Chapter Text
"Okay, Boulder, Blades, Chase, I just got word that Optimus's Medic will be coming to inspect our medical bay later on today. We need to make sure everything is sterilized and is put where it belongs. Blades you can sterilize, and Chase will make sure you do it correctly. Right, Chase?" Heatwave told his team as all four members of Sigma 17 walked into the Training Center's medbay.
"Affirmative Heatwave," Chase told his leader, serious as ever.
"Are you kidding? I can-" Blades started to whine when an emergency call came through, the Burns family rushing down to the garage.
Chief Burns got on the coms and started relaying the information he was told. "A hiker is stranded on top of the mountain, and a minor rock slide happened that covered part of the road."
"But what about our inspection?" Boulder asked.
"We need Blades with us. can you clean up and sterilize the medbay by yourself, Chase?" Heatwave asked, already knowing the answer to his question.
"Yes, I will sterilize the medbay so Blades won't get in trouble," Chase answered, giving them a rare smile as he watched them all rush out of the medbay.
After the mission was over, Heatwave, Boulder, Blades, and all of the Burns family got called to the waiting room of the medbay by Optimus Prime himself.
Kade walked in front, turning around and smirking as he teased his siblings. “Bet this is another one of those lectures about keeping our gear clean. My guess? They’re gonna say I’m setting a bad example.”
Dani rolled her eyes. “You are always setting a bad example, no matter what you're doing.”
Cody laughed. “Maybe Optimus has a special mission for us. That would be awesome.”
Chief Burns gave a faint chuckle at his children’s chatter, though he stood with his usual strict posture. “Whatever this is, we’ll hear it soon enough.”
"Let's just hope Chase got the medbay cleaned and sterilized in time. That way it doesn't come down on you blades." Boulder told his friend.
“Hey, it's not my fault we all got called away on a mission this morning.” Blades cut in.
Heatwave gave a snort, arms folded. “Whatever it is, we’ll find out hopefully, before you get any more dumb ideas.”
The atmosphere was light.
Then they walked through the medbay waiting room doors.
Optimus Prime stood there as they all entered, filling the space. At once, the chatter died. The room seemed to shrink around them. His optics were dimmer than usual, his steps slower, heavier. Everyone could tell something was wrong.
He came to the front and looked over them all, his silence stretching until the tension was unbearable. Finally, his voice came, deep, steady, but carrying sorrow like a weight none of them had ever heard before.
“I hate to inform your team this way... but..”
Heatwave straightened, optics narrowing, his voice hard. “But what? Tell us?”
Optimus lowered his helm slightly. “Chase is dead.”
The words slammed into them like a physical blow.
No one moved. No one spoke.
The silence was crushing, suffocating. Their brains refused to process the meaning. Seconds felt like they lasted hours.
Heatwave’s vents rasped, his fists trembling.
“WHAT!” He yelled, his voice cracking. “HOW?! HE WAS FINE 3 HOURS AGO!”
Optimus held his gaze, voice low. “Chase’s spark was unstable. Fragile. However, it was undetectable; Chase himself was unaware. This morning, he suffered a massive spark attack. High Tide found him when he went to check on the progress of the medbay, but it was too late.”
Silence fell again, heavier, thicker.
Blades let out a strangled sound, covering his face with his servos as silent sobs shook his frame. Boulder wrapped both arms around him, pulling him close, his own optics leaking tears that streaked down his face. They clung to each other like lifelines.
The Burns family sat stricken.
Chief Burns pressed a hand over his eyes, his strong shoulders trembling as tears escaped despite his effort to contain them. He glanced over at his children. Dani bent forward, elbows on her knees, tears slipping freely down her face as she shook her head in disbelief. Graham stared blankly at the floor, glasses dangling from one hand, his vision blurred with tears he couldn’t fight. Cody curled into himself, small hands gripping his knees, his chest heaving as quiet sobs wracked his body. Kade slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands, his broad shoulders shaking.
They didn’t yell. They didn’t scream.
They cried in silence, the kind of silence that said more than words ever could.
Heatwave stood rigid, every line of him trembling, before he turned suddenly and stormed from the room. His footsteps pounded down the hall, and moments later, his scream echoed through the building, a raw, deep howl of anguish that made everyone flinch, made Boulder and Blades hold each other tighter, made Cody cling to Graham as if he’d disappear too.
Optimus bowed his head, the sound tearing through even his ancient spark. “I will attend to Heatwave,” he said softly to no one in particular and turned, leaving them to their grief.
The door hissed shut, and the silence returned.
For a long while, no one moved. Only tears fell.
Finally, Dani whispered through her sobs, “I don’t understand. How could something like that… stay hidden? He didn’t even know.”
Chief Burns lowered his hand from his face, his voice rough but steady. “Chase was dedicated beyond measure. He gave his all to this team, to this island, never holding back, never complaining. He kept us steady, grounded. He was… family.”
Kade let out a broken laugh that turned into a sob. “I just don't understand. He was fine this morning. I guess it all happened so fast.”
Cody looked up, his tear-streaked face crumpling. “When he first came, he promised he’d always stay, that he would never leave. He-he wouldn’t break a promise.”
The family fell silent again, their quiet grief joining the soft sounds of Boulder and Blades sobbing into each other across the room.
Chief Burns finally spoke, voice low and firm, though it trembled. “We’ll never forget him. Chase will always be part of this team.”
"This Family?" Cody asked, turning to his dad. Getting a nod from his father.
They leaned into one another, for support, for comfort, humans and Bots alike.
And outside the room, Heatwave’s cries still echoed faintly, a reminder of the teammate they would never have standing by their side again.