~ (Y/D)'s POV~

     Well, we didn't hit the smelting pit, but I think the ground was just as painful. Predaking rolled to the opposite side so he wouldn't crush me while I held the escape pod close, trying to cushion it as I rolled and skid across the smooth metal of the planet. I looked up to see the welcoming sight of Soundwave, who bent down to inspect my shaking form.

         "What happened?" he questioned, "What is this?"

         "Slow down man," I shook my helm to free the cobwebs and possible concussion from my processor, "One more question and I'll have to call you Miko."

Soundwave went back to being silent at that, and I rested my helm on the ground, wanting to recharge for a bit.

         "Don't let her fall into recharge!"

Darn it Knockout. Spoiling my fun.

     I was shaken until my optics opened again, and their red light might the red of my medic, and I smiled.

         "Hey, how you doing ya cherry?"

         "This is not a laughing matter," he argued sternly, "I could feel your panic through the ring!"

Oh yeah... I still have his ring in my subspace.

         "Sorry," I sighed, and started to sit up, the pod still in my arms, "I heard this cry... and then I found this Escape Pod... and Megatron showed up-"

         "MEGATRON?!" Both Soundwave and Knockout seemed panicked, and while I can understand, this next bit will make them even more panicked.

         "Yeah... and Unicron was using him as a puppet..."

         "UNICRON?!"

I rolled my optics, about done with their shouts of disbelief.

         "Yes, but I found a Sparkling Escape Pod!" I urged the first fact I had told them, "I heard a call that sounded like a young child, and I found this," Sitting on my knee joints, I placed the pod on the ground, a few new dents, but nothing serious, well, I didn't think so considering the amount of scrap I had to go through in order to get it here.

     Knockout gently picked me up so I was standing, much to my disagreement, while Soundwave picked up the Pod. I saw Ratchet go to check on Predakng, who was simply laying there staring at us as we went by. I looked to him with a concerned gaze, and he puffed smoke from the side of his maw, blinking slowly as he nodded, indicating that he was alright. I nodded back and let Knockout lead me to the med bay of the Nemesis.

         "I'm fine Knockout," I grumbled, wrestling my arm from his grasp, "Why are you so protective all of the sudden?"

He turned to me, exasperated, dragging a servo over his faceplate.

         "First of all, you're never scared, no, terrified enough for my spark to hurt like it did not to long ago," I hung my helm as he somewhat scolded me... I didn't realize a spark could ache simply from another's terror, "Second," he put a servo to my shoulder plating, "You're father's coming, and he's sure to offline me if he finds out you were hurt by that tyrant."

I looked back up to him to see his usual devilish smirk, and I smiled.

         "Funny how you speak ill of your past leader now, but not to long ago you would have bent down and kissed his pedes if it meant an unharmed finish." I shot at him, punching his arm playfully.

         "You're asking for it," he chuckled deeply, bringing me closer with a single arm.

         "Aren't I always?" I snickered, and escaped his hold, only to make myself dizzy and fall into the wall of the massive ship.

         "We should head to the med bay."

         "Yeah..." I nodded, and let him lead me once again to the medical wing of the Nemesis.

     He set me on the medical berth and did a quick examination before deeming me to have just a few scrapes and a mild concussion that would go away with time, maybe a few hours at most. He exited the slowly growing medical file of mine, and sighed as he turned to me.

         "We should check on that Sparkling pod," he announced, "See if there's anything in it."

         "I know there is," I stated with confidence, "there has to be."

He only nodded, and took my servo as we made our way back outside, finding just about everyone surrounding the Escape Pod, somewhat hesitant to even breathe on it. Knockout and I stepped into the circle as it widened for our entrance, and all looked to him and me.

         "(Y/D)," Dreadwing started, "Since it was you who found it... we suspect that it is you who should open it."

         "You guys could have opened it," I chuckled nervously, "... why haven't you?"

They announced their indecision with an eerie silence, one that could only say that they were scared of what they may find, or perhaps they were scared they might jinx the possibility of a sparkling having lived through the onslaught of enemy fire. Nodding with a sigh, I felt around the pod until I found the clasps that kept it shut tight. Pressing in, a sharp hiss emanated from the rusted silver pod, and I removed the door ever so slowly.

     I smiled at what I saw. In the Pod lay a small, blue sparkling, the tiny mech's armor suggesting a lithe form when he grew older. I picked up the tiny being and held him close to my chassis, and I felt his tiny spark begin to hum very strongly as he neared my own. His tiny digits twitched as he began to wake up from the very long stasis he was forced to endure, and my smile widened when he opened his bright, golden brown optics, almost copper in color. He had a few gold additions to his frame, I noted, taking hold of his wandering servo.

         "Hello little one," I whispered, and he babbled, playing with my servo.

         "How did you find him?" Arcee asked in wonderment, coming closer, but backed away when the sparkling began to whimper at her approach.

         "I... well, it's hard to explain," I paused, "I heard a faint cry, like that of a human child... I followed it, and it led me to the sparkling pod."

         "A Carrier's call," Ratchet stated, "This sparkling sensed the closeness of a Carrier, and knew it meant safety."

As flattered as I should feel, I only felt the pain left by an emptiness in my spark from the lack of a bond with the sparkling that should be in my arms... This sounds almost stupid with how many of my friends and family surround me now...

     The sparkling mech bumped my chassis with his helm, and curled up near my spark chamber, an obvious comfort after who knows how long of being alone in a cramped sparkling escape pod. I let him rest, bringing a servo to cradle his helm.

         "But I don't have a sparkling, besides Raf, but he's not even mine." I noted.

         "Even if the bond was never completed, your past sparkling already had a bond with you while it grew," Knockout explained, slightly melancholy, "This sparkling senses that broken bond, therefore has an attachment to you."

I sighed, looking back down to the sparkling, now sucking on his thumb digit. I listened to the small clank of his teeth to his digit for a time before pulling it away from his faceplate, knowing that wasn't good for his drained body. I looked to Ratchet, who nodded, and went to get some energon for the tiny thing. I heard the quick pedesteps of Raf as he ran toward us, obviously having just heard of the recent calamity.

         "You're okay?!" He questioned, skidding to a stop, and going to a whisper as he said, "Is that the sparkling?"

I nodded with a small smile.

         "I guess you could call him your brother?"

Looking to the group that had slowly doubled in size with the many vehicons that decided to join us, I found no objection to my statement, and let Raf take a look at the blue and gold sparkling mech. He smiled at the little thing, most of us being surprised that he didn't whimper or cry at Raf's approach, and happily babbled at him, grabbing hold of a digit to chew on.

         "Ow!" Raf giggled, "He has teeth!"

The smaller mech started to cry at the wrenching away of his living toy, and I shushed him gently as Ratchet quickly handed me a makeshift bottle of energon. I stuck the end of the sippy cup in his intake, and the mechling began to suckle, his optics becoming droopy as he did so.

         "This will make things a bit more complicated," Bumblebee noted, sighing a bit.