BLADES POV

"Blades!... Blades, wake up!"

My optics flew open as everything came surging back, but they closed again as the pain set in. "Nnn...! I-I'm okay...!" I hissed, rolling over from where I'd been lying on my side. I wouldn't be flying home now, not with the charring on my rotors from the lightning strike I'd just sustained. Not that the rain would let me fly.

Thunder shook the mountain around me, and I pulled myself up onto my feet once more. "Primus, I hate when it storms like this..."

Dani's firm grip on my controls told me she felt the same way.

This storm was a powerful one, the kind that only came together when winter and summer were having their last big fight over the spring months. Flash floods were common, as I had learned over the years, which was why we were out here, evacuating the people by the river and getting them to higher ground.

The whine and crackling of my comm link told me that my own attempts at contacting the rest of the team downhill was out. "Dani, see if you can get through to the team."

Dani nodded, tapping her comm. "Dad, do you hear me?"

Dani, finally! What happened up there?

"Blades was struck by lightning. He's alright, but his comm's out of commission for now."

Well come on down, we need all hands on deck!

I gave a nod of acknowledgment and then limped down the slope towards the river. The soil squished and slid under my weight, and right as I was reaching the edge of the trees, it went out from underneath me completely, and I slid down and into the shallows of the river.

"Nice to have you join us, Muddy-Bot." Heatwave teased as he revved his engines to keep his boat form from being swiped downstream.

"Ha Ha..." I mumbled, pulling myself back up to my feet and shaking mud from my feet. "What did I miss?"

"We've gotten almost everyone out of the danger zone." Chief Burns informed, "Kinda ridiculous that all of this is happening all at once. It's not normally this hectic."

Officer Harris chuckled from the passenger seat in Chase's cab, "Yeah, I'd like to get to just looking for speeders tomorrow."

"Glad you're taking it all in stride... Downpour, how's it going with that debris?"

It...Uh...Yes!

Downpour's tone didn't sound too confident, and Heatwave gave a sigh. "Do you need help, Down-"

No! No, no help from you! I'm good!

"I...Okay?"

"I thought you went to talk to her." Kade inquired.

"I did, and then she locked herself in the Sigma and wouldn't come out."

He transformed into bot mode, marching past me upstream. "I'm going to check on things anyway..."

I navigated the rushing water and slippery rocks until I was safely on the opposite bank with the rest of the team, and then I heard a very loud cracking sound. I looked upstream to see a wave of debris suddenly snap loose of its banks, and it was rushing down towards us.

"Fall back, fall back!" Chief ordered, and all of us pulled further up the slope and away from the water. "Heatwave, do you copy? Kade, come in!"

My optics skimmed the pile as it passed us for any sign of either Heatwave or Downpour. I hoped they'd made it out of the way, but with their lack of responses, it seemed unlikely. The clump continued on its way until it came to a stop on a thinner stretch of the river, and that's when Boulder and I moved in.

My spark was pounding as we dug through the debris, until Heatwave's arm suddenly came punching out into view. "There!"

The firetruck was pretty scratched and banged up as we unburied him and then pulled him out, but it was clear that it was from wrapping himself around Downpour, who was presently clinging to his neck, soft whimpers coming from her as her face was buried in his shoulder. "Shh..." He rasped, putting a hand on the back of her helm, "It's alright...I've got you now..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She whimpered.

"Shh..."

"Let's get you two checked out..." I suggested, guiding them back up the slope to a safer location.

Kade scrambled out of Heatwave's cab as soon as the bot was seated, crawling across the grass before puking.

"Kade!" Dani pulled out of my cab to check on her brother, "Are you alright!?"

"F...Fine..." Kade moaned, "...Just got tumbled around a bit."

I made sure that Dani had the situation covered before resuming my own medical examination. Heatwave held his daughter in his lap as I overlooked them both, but fortunately, I found nothing serious, just a few dents and scratches.

"I'm sorry...!" Downpour continued to cry, and Heatwave pulled her back from his shoulder, wiping mud from her face and making her look him in the optic.

"What are you sorry for? You saved those people over there from the water."

"But I...I thought you wouldn't come to save me...!"

"Downy, why would you think that I wouldn't? You're my daughter."

Downpour's fingers gripped his shoulders, "I just... Blades and Chase are always hanging out with their kids, asking them how they're doing, making sure they're okay... You only talk to me when I'm in trouble, and these days I feel like the Recruits are more your kids than I am!"

I watched Heatwave's expression shift, softening before resting his chin on the top of his daughter's helm. "I'm sorry... I thought you liked being free to work things out on your own instead of me standing over your shoulder."

"It's not like I expect you to be all touchy-feely, I know that's not you... But sometimes... Sometimes I would wish I'd been born with a problem too, so you'd have a reason to give me attention."

"That's not a good reason," Heatwave chuckled, "...But I see where you're coming from. I'm sorry, I'll try to be more attentive to when you need to talk to me...and be more available to listen."

I smiled, stepping away to let the pair work through their issues in peace. "Good for them..." I murmured as I rejoined Chase up on the hill.

"Do not worry," Chase patted me on the shoulder, "I am certain Snowblast will return to us soon."

I nodded, "Me too... That doesn't change the fact that I worry... Wait, where are the twins?"

Chase pointed to Jack and Jolt sitting up in the parking lot with some of the evacuated humans, dozens of feet from danger. I chuckled as I blushed, my teammate smiling right back at me. "Can't be too careful, you know."

"Yes... You should get yourself repaired when we return to the Firehouse."

I remembered my charred rotors and gave a grimace as the pain decided to increase. "Right..."

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SNOWBLAST POV

The sun was peeking out from the gray clouds as the day progressed, raising the temperature slowly as we walked. I felt my cooling systems starting to get overworked, but I didn't want to stop. Noon had passed a long time ago, and yet Cassie hadn't once mentioned being hungry or tired. I, on the other hand, was starting to lose my strength. I could taste energon in my mouth, and the pain in my side was getting worse.

She knew I was lying when I told her I was fine. She knew that I was just being stubborn, and I knew it too, but I wanted to get as far as I could before I had no choice but to lie down and give up fighting. I didn't even know how much further Milford was... But it didn't matter; I fell before we got there.

I had just been walking down a path, and the next thing I knew, my visuals went out on me, and I felt myself falling into the grass.

"Snow!"
I felt Cassie grab my arms, "Can you hear me?"

"Yes..." I mumbled, closing my optics. "...J-Just blacked out..."

"That's it. You need to rest now."

I grimaced as she wrapped her arms around me, and then she dragged me across the grass and then leaned me up against something. "Just sit here, and rest for a little bit... Maybe I could give you a jolt of power or something...? I mean with my electrical powers, I might-"

"It's not electricity, Cass..."

"...What do you mean? Have you not seen the power outages I've been causing?"

"I've been seeing the pulses you're letting off... It's not electrical surges, it's solar energy discharge. You're basically sending out little solar flares that are disrupting electromagnetic systems..."

"Solar...?"

I nodded with a slight smirk, "You're a C.O.I.L... That stands for 'Cyber-Organic Integrated Lifeform'... Cyberorganic is a more common term. You've been collecting solar energy from the sun this entire time, that's why you're not tired or hungry."

She was quiet for several seconds, and then I felt her thump back against the log. "...Huh. That makes sense... and I'd eat more in the winter since there's less sun... Huh."

She then took my hand, "...How'd you figure that out?"

"It wasn't too hard to figure out... Do you know anything about how you wound up with your parents?"

"Well... They got me from the home when I was a year old... But they said once that the home found me on the side of the road... Why?"

My optics opened again, "The Revolver, maybe...? No, don't jump to conclusions."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing... Just pondering."

I opened my optics again, finding my visuals had come back to an extent, though everything was flickering in and out of color. I lifted my helm, looking out in front of us, and then my eyebrows furrowed. "Hey...Cass?"

"What?"

I pointed to a shape ahead of us, "...Do you see that big red and blue place ahead of us? By the shoreline?"

"...Yeah, why?"

I gave a slight smile, "...That's the Academy... We need to get over there."

Cassie's eyebrows furrowed, "...Can you make it?"

I clenched my teeth and pulled myself back up to my feet, despite everything shaking and urging me to stay seated. "...I have to...!"