Bug Crisis

"Take me with you!" Seeing Optimus Prime and Arcee about to leave the base to investigate the Arctic, Grimlock, who had been at the base for several days and couldn't roam freely without his vehicle mode, clung to the leader's leg armor and shouted, "I won't let go until you let me go!"

Looking at the Cybertronian lying on the ground, almost throwing a tantrum, the ambulance driver said wearily, "Let go of my hand."

"So you're letting me go?" Steel Fork was still clinging to the leader's leg armor, his upper body supported by the wings on the ground, looking excitedly at the ambulance.

"Go away, go away, go away." The ambulance rolled its eyes.

Given Steel Fork's recent good performance, staying quietly at the base and keeping it very clean, the Autobots unanimously agreed that Steel Fork could join the Autobot team.

Optimus Prime helped Grimlock up and said to her, "You can participate in this operation."

However, for Steel Fork, going to the Arctic is difficult, and leaving the Arctic is equally difficult.

"Look at this pit, it's big, round, and—deep. Let's quickly hide inside!"

In the icy, snowy landscape, howling winds whipped up snowflakes. The snowflakes raced through the air, stopping at any point they encountered a force field barrier, accumulating in the air along its shape to form a thick, hemispherical snow blanket. The ability shielded the Snowfield from the freezing temperatures, but continuous use would consume more energy than Steel Fork's reserves. Simply put, if Steel Fork kept using his ability, he would starve to death before freezing to death.

In order to hold out longer, long enough for the ambulance to respond to their calls for help, Steel Fork had to come up with another way to shield herself from the wind and snow so that she and her companions could get through the crisis safely.

She activated her powers, protecting herself, Optimus Prime, and Arcee from the blizzard while digging a large enough pit in the nearby ice wall. The three machines took shelter in the pit, and Grimlock was finally able to deactivate its powers to conserve energy. Arcee, Optimus Prime, and Grimlock stepped into the newly dug pit one by one.

To conserve some heat and keep the snow out, Fork immediately plugged the entrance with a thick layer of compacted snow. She tapped it with her finger and then pushed the snow wall slightly to make sure the snow "lid" wouldn't be easily blown away. She turned around and saw Optimus Prime and Arcee separated by a small distance, as if there was an "empty seat" reserved for her. Without hesitation and happily, she sat down between the two machines, snuggling close to Optimus Prime and hugging his waist.

"Feeling a little hot?" Steel Fork asked happily, her pair of wings flapping up and down. Her rising tone couldn't hide her good mood: "Isn't this hole nice? I made it! Hehe~"

Optimus Prime felt his back armor being pounded repeatedly, and his arm rose to make room for the other Cybertronian's movement. He gently placed his hand on the flailing wing, and sure enough, the wing stopped moving.

“This hole is really nice, thank you, Grimfork,” Optimus Prime continued. “I do feel warmer now, but what are you doing?”

“It’s about huddling together for warmth.” Steel Fork remembered the polar animals Raphael had shown her before. He had been particularly excited when he learned that the Autobots were going to the Arctic for a mission, and he had talked a lot about the polar regions. In Antarctica, penguins huddle together in the cold, icy wilderness to conserve heat and prevent themselves from freezing to death. The same principle should apply to the Cybertronians, right?

Optimus Prime probably understood where Grimfork's point of view came from. He said, "But huddling together for warmth doesn't really work for Cybertronians. Our internal power systems don't generate heat all the time. Besides, you should also be mindful of social distancing. Don't you think we're being too intimate by constantly hugging each other?"

"Then...should I let go?" Steel Fork was a little disappointed. The leader's waist armor felt good in her hands, and she didn't want to let go. She closed her optical goggles, tightened her arms tightly, and then resolutely released them, saying regretfully, "Then can we hug one last time?"

"sure."

The wings slapped against the back armor once more. Optimus Prime sighed, "Have you forgotten there's a Cybertronian right here?"

Arcee turned her head away from the two machines, "I won't... Ah—" Before she could finish speaking, she was scooped into Steel Fork's arms.

"Okay, okay." Arcee still tried her best to open her arms wide, hugging the two machines, one on each side, which were larger than her.

The three machines sat in a row, in the following order: Optimus Prime, Grimlock, and Arcee.

The wind was howling outside, and Steel Fork said, "How boring."

Arcee: "Let's play a game."

"Guess who messed up at the base this time?"

And so, the three of them chatted on and off.

Inside the base: A bug infestation is raging, ambulances are overwhelmed, screams echo through the partitions, and bumblebees are getting help from their human friends to swat off the bugs on their bodies.

"A partition? What kind of dark history does he have?!" Steel Fork was completely captivated by the story Arcee was telling. "Tell me! Please, Arcee-neechan~"

“When you get back, don’t mention it to anyone in the partition, and don’t say I told you,” Arcee said, seeing the third machine present. “And you, Optimus Prime. You can’t tell anyone either.”

"I absolutely will not tell anyone." He put his fork to his mouth and made a zipping motion.

Arcee stared at Optimus Prime, who had no choice but to do the same, zipping up his own zipper.

The leader of the Autobots solemnly promised, "Me too."

Just as Arcee was about to recount the partition's dark history, the land bridge opened. And as she spoke of the partition, the real partition limped out from within.

Fork burst through the snow wall and rushed out of the hole, shouting, "Block—have you come to get us?!" as she lunged forward for a hug. After becoming friends with the god-child Jack Raffi, Fork learned to surf the internet under their guidance. Then she learned to "hug" from a TV show, and incidentally, she now really likes it.

As soon as the bulkhead stepped off the land bridge, it lost its footing and collapsed to the ground. Steel Fork lunged forward and grabbed a swarm of Iron-Eating Insects. The shielding field activated reflexively, and the Iron-Eating Insects didn't manage to gnaw on any more iron filings. Using his ability, Steel Fork freed the Iron-Eating Insects from the bulkhead. He asked in confusion, "Where did these bugs come from?"

"Ancestor Launcher!"

Back at base, Steel Fork saw that several of his Autobot companions had numerous bite marks on their outer armor, the floor was littered with the corpses of Ironhide Bugs, and much of the equipment was damaged. Jack, the Divine Child, and Laffey were helping out under the direction of the ambulance. She volunteered:

"What's wrong? I'll fix it!"

"Are you sure you can handle it?" the ambulance asked dismissively.

“Of course, this is my specialty!” Steel Fork said proudly. She did these things every day when she was Shockwave’s assistant, and she was very familiar with them.

Watching the children examine the partition, the ambulance driver remarked with emotion, "It's fortunate that this accident happened on a Saturday."

"What about me? What about me?" Steel Fork, who was repairing the damaged circuit, looked up at the ambulance.

The ambulance stopped, then shouted with a smile, "The Autobots are so lucky to have you here. Did you hear me—"

"You're being too perfunctory!"