"Nickel, Iron, Colbalt, Chrome,
He'll eat your soul,
Turn your spark to stone
Nickel, Iron, Colbalt, Chrome,
Run, little robot, run away home."

–Traditional Cybertronian Rhyme

---

":Did you hear me? I said there's a Sparkeater on board.:" Red Alert said from the other end of the line. There was silence until Rodimus spoke. "... Cool." He said with a smirk.

Rodimus turn back to the crowd below, making an announcement. "Listen up, everyone. There's been a bit of an incident on the lower decks. Nothing to worry about, but as a precaution, I'd like everyone to pair off, find a habitation suite, and wait inside until I give the all clear. Everyone, that is, except Ratchet, Trailbreaker, and Chromedome – you three are with me. Just a precautionary measure in response to something absolutely unremarkable and actually quite boring. But if anyone here does happen to carry industrial-strength energy dampeners or turn into a nullification booth, or is able to generate Level 9 Containment Fields, then hey, feel free to tag along... so, um... 'Till all are one!" Rodimus instructed as everyone left except for the people who were called out.

Even from down here, I can smell bullshit coming from him. As everyone left, I short-cut up to the balcony from where they were standing on as Rodimus and Ultra Magnus were whispering to each other. "Give them five minutes to find a hab suite then lock 'em in." Rodimus ordered. "Lock them in? You think they'd disobey orders?" Ultra Magnus asked. "I would, if I was them." Rodimus whispered back.

When I was close enough, I leaned down, wrapping my arms around their shoulders. "So, what's this boring thing that requires locking people in their rooms?" I asked in a curious tone. "Oh, it's nothing that you should worry about, um..." Rodimus trailed off. "Y/n. And if it was nothing, then why ask for people who seems to have defensive abilities? Whatever it is, I can come along for offense." I offered.

(Time-skip)

"What the hell am I looking at?" I asked, looking at the corpse with his jaw wide open, ripped a bit at the sides, a hole in his chest, and was in a pool in his own blood, or Energon. I was resisting the urge to start eating a bit from the smell of his leaking Energon by digging my fingers into my arms, again. "I didn't think they were real. I thought they were like the Shimmer or the Necrobot or the Seething Moon." Trailbreaker said. "I have no idea what those names mean, but okay." I muttered.

"People are afraid to believe. Sparkeaters, Cybervores, Soulsnatchers... 'The Nightmare with A Thousand Names." Drift listed. "Those sound like they would be perfect names for the antagonist of a sci-fi horror film." I said uncrossing my arms. "Yeah, but has anyone actually seen one before?" Trailbreaker asked. "I once arrested a Decepticon who thought he was a Sparkeater. He called himself the Dark Assassin, Devourer of Souls and Propagator of Infinite Sins. His real name was Blip." Ultra Magnus informed. "I can tell why he would say that." I snickered, placing my fist over my smile.

"I've got 29 seconds of grainy footage that's supposed to show a Sparkeater attacking the Gimlin Facility on Varas Centralus. Varas or Veras. One of the two." Rewind informed, pointing to the side of his head. "Maybe Verus? You know, it could actually be-" "Enough!" Ratchet shouted, interrupting Rewinds ranting. "Enough – prattle! Has everyone forgotten about the dead Duobot?" Ratchet rhetorically asked. "Ore. That's his- I think his name is Ore." Rewind said before Ratchet continued what he was saying. "All of you – you're so quick to blame the Boogieman. Yes, this Autobot suffered massive internal trauma, but in my line of work that's not unusual." Ratchet stated.

"Okay then – explain this." Trailbreaker said, picking something up, something round and had a bit of Energon leaking off it. "A brain module sitting outside a body without a head wound. Now I'm no doctor, but that strikes me as intensely wrong." Trailbreaker informed. "Whoa. Two questions. One: Are you saying he vomited up his own brain? And two: Can I please go home now?" Rewind asked. "And third question of the minute: Can I keep it?" I asked, leaning over Trailbreaker's shoulder. Rewind's questions were ignored, but Trailbreaker gave it to me without hesitation, saying nothing. I got a snack! YAY!

"It's Rossum's Trinity, isn't it? The spark, the brain module, and the transformation cog are interlinked. Damage to one can cause the others to shut down. The Sparkeater paralyzed him by disconnecting his brain module but wanted to preserve his integrity of the spark..." Chromedome explained. "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Here's a novel suggestion: Why doesn't everyone stop talking and let me inspect the body?" Ratchet requested.

As Ratchet inspected the body, I was tossing the brain module in the air out of boredom until I found out how to open my subspace, which is where my axe, Akeldama, is located. I place the brain module inside and closed it.

Ratchet finished his inspection, standing up. "Okay, so it is a 'Sparkeater' – If that's what you want to call it. Technically, it's a Robocarnivorous Entity: A Technoparasite that invades the host and then sustains itself by feeding off-" "Off sentience itself." Ratchet explained before the last part was finished off by Drift. "For the record, Drift? Don't ever, ever finish my sentences." Ratchet stated.

"I'd like a second opinion. Chromedome?" Rodimus suggested, placing a hand on the bot with the yellow visor. Chromedome sighed. "And there was me thinking you'd invited me along for my dry wit." He said.

"Y/n, could you give Ratchet the brain module so he could put it back in his head? With corpses, I prefer to go through the eye sockets." Chromedome requestioned. I sighed as I opened up my subspace, took out my sna- I mean the brain module to Ratchet. "I cannot begin to tell you what's wrong with that sentence." Drift said.

When the brain module was put back into the dead corpse's head, Chromedome retracted these things that are needle-like from his fingertips. "What – the hell – is he doing?" Trailbreaker asked. "Something stupid. Something he promised he'd give up. He's a- Well, technically he's a mnemosurgeon. A neuroscientist who specializes in memory." Rewind informed. "Oh, 'mnemo' with a M. 'Cos when you say it out loud, it sounds like- anyway." Trailbreaker stated. "I don't get the point you're trying to make here, Hailbeaker." I said. "It's Trailbreaker." He corrected. "Oh, right. Anyways, Rewind, continue." I requested.

"I don't quite get the science out of it, but he knows the brain so intimately that he's able to read memories and-and other stuff, too." He explained. "What kind of stuff?" I asked. "Stuff we don't talk about." Rewind stated. "But – Ore's dead! A big red slab of dead!" Trailbreaker exclaimed.

"Which makes this tricky. I might be able to access the last few moments. See, after they die, the details... tend to get a little sketchy." Chromedome explained.

A little while later, Chromedome let out a scream of pain, falling backwards. "CHROMEDOME!" Rewind exclaimed, reaching out to him. "'The worse the death, the more painful the memories'... First thing you ever said to me." Rewind said as he slowly laid Chromedome back, his head laying on the Minibot's legs. "I wonder what will happen if he saw how I got the hole in my head way back then." I muttered with a small laugh, picturing his reaction, and I was ignored. "What did you see, Chromedome? Was it a Sparkeater?" Rodimus asked.

"Well, if by 'Sparkeater', you mean 'freaky, mad-eyed psychopath who floats above the ground with half of his head missing, and dead souls in his guts', then yeah, I'd say we got a positive I.D." Chromedome informed as Ratchet helped him up. "Okay, that's bad." Ratchet said. "How bad? On a scale of one to Megatron..." Rewind asked. "It's in its resurgent phase. Ore was its first proper feed in a long, long time – now that it's rediscovered its taste for fresh sparks it won't be delicate." Ratchet informed.

"This is a dark and troubling omen. Sparkeaters are drawn to pain and emotional trauma. I don't know what neutrals were up to, but horrific things must have happened on this ship. We're being punished." Drift stated. "Okay, samurai hippy, thanks for the info." I sarcastically said. "With all due respect, Drift, I don't think I've heard such a load of-" "Shock! I said Ore. I meant Shock. His name is Shock. Sorry everyone." Ratchet said, before Rewind corrected his previous mistake, interrupting the medic.

"Okay, let's find this thing. Magnus has sealed all the interior doors, so it'll be confined to the corridors." Rodimus informed. "It'll be disoriented after gorging itself. Once it finds its bearings it'll go after the brightest spark. It sounds like it's carrying semi-digested sparks, so best not shoot at it. Containment is key." Ratchet stated. "Split into teams and scour the upper decks. Drift and I will stay here and try to find out how the neutrals kept it trapped for so long." Rodimus instructed. Meanwhile, I already ran off. Ratchet said it would go after the brightest spark, and I can already guess who it is.

(Time-Skip)

I sniffed the air to see if I was getting closer to where Rung is. After I found the room, he was in, I short-cut inside, knowing that the doors are locked. When I teleported in there, I see Rung standing in the middle of the room, fists resting on his hips. "There, perfect." I heard him say. "Rung!" I called out.

He turned around, surprised to see me. "Y/n? How did you get-" He was interrupted when the doors were busted down. "YAHH!" Rung yelped when I grabbed him and used my back as a shield against the broken door. We backed up to a wall as it walked closer, and Jesus Christ, that's one ugly piece of work. My left arm was wrapped around the middle of Rung, ready to toss him back when he tries to attack.

Then, the vent cover, on the ceiling busted open, dropping to the floor. "Come here, Eyebrows and Skeleton!" Skids exclaimed, grabbing my arm as he pulled me and the therapist into the vents. 

(Time-skip)

"Thanks for the save. How did you know we were in trouble?" Rung asked as we crawled through the ventilation system. "The terrified screams kinda gave it away. And I don't want to panic you further... but that thing is right behind us." Skids informed.

"I've got an incoming message..." Rung said, as a tablet came out of his side. The screen turned on, showing Rodimus' face. ":It's Rung, right? Ultra Magnus says you might have a Sparkeater on your tail, in which case I'm sorry. We thought everyone would be safe in their rooms, but it seems the hab suite doors are a lot thinner than the ones down here... The Engine Rooms have reinforced walls. We think the neutrals managed to trap the Sparkeater and feed it Turbofoxes to keep it docile.:" Rodimus explained.

":Listen, Rung, I need you to do something for me... I need you to head down here, to the Engine Rooms, and bring the Sparkeater with you. I'll be waiting. Don't worry. I've got a plan – and it's a cracker.:" Rodimus instructed, and the call ended. "Congratulations! How does it feel to be used as bait?" Skids rhetorically asked in a joking tone, giving Rung a thumbs up. I gave him an 'are you kidding me' expression.

"Okay, so the quickest way to the Engine Rooms... is down the elevator shaft." Skids informed. "How come you get a grappling hook, Y/n can teleport, and all I get is a thumb with a microphone in it?" Rung questioned. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked, confused. Like, how does that work? You know what, this world doesn't make sense anymore, and I do not care! "Wow. No wonder our friend is so interested in you. Speaking of which... it's time we make a move!" Skids said as me and Rung clung to the theoretician as we descended down.

Just so then we wouldn't waste time trying to get in said elevator, I short-cut us inside, with no soft landing. "Engine Rooms." Skids requested, quickly standing up. "What's going on? It's Skids, right. We all thought you were de-" "JUST TAKE US TO THE ENGINE ROOMS!" Skids shouted, interrupting the random bot. 

Just then, the Sparkeater tore the ceiling of the elevator with its bare hands. "Is this what my prey had to deal with? If so, I would like to apologize to any ghost or spirit that I've hunted down when they were alive, if they are listening. But, then again, they all were terrible people." I quickly said, muttering the last part.

"Go! GO!" Skids urged as the doors opened. "But Brainstorm's trapped!" Rung exclaimed. "Then, I'm sorry... he's already dead!" Skids exclaimed back when we were finally out of that small room. "I didn't know the guy, so... no guilt for me to carry." I stated as we ran down the hall.

Once we made it to the Engine Room, we saw Rodimus up ahead. "Rung! Over here!" Rodimus called. "I'm sorry. What I'm about to do isn't very pleasant." He said. Just as he said that, Drift shoved us back, out of the hall and away from the captain and the only therapist on board.

"Rodimus, please- I must protest! You're hurting me!" Rung exclaimed as he was held in something similar to the Titanic pose. "Can you hear me, Preceptor?" Rodimus asked out loud. I looked around to see no one else but us here. Then I realized, he must be talking via comm-link or something.

"...Duly noted and ignored. Now get ready!" Rodimus said as the Sparkeater came out from the hall. "Hurry up, ugly – your dinner's getting cold feet!" Rodimus called out. Just when the Sparkeater was close enough, he pushed Rung out of the way, and Rodimus held the Sparkeater's wrists, keeping it from going anywhere. "NOW, PRECEPTOR! NOW!" Rodimus yelled.

Then, the room started to give off a very bright glow, blinding me. I rubbed my eye to get rid of the spots in my vision. When they disappeared, I looked over to see that the Sparkeater was partly in this... thing? of the ship, along with another poor soul, who is also dead. "Wow. That was just... wow." Drift said, flabbergasted. "And I thought I was the risk taker." Skids stated with a chuckle.

"First rule of Interstellar Travel: Never stand next to a Quantum Generator when it's about to flout the laws of nature..." Rodimus stated.

(Time-skip)

"So, Y/n..." Rung started, as we walked back to his hab suite. "Yeah?" I questioned. "What was that? When we were in the elevator shaft?" He asked. "Oh, that! Pfft, that was nothing. It was an ability I was born with in my first life. I call it a short-cut, get it?" I said before we walked back in silence. "...You said first life. What was your experience during that?" He asked. I stopped walking, my life back then flashing before me.

After what felt like hours, I was snapped out of it by, what felt like, someone hugging me. "Hey, it's alright. There's nothing to worry about." He said in a low, calm tone of voice. When he said that, I realized that I was sitting on the floor, my right hand was scratching in my empty eye socket, and the left hand was gripping at the opening in my head. My breathing calmed down, from shaking and a quick pace to a slow and regulated pace. "I-I'm calm now. I-I'm calm. Calm. ...I'm fine now." I said along my breathing.

"Do you want me to let go?" He asked. "No... just a little longer." I requested, managing to get my arms out and hug him close, my head resting on top of his. "I realize that you haven't found a room to claim. Do you want to be roommates?" He asked. I chuckled, low and soft. "Sure. It'll probably be good to have a therapist close by, almost 24/7." I said. "And it'll probably be good to have someone to protect me when patients will maybe try to attack me." He said, in a joking manner, which made me laugh.

At least I'll have a substitute Blueberry to keep me sane and under control on this ship.