No POV

It had been three weeks since the battle and destruction at the space bridge and Storm had still not woken. Miko had tried everything but play the electric guitar on max amplifier, didn't do the trick, luckily, Bulkhead tried to stop her knowing that if Storm woke to that noise she would be very grumpy.

After the fight with Skyquake Ratchet and Optimus decided once Stormchaser awoke that she would remain in the silo as the risk of discovery from the Decepticons was still high. The kids also in that time made a pact that they would never bring homework back to base or at least do it away from Ratchet at all costs as their science projects under Ratchets care had landed them with a weeks worth of detentions. For Jack and Raf it had also cost them a further two weeks of working off the damages to the school.

Bulkhead and Bee had their exploration shift which bore fruit in the discovery of a frozen pod which was thawing in the loading bay. Arcee and Optimus were the next to take on Exploration duties to the artic, just before they were about to leave the kids rolled into base. Jack walked up to Arcee. "I wasn't expecting a carpool." Arcee crossed her arms. "My turn for exploration duty." Jack looked so disappointed. "That's too bad. So you ok with keeping me inside on a nice day, great day for a ride." Wanting to go. "Artic exploration." Arcee added. Jack quickly changed his tune. "Inside where its warm see you later." Jack retreated back away from the ground bridge. Raf look disappointed "I always wanted to see snow." Optimus looked down at the youngest. "I would invite you to come along but the conditions in the artic are perilous even to us Autobots." Raf frowned but he understood Optimus was about to walk through the ground bridge but stopped and turned back to Raf. "Although I can bring back a snowball if you want?" Raf grinned in excitement. "Awesome." Raf left to catch up with Jack and Miko as Optimus and Arcee left via the ground bridge. Once the ground bridge powered down the computers crackled smoked, not good. "Bulkhead, Bee here now." Ratchet called the bots away from their charges with Bee busy Raf decided to go explore the base alone.

Raf walked down the hall pretending to be with Optimus in the attic during a blizzard, His imagination was cut short by the clatter of metal nearby. Swinging round quick he sees a little robot startled Raf trips landing on his butt. The little robot seemed cute and just stared at him. "Where did you come from? I didn't know the autobots had any pets." The robot came closer interested in Raf. "You want to play fetch." Raf waved a large screw he had picked up off the floor which had the little robot jump around like a little puppy. Raf threw the screw laughing as the bot chased after it. "Good boy. Go get it!" The little robot caught the screw on the second bounce sparks flew as the little robot began to devour the metal. Raf concerned for its wellbeing stepped closer to stop it. "No don't eat that! You're going to choke!" By the time Raf finished his sentence the robot had eaten the screw and was running back to Raf. "Or not." Raf guessed that this was normal for the little bot. The little bot began to rub up against Raf's leg whirring away. Raf grinned at the little bot wondering why the Autobots hadn't mentioned the little bot. He decided to go ask Ratchet and show Miko and Jack. "Come on." the little followed Raf a short way before it stopped looking tired, Raf picked the little thing up and cradled it in his arms letting it fall asleep.

A short while later, the power flickered, then went out completely for a few seconds, plunging the area into darkness. The backup generators hummed to life, casting a low, mechanical glow throughout the room. The sudden change in atmosphere startled the two other kids, who had been engrossed in their game and had to blink the sleep out of their eyes. The sound of machinery humming steadily pulled them from their playful distraction. They stood up, stretching, before making their way toward Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee, who were engaged in some kind of serious discussion.

Before they could even get close enough to hear what was going on, Raf's excited voice cut through the tense air. "Hey guys, look what I found!" he called, holding something small in his hands.

He was crouched down, peering at whatever he had discovered.

Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee all froze at the sight. "We're bus—AHH!" Ratchet screamed, panic instantly surging through his circuits. In one smooth motion, Bulkhead and Bee withdrew their weapons, their guns aimed squarely at the tiny bot in Raf's hands.

Miko and Jack darted forward in a flash, standing between the towering Autobots and the little bot.

"Hey, hey! What's with you guys?" Miko shouted in shock and confusion, her hands raised in a placating gesture.

"SCRAPLET! SCRAPLET!" Bulkhead roared, his voice heavy with fear, though his cannon never wavered from aiming at the tiny bot.

Raf, completely oblivious to the tension, tried to peer over Jack's shoulder. "What's a scraplet?" he asked, still holding the small robot in his hands, its small form barely noticeable compared to the giant Autobots looming around him.

Ratchet's voice dropped low, his words grave. "The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron."

Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes. "This? Are you kidding me?" he said, looking down at the tiny bot, which seemed to be peacefully resting, completely unbothered by the shouting.

"Yeah, you guys are giant robots, and this little guy is... teeny," Miko said in disbelief, casting a skeptical glance at the bot. It appeared harmless, small, and fragile.

"You have no idea of the damage that teeny thing can do!" Bulkhead said, his voice dripping with panic. He remained in a defensive stance, his cannon still aimed at the innocent-looking bot.

Raf shook his head in disbelief, continuing to watch the tiny bot, who still hadn't stirred. "Aw, he wouldn't hurt anything. Look at him, he's so... small." His voice was full of admiration, though he couldn't quite understand the urgency of the Autobots' reaction.

The bot shifted, its mechanical limbs twitching as it began to stir from its slumber. Then, in a flash of speed, its eyes snapped open, revealing glowing red optics, and it let out a high-pitched squeal before opening its mouth wide—a jagged row of teeth, like those of a chainsaw, snapping and grinding together.

The little bot lunged from Raf's arms, its motion too fast for any of them to stop. It pounced on Bumblebee, clamping onto his leg, sinking its teeth into the metal with an ear-splitting screech. Bumblebee let out a sharp beep of pain as the scraplet started to crawl upward, its teeth gnawing at his armor.

Bulkhead and Bee both fired, but the scraplet darted and dodged with frightening agility, managing to latch onto Bee's leg and climb. Bumblebee struggled, thrashing and shaking his leg, but the scraplet wouldn't let go. It only released when Bumblebee gave one final shake, sending the creature to the ground with a resounding *clang.*

But the scraplet wasn't finished. It shook itself off and reared back, ready to spring at its next target.

Raf, in a panic, spotted a crowbar nearby and grabbed it. Without thinking, he swung it at the scraplet, hitting it again and again. The small bot's body shuddered with each blow, but it kept coming back for more, its mechanical body undeterred by the punishment.

"Whoa, easy there, killer!" Jack shouted, rushing over and grabbing the crowbar from Raf before he could do more damage. "You're gonna hurt yourself."

Raf turned back to Bumblebee, kneeling beside him with wide eyes. "Whoa, I did not see that coming," he said, his heart pounding in his chest. The tiny bot had been so harmless-looking, and now it had nearly torn Bumblebee apart.

Bee, still on the floor, let out a comforting beep. He buzzed in a pattern that reassured Raf. It wasn't so bad, but his injuries were visible. His metal plating had been chewed through in jagged zigzags, his leg now bearing deep scars from the scraplet's relentless bite.

Ratchet, having taken a quick scan of the situation, knelt down beside Bumblebee, his expression grim. "I'm sorry, Bumblebee," Ratchet said softly, though his hands were already working over the injured Autobot, assessing the damage with practiced precision.

Raf's voice cracked, full of guilt and worry. "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked, eyes wide, desperate for reassurance. He hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt—especially not Bumblebee.

Ratchet didn't hesitate, though his words were blunt. "Only a mesh wound, he'll live."

Raf's shoulders sagged in relief, though his guilt still weighed heavily on him. He hadn't seen the danger in the little scraplet; he hadn't understood. "I'm sorry, Bee," he whispered, placing a hand on his injured friend's leg.

Ratchet stood up, his eyes hardening. "Now do you believe me? Scraplets do nothing but dismantle machinery and consume any kind of metal—especially living metal."

Jack exhaled, clearly relieved that the immediate danger had passed. He clapped his hands together. "Well, bug squashed, game over, right?"

Ratchet's expression hardened, and he shook his head firmly. "No. When it comes to scraplets, there's never just one. And I fear I know how they got in here."

The Autobots turned and moved quickly, their steps heavy and purposeful as they headed out of the room. Weapons drawn and ready, they made their way down the corridors. Ratchet's tone was sharp, as if every moment counted.

As they entered the loading bay, the sight before them made their systems freeze with dread. What had once been a frozen block was now replaced with a large, broken pod. The door to it had been ripped apart, and the remnants of the scraplet trap lay scattered around the floor.

"It's a trap. A scraplet trap," Ratchet said, his voice taut with urgency, his light scanning over the hollow pod, revealing nothing but an empty space inside.

Bulkhead stepped forward, his voice shaking. "But... It's empty."

Ratchet knelt down beside it. "Most likely ejected into space eons ago, only to wind up in the arctic, where the temperature kept them in stasis."

Jack's voice cut through the silence. "Until we brought the thaw."

Ratchet nodded grimly. "Now they're awake and hungry."

Miko gulped, her voice small. "So... how many are we talking about?"

Ratchet didn't answer immediately, but his face was enough to say everything. "Thousands," he replied at last. "The power malfunctions and ground bridge damage we've been experiencing are clear signs that their infestation is well underway."

Suddenly, a loud, deafening roar cut through the air, followed by the sound of crashing and explosions that reverberated through the building. The ground beneath them shook violently, sending the kids tumbling to the floor.

"Stormchaser," Ratchet barked, his voice filled with alarm as he sprinted toward the source of the chaos.

The ground continued to tremble as they ran toward the commotion. The squeals and growls of the scraplets, mixed with the metallic shrieks of machines being torn apart, only grew louder as they approached the storm berth room. The very air seemed charged with tension, vibrating with the imminent danger.

By the time Ratchet burst into the storm berth room, his words were barely a whisper. "By the Allspark..." he murmured, horrified by what he saw.

The room was a scene of chaos. Everywhere he looked, scraplets were swarming—massive, relentless, and hungry. The battle for survival was just beginning.