay, looking in to see Chase and Blades exiting. "Chase?"

In the passing days after his fall into the tunnels, Chase had seemed to be fine, excepting some aches and pains. Heatwave had even seen him and Chief go out on patrol the previous afternoon, so it was concerning to see him back in the medical bay.

"Heatwave." Blades greeted, "Welcome back. I was just checking in on Chase, he felt out of sorts when he came out of recharge this morning."

Heatwave nodded, looking between his two teammates. "And the result?"

"It is nothing to be concerned over." Chase informed, "Now if you will excuse me, I have a patrol to prepare for."

The pair watched him wander out of earshot, and then Heatwave turned back to Blades. "You're getting better at your medical poker face, Blades, but I can tell there's something you didn't tell him."

Blades' eyebrows furrowed as he looked away, "...Yes. There was only about a 24-hour period, so there wasn't much by the time it happened, but..."

"Blades..."

Blades lowered his voice even lower, "...The humans call it a 'Miscarriage.'"

Heatwave's optics widened as he registered the word in his processor. "...He was carrying too...?"

"Only for about 24 hours, like I said. But...Yes." The medic's optics shifted down the hallway where Chase had gone, "...I'm not telling him. He didn't know anything about it, and at this point, there is nothing more I or anyone else can do... I don't think he needs to know."

Heatwave nodded, "Ignorance is bliss... Fine then."

The firetruck continued his wandering down the hall, finding the energon storage room. He transformed into bot mode once more, popping open a cube and then slowly sipping on it as he headed for his quarters. He was tired and hurting, but was at peace knowing he could rest for a little bit and his team would keep Downpour out of trouble for a little while...

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Babies...!" Dani cooed as she slid down the pole. The second she hit the floor, her eyes were on the little brachiosaur currently in Boulder's arms. "Aww...!"

"Her name's Downpour." Blurr informed with a smirk, "Fitting name for how she was born..."

"Giraffes drop babies from high levels too, you know...!" Boulder grumbled, stroking the femme's helm and earning a soft purring sound from her. "You like that...?"

A chirp caught their attention, and they looked up to see Snowblast peeking down from the nest with curiosity.

"Come on down here, Snowy." Blades encouraged, "Come say hi."

Snowblast hesitated for a moment and then crawled down the pillar, his optics wide as he looked back at Downpour's. He then slowly reached out, his fingers brushing Downpour's muzzle. The little brachiosaurus looked down at the ice that had formed on her nose, and then gave a sneeze, startling the tiny pterosaur into scrambling back up the pillar a ways with a squeak.

"Aww...!" Dani cooed as Blades collected his son and held him in his arms. "It's okay, Snowy...!"

Blades decided to try the introduction again, bending down and letting the two sparklings be close again, but still holding onto his son for comfort.

Snowblast was hesitant to interact again with this sparkling well over twice his height, but Downpour was not hesitant at all. She bent her head down, nudging Snowblast with her nose until he looked her in the optic again. She gave a chattering sound, and Snowblast squeaked a little in response, before reaching out and touching her helm again.

"See...? There's nothing to be scared of..." Blades reassured, "She's just like you...Well, sort of."

"Where's Heatwave?" Dani asked.

"In his quarters recovering." Boulder stroked both sparklings' helms with a grin, "I don't blame him. With these two making friends, I have a feeling we're all going to need all the rest we can get."

"GUYS!" Salvage came rushing down from the bots' command center, "Guys, Optimus Prime just called. There was an attack on Crown City where Bumblebee's team is stationed!"

"Is Bumblebee hurt?" Blades worried, standing up straight again.

"I don't think so, but he says the first responders there could really use some help while they take out the Decepticons responsible. Quickshadow's already waiting at the groundbridge."

The other bots nodded in understanding, and then Chase spoke up. "Boulder, can you and Blades handle any emergencies here?"

After a nod of confirmation, the police-bot turned back to the newer recruits. "Salvage, Blurr, come with me."

The trio then hurried out of the garage, heading down the hallway towards the groundbridge.

Boulder looked down and caught Downpour as she attempted to scramble after them. "Whoa there, Downy!" He chuckled, "You can't go with them... One day, but not yet."

Downpour gave a disappointed whine, her optics focusing on the way she was being denied. Even in her newborn processor, barely able to understand even simple things, a spark of wanting to explore was flourishing, one that did not like to be told 'No.'

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The second the Rescue Bots stepped out of the groundbridge, their optics and olfactory sensors were met with the blur and smell of smoke. Chase led the charge, his optics overlooking a city he'd never seen, but knew was in dire need of help. Smoke plumed from shattered building fronts, concrete and burning debris littered the streets, and humans were slowly but surely pulling themselves and each other out of the wreckage.

"Primus... It looks like a bomb went off." Blurr murmured.

"From the message I received from Optimus, that's essentially what occurred." Quickshadow informed. "Blurr, you stick with me."

Chase nodded in agreement, and then watched the pair split off from them and head down one of the other streets.

"You the good guys, I hope."

Chase looked down to see Crown City's police chief standing at his feet, and he bent down. "Affirmative. I am Chase and this is Salvage. We are allies of the Autobots stationed nearby here, and we are trained for rescue work and disaster relief."

The chief gave a grin, "Well I am glad to hear that! You can start on 7th street with Fire District 12."

"You got it!" Salvage announced.

The pair transformed into vehicle mode and then followed the Chief's direction towards 7th street. Chase tried not to focus too hard on all of the damage around him, but he felt it triggering something in the back of his memory... Something he'd wanted to stay forgotten.

"You alright, Chase?" Salvage observed, "You look a little tense."

"A-Affirmative." Chase stammered, clearing his processor once more. "Just... This reminds me of a mission back on Cybertron."

"This? But I thought you were off-world before the war started."

"We were... But tensions were still high right before we left. It all blew up just days after we were lost..."
The police-bot paused to swerve around a large chunk of debris. "We were called to an area that had become quite Pro-Decepticon, though they didn't call themselves that at the time... A fight had broken out in a bar that had erupted into something far worse. We were sent in to assist in rescuing any remaining bots in the rubble; most of them remained online until we could arrive, but...There was one femme... I had been the one to find her, lying in pieces behind one of the booths... and that image will forever stay in my memory banks."

"...It must've been horrible. I'm sorry."

"We checked her file. She wasn't involved in the fight, just an innocent bystander who lost her life in a brawl over politics...!" Chase seethed, and then after several seconds gave a hard sigh. "Nothing can be done of it now... We must focus on the current task."

The pair pulled up to a blockade where two firetrucks were struggling to put out a fire on one side of the building, and rescue humans trapped on upper levels on another. "We are here to help." Chase informed as they transformed back into bot mode.

"Sounds like a plan." One of the firefighters replied, "Go talk to the chief, and he'll get you started..."