Here is the epilogue to "Fire and Ice"! I'm sorry if this feels a bit rushed abloo. But it's over 6k words, dammit, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH.

Warning for violence, of course.

With no one around, and a police car nowhere in sight, Tommy felt no reason why he couldn't break a couple laws. Sure, he was speeding; sure, he was driving like a drunk lunatic, but there was no danger out here, no risk of hurting anyone, and Tommy was confident (though more-so stupid) he was a good enough driver not to crash. So as he made his way through the desert on an empty street, driving fast and recklessly, he cranked down the windows, let in the cool morning breeze and blasted music enough to blow out his ear drums.

"The world is holding back, the time has come to galvanize," Tommy shrieked over the music, his singing anything but good. He pounded his hands to the beat on the steering wheel, clutched and gripped it, swerving just slightly left and right. "Don't hold back!" he continued "singing", now nodding-thrashing his head to the song. "If you think about it too much you may stumble trip up fall on your face," God, and with the wind blowing through his hair and his expensive, new shades on his face, he felt more free than ever, "don't hold ba - "

Tommy's singing broke into a loud scream of terror. He hadn't heard the honking and roaring of the 700 horsepower engine behind him over the music. All the sudden, a flash of blue and white charged past him, the wind its speed generated knocking against his van. Tommy cried as his car jerked to the side, nearly into the ditch; luckily, he regained control, pulling his vehicle back into the street. Tommy slammed on his brakes, asphalt hissing as his tires screeched to a stop, spitting up gravel and smoke.

When he looked up, sunglasses crooked and hair a mess, all he saw was the trail of exhaust left behind from whatever just went speeding like a bat out of Hell past him. He turned down the radio, hand shaking, other hand dialing on his cellphone. Tommy pressed the phone to his ear and breathed, "Yo, Vince. I think I saw a car that goes faster than your speed demon. And it didn't have no driver, either."

III

Mirage was pretty sure the Autobots would scold him for acting so reckless around the humans. But he had places to go, people to kill, and he had tried very politely to get past the swerving van by honking. They should respect him for not blowing out the kid's tires and at least attempting to remain covert. Still, Mirage was positive he hadn't ruined their precious covers; and, as he transformed behind the safety of the concealing mountains and hills, he doubt he'd be speaking to the Autobots again any time soon.

Mirage walked across the dirt and sand, examining his surroundings. He'd been on a planet like this before - nothing but rock and sand and dirt. Only difference were the lifeforms and the fact the hot planet had two suns that nearly killed his cooling system. Still, the breeze was refreshing, and the sun warm on his chassis. If he wasn't about to engage in battle, Mirage might have enjoyed a little sun bathing.

Nonetheless, he kept alert and on guard, noticing any change in the air, any increase or decrease of electric currents. He could smell something burning; to anyone else, it was hardly noticeable. But Mirage's olfactories were trained to pick up even the minute, faintest of changes. He equipped his sword just as the ground bridge swirled open ten feet in front of him. A moment later, Knock Out stepped out.

The Decepticon then gave a big, comical yawn and stretched his arms. "Oh, I was never quite a morning person," Knock Out mumbled and rubbed a small kink out of his neck. He smiled at the glowering blue mech. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting." Mirage said nothing; the Decepticon lowered his gaze to the sword. "Ah. Well. I see you don't waste time on the pleasantries."

"Draw your weapon," Mirage ordered. "As quick as I'd like this to be, I won't fight you unarmed."

"Such a sense of honor," Knock Out purred. "People would say that's a rare quality among Tower bots." Nonetheless, he withdrew his energon prod, its tip sparking. "But your experience as a 'bounty hunter' has humbled you, I see, while simultaneously giving you a ruthless edge. Which may, or may not, prove to be the cause of your demise."

Mirage silently pointed his sword at the Decepticon. He drew back a foot, assuming the sixte fencing position. He narrowed his optics and said, "En garde."

Knock Out wasted no time in charging, but quickly stepped back just as Mirage advanced. Their weapons clashed. A dance of sorts began, with blade and staff arguing and bouncing. Each attempting to overpower the other. So far, neither had an advantage, each watching the other closely to determine the next step. "Surprised?" Knock Out chortled, prod clashing. "Didn't think I'd be such a skilled fighter, did you? But then again, I could say the same for you."

Mirage grunted, blade screeching as it hit and slipped from the metal staff. Knock Out thrust his weapon forward, the prod's tip glitching with an electric shock. Mirage jumped back, missed a blow to the chest. He side-stepped, sword swinging toward the Decepticon's arm. Knock Out twisted around, but cursed as the blade managed to barely graze his armor, removing a few flecks of red paint.

"Did you train for this, Mirage? Or did you learn as you went along?" Knock Out jeered. He pushed Mirage's blade from off his staff. "I can imagine it must have been very hard for you. Before the war, you had little to no experience with fighting. All but your fencing skills, which back then, were mediocre at best." Knock Out grunted, sending another electric shock at the blue 'bot. Missed, and staff collided with the blade. "I see you've worked on your skills, heh heh."

Mirage managed to loosen Knock Out's grip. Nearly knocked the prod from his hands, but the Decepticon was quick. Got hold, swung arm back, pushing aside the driving blade. "You forget, I, too, once trained in the art of fencing, too," he said. He ran forward, swinging his weapon. Mirage grunted and dodged the blow. "We used to duel all the time, remember? Usually, I won." He grinned smugly, turned, shielded himself from Mirage's sword. "I never thought we'd have the chance to fight again. Too bad the outcome doesn't result in the loser buying the winner a cube of high grade." He shoved Mirage off, nearly onto the ground. "But this is hardly fair, don't you think? I'm not exactly using the proper weapon for a proper fencing match."

Just as Knock Out thought he had the advantage, Mirage quickly darted aside, missing the jolt of electricity. He slammed the butt of his sword grip against Knock Out's arm, successfully dislodging the prod from his clutches. Knock Out gasped and ducked, sword cutting through the air above his head; he reclaimed his weapon and swung around. Mirage jumped back; however, a few tendrils of the electric shock struck him in the chest, momentarily causing circuits to glitch. He recovered before the Decepticon rammed the sparking prod right into his face.

For a short period of time, neither landed any blows; their weapons continued to strike and hit only each other, targets unharmed. However, Mirage was quick to notice something he hadn't before. As they fought in circles, Knock Out was refusing to move too far. In fact, they had been fighting in the same space for the past ten, fifteen minutes. Mirage tested his theory, and focused on quick blows forcing Knock Out to move out of his supposed comfort zone. Sure enough, once they crossed that invisible line, Knock Out risked an opening to move back, successfully giving Mirage room to slice open his arm. The Decepticon shrieked before quickly gritting his teeth, ignoring the surge of pain and energon. He jumped forth, faster than ever.

It didn't take long for Mirage to realize what Knock Out was planning. It was good he caught on early before the initial surprise. He had just enough time to ready himself; Mirage quickly withdrew his blade, made it appear he was struggling, his chest heaving. Knock Out's grin was fleeting, and Mirage easily sensed the heat and smell of the ground bridge before it opened. Just as Breakdown emerged with his hammer up and ready to crush Mirage, the blue 'bot quickly dropped his weak act, slipped aside and grabbed onto one of the Decepticon's raised arms. Breakdown blinked, surprised at the smaller 'bot's speed; only a second, that was all Mirage needed, and he stood on Breakdown's shoulder, shoved a fist against the back of his neck. Two fingers thrust against exposed fuel lines, and as he jumped down, twist-turned. Mirage landed and quickly sprinted away, just as Breakdown groaned and fell to a loud heap on the ground.

"What the Pit!" Knock Out screeched, hands up. "Did you just kill my assistant!"

"Just used a little trick I picked up," Mirage snorted. He pointed to Breakdown, who was making noises skin to snoring. "He won't bother us for a while." He stood straight, sword still in one hand. Knock Out ground his denta, frustrated. "I couldn't decide if you chose to fight with me without your gun because you were waiting for something, or if you simply felt like it. I surmised it was a combination of both, as it gave room for you to brag." His sword folded neatly up into his arm; with a click-clak, his gun appeared in his other hand. "Your trap required me to remain in a certain position, under a figurative bull's eye, so your friend knew exactly when and where to ambush and take me out quickly."

"Drats. Foiled again!" Knock Out gave a big, exaggerated sigh. He lifted his gun. "But you're right. I was getting just a little bored." He fired first, Mirage quickly retaliating; both avoided the blows and quickly separated, finding shelter. They fired at one another as they ran, each missing, each too fast to be caught. Mirage dove behind a rock while Knock Out settled behind the curve of a mountain. "I hope you don't blame me for breaking the rules. I know I said it'd just be the two of us, but I can't help playing dirty. I'm a Decepticon, you know."

"You've always fought underhandedly. You say you won half those fencing matches with me, and the only reason why is because you cheated most of the time." Mirage stood, fired, hitting the mountainside. Knock Out stepped forward and shot back before returning to his hiding spot. The blast took a chunk out of the top of Mirage's rock, leaving him to squat on one knee. He peeked out every few seconds, waiting. "The Decepticons only made you worse."

"Do you really think so?" Knock Out giggled. "I mean, come on. You sound like you've always hated me. You know that's not true." He jumped out and fired, just as Mirage stood. Mirage rolled away from the blast, unable to return fire; left in the open, he quickly dove back behind the rock, missing another shot. He stuck out his arm and fired, but Knock Out had returned to his shelter. "We were so very close once. I don't believe your... affection for me was a ruse. You've always been so terrible at hiding your feelings."

"I was a fool to believe you could be a good person. I knew something was wrong with you from the start, but I thought you'd realize your wicked ways and change," Mirage scowled.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you. But I'm quite happy where I am right now. Though... Are you?"

Mirage frowned. Knock Out fired again, and Mirage jumped over his rock. A blast hit him in the shoulder but he ignored it, running forward. Another struck his forearm, close to his chest, if he had not suddenly swerved. Closer to Knock Out now, he turned his gun, fired; Knock Out howled as his gun flew from his burned, aching fingers. "I will confess that once I'm through with you, my mood should increase exponentially." Mirage aimed his gun at the Decepticon's wide-eyed face.

The look of shock disappeared, quickly replaced with a grin. Mirage nicked his shoulder as Knock Out moved aside, drawing out his gun. Just like the one used to disrupt Mirage's invisibility cloak. He fired; Mirage quickly threw up an arm to shield himself, but was hit nonetheless, thrown back onto the ground. "Oh, please, that was a pathetic attempt to protect yourself if I've ever seen one," the Decepticon giggled. He subspaced the disruptor gun, gathering his fallen weapon by his feet. "You're lucky I had enough material on me to make just one more of those babies. Anyway, I needed to make sure you wouldn't try and one-up me with that cloaking device of yours. You took out my back-up, I took out yours. How's that for being fair, 'Raj?"

Mirage narrowed his burning optics. "Don't..." He growled and climbed to his feet, Knock Out's gun following. He glared cold fury at his enemy. "... Ever. Call me that again."

Knock Out shrugged. "Suit yourself." He pulled the trigger, a blast of energy flying at Mirage. Mirage quickly dove and rolled along the ground, back onto a foot and knee. He equipped his sword, using it as both a shield from Knock Out's fire as well as batting away and cutting through the blasts. His blade was starting to weaken against the power, but it gave him enough time and room to collect his gun. He stood abruptly, sword cast aside and fired, hitting the Decepticon right in the kneecap. Knock Out cursed and tripped backward, falling against rocks; he braced one hand to the mountainside for balance, quick to return fire as Mirage charged at him.

Knock Out shot the gun from Mirage's hand, but before he could fire again, the blue mech pounced, tackling his waist. They fell to the ground and rolled, Knock Out's gun crushed beneath their weight during the scuffle. Knock Out grabbed Mirage by the throat, squeezed, before a knee met his groin and sent him whimpering up and off his opponent. "Low... blow..." the Decepticon groaned, one eye squinted.

Mirage stood and grabbed Knock Out by the feet. He yanked him up, into the air; circled once, twice, before throwing him with all his strength. Knock Out screamed as he went flying, before hitting the dirt with a thud, skipping the surface like a stone on water. Mirage ran after him, meant to kick the recovering Decepticon back down; with a snarl, Knock Out turned, grabbed Mirage's descending foot and twisted it. Mirage flipped and fell, landing on his hands and knee, quickly yanking his foot free. He thrust it back, but Knock Out ducked, scrambling back onto his feet. As he went to summon his energon prod, Mirage was suddenly face to face with him; an uppercut to the chin and Knock Out's head jerked back as he fell. Mirage grabbed him by arm, pulled him back and lodged a fist into his abdomen.

"One thing I do know about you, that has never, ever changed," Mirage breathed as Knock Out sputtered coolant against his chest, "you've always been terrible at hand to hand combat." He shoved Knock Out off of him. "You know why?" He took the Decepticon by the leg again, started to twist it; Knock Out's cries echoed in his audiols. "It's because you'd have to get those pretty little hands dirty."

Before Mirage could break his leg, Knock Out managed to grab his prod, shove it against Mirage's hand and electrocute him. The blue mech gasped and flew back; luckily, the blast was nowhere near as bad as the one before. His circuits swam and he couldn't see straight. A blur of red and then Knock Out was cackling above him, pinning Mirage to the ground. His auidol gave a snap as the prod stabbed the earth by his head, releasing a small electric surge. "I see a very big glaring error with you as well, Mirage," he gibed. "Though I'm going to let you figure out just where you go wrong."

Mirage struggled, but Knock Out held him down, the prod powering up for another blast. "I never did tell you how much I love your new look. The visor suits your rare yellow optics." He grinned. "Come to think of it, you've always been... different. Your yellow optics notwithstanding, but your natural ability to cloak yourself. And I think you've always felt a little lonely because of them." He squeezed fingers tightly around one of Mirage's wrists. "You know, most of your friends, as you like to call them, admired your little talents. But there were some who thought you unnatural and weird."

Mirage glared. "Funny, some of my friends thought you had the bad habit of talking too much and being insufferably annoying."

Knock Out guffawed. "I've always wanted to see what makes you tick. How your strange mutations came to be, how they work, and if I can use them for myself." He yanked the prod from the ground, raised it above his head. "I've torn apart so many creatures, Mirage. None with your powers. You're a very unique little freak." He placed the edge of the sparking prod to Mirage's face, lighting it up. "I even had the honor of dissecting recovered remains of your friend, Cliffjumper, hoping perhaps he might have the explanation." Mirage's optics widened. "I'm sure you told him. There wasn't much left of the Autobot, you know, but I got a little intel." He very lightly tapped the blue mech's cheek with his prod, releasing a small electric volt. "But you can rest assured, I found nothing. Your secret is safe."

Mirage was horrified, suddenly feeling sick. "I didn't kill him, mind you," Knock Out purred, "but oh, you should have seen what happened to him after the light went out of his spark." He giggled. "I was told it was quite a battle to finally kill off the poor thing once his body had been infused and manipulated by the dark energon." Mirage said nothing, just stared at Knock Out. Beyond him. "Ah, well. Our time is up." The prod charged up, ready to fire. "Byebye, 'Raj. Do say hello to our-"

Knock Out gasped; suddenly, Mirage was gone, disappearing in a flash. Knock Out sat back, only to have the prod yanked from his hand. Terrified, he watched as it was broken clean in half and thrown uselessly aside. "What the-!" Knock Out jumped to his feet, scampered back, looking all around him. "How did you- Your cloak was disabled!"

With a click, a small object fell to the ground beside Knock Out. He jumped back, looked down. It was a very tiny device, but he recognized it. A hand held shield generator. "It's useless now," Mirage's voice called from somewhere in front of the Decepticon. "I won't need it anymore."

"Oh, come on!" Knock Out whined, throwing up his hands. "Now you're just being unreasonable."

"I don't intend to fight you like this."

Knock Out whipped around, saw nothing. He swallowed.

"I want you to see my face when I kill you."

Knock Out froze, then slowly looked back from the corners of his optics; the air to his right rippled. He turned quickly, and suddenly, color poured off Mirage as he returned to visibility, face to face with the shocked Decepticon.

Knock Out growled as he was punched; he tumbled back, only for Mirage to punch him again. He swung a fist back, but Mirage ducked, took his arm and snapped his wrist broken. Knock Out howled, thrust his elbow back at the blue mech. Mirage moved around him, grabbed at one shoulder-tire and tore it clean off. Energon gushed forth, spraying him across the face and tainting the sand; Knock Out was too shocked to cry out, his intakes hitching as his tire and a chunk of armor were hefted over his head and onto the ground before him.

Mirage reached inside the wound, grabbed a few wires and yanked them free. Knock Out lost mobility in his left arm, suddenly turning numb and useless. He forced himself around, despite the risks, using his only hand to punch Mirage. It seemed to do nothing, or at least Mirage was very good at hiding the pain. Knock Out attempted to block a blow to the face, but failed; in the process, Mirage slammed his knuckles into his mid-section, uppercut him and finally let the Decepticon fall over.

Knock Out sat up weakly, spitting out dental plating. He could feel energon trickle down the side of his face. Mirage stalked toward him, fists at his sides stained with dripping lifefluid. The Decepticon gulped and scooted back. "N-Now, now, Mirage, l-let's talk this out," he insisted, trying to sound reasonable around his shaking, "I-I made some m-mistakes and I know y-you're hurting, but y-you can't let your a-anger get the b-best of-!"

Knock Out choked on his words as Mirage took his throat. Pressing down against vital pumps and fuel lines. He used his only working hand to pry at the fingers, practically hanging in the blue mech's grasp. "There is nothing left to say," Mirage said, his voice void of any mercy. He equipped his sword and placed its tip against the Decepticon's chest, right over his spark.

"Yoh... You can't... kill me..." Knock Out wheezed. He swallowed dryly, looked into Mirage's eyes. "You... You can't... It's not... We're... We're..." He took a gulp of air. "Mirage... please..." Coolant filled his optics as the energon flow ceased, and the blade pushed against his plating. "Brother, please!"

Something snapped inside Mirage then, something that cleared the clouds of rage from his mind. He blinked and stared into Knock Out's pleading, pale optics. As if he had been asleep, he realized his situation; one hand throttling Knock Out, the other pushing a sword between his chestplates. His spark skipped a beat, looking down at harmless and scared the red in his bloodied hands.

No better than he is will this make you happy will this solve anything brother please!

Mirage's breath hitched. His hand loosened around the Decepticon's throat. No, not a Decepticon - his brother. The only real family he ever had. The one who he trusted and loved the most in all the world, who turned both their city and Mirage's hope into ruins. The rage and the thirst for vengeance faded into the same uncertainty and confusion the moment he realized Knock Out had, indeed, been the one to destroy the towers. The same tender, pitiful love that once had him hack into the archives to remove Knock Out's name as a culprit in Crystal City's destruction; protecting him because back then, Mirage still loved him, still hoped he could save him. Now he was that mech again, that mech confused about everything, what to do, what to say, and Knock Out, he was here, after all those years of searching, he finally found his brother.

Knock Out stared up at Mirage, not breathing a word, remaining perfectly still. He could see the uncertainty in those yellow optics. "I..." Mirage gulped. The sword withdrew an inch. "Brother..." He blinked before once more staring firmly into Knock Out's eyes. Pleading, angry, sad, baffled, hurt. "Why? Why did you do it?"

Knock Out frowned sadly. "Because..." He closed his optics and took a deep breath. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Mirage..."

Mirage grunted as his sword was shoved aside and wrenched out of his hand. Knock Out punched him in the face, knocking him back. "Because, dear brother," he snickered, hoisting himself to his feet, "it was just so much fun."

Mirage sat up, shaking his head. He heard loud footfalls nearby and looked to his side. Breakdown was approaching the two, rubbing the side of his helm. "Wha' happened?" he grumbled tiredly.

"Ah, welcome back," Knock Out smirked, his partner shocked at his wounds, "and you're just in time." He pointed to Mirage. "I'm about to send my brother dear to the Well of Allsparks."

Breakdown blinked. "Brother?"

Knock Out shrugged with one arm. "It's complicated." He walked up to Breakdown, using him as a type of crutch. The two made their way for Mirage. "Don't try anything stupid." Knock Out equipped the cloaking disruptor, and Breakdown his gun. "You won't be able to shield yourself now, my dear. So why don't you just close your eyes, lay back and let me kill you nice and easy."

Mirage was stunned, his mind still whirling from earlier. "I'm not afraid," he said finally, sitting upright. "Do your worst."

"I'm afraid not," Knock Out chortled. The two Decepticons stopped in front of Mirage, grinning. "I need your body intact. Like I said, I've always wanted to find out what makes you and that cloak of yours tick." With a wave of his fingers, Breakdown lowered his gun, the barrel nuzzling Mirage's cheek. "Any last words?" Knock Out purred, leaning closer with a shit-eating grin on his bloody face.

"Geronima!"

Knock Out, Breakdown and Mirage looked up, surprised. Knock Out cursed when Arcee's foot slammed into his face, knocking him down. Breakdown looked at his partner then back, just as the second bridge opened. Bumblebee jumped on the giant Decepticon's face, beeping loudly. Arcee smirked, arm wound back. "'Geronimo'? I was close." Her fist bashed a large dent in Knock Out's forehead.

Breakdown cursed as he finally yanked the yellow Autobot off his face, throwing him down. Bumblebee landed on his feet, sprinted toward Mirage; he grabbed the shocked blue mech by the arm, yanked him aside and up onto his back, driving away just as Breakdown blasted the ground. Mirage only half-registered what 'Bee said but quickly grabbed his armor, suddenly riding on top of the yellow Camaro tearing through the battlefield and away from the fight.

Mirage looked back, Arcee surrounded by the two Decepticons. "Arcee...!" he gasped. He looked down. "Bumblebee, we can't leave-" Breakdown's cry caught his attention; when he glanced back, Bulkhead had the larger 'Con in a headlock, and Knock Out was running away from Optimus.

A second later, Mirage found himself on the ground; when he looked up, 'Bee was standing beside Ratchet. "How many times are we gonna have to save your reckless aft?" Ratchet snorted. He knelt, quickly laying out his medical tools. Mirage was speechless, alternating between watching Ratchet work on more dire repairs and the Autobots kicking Breakdown and Knock Out's asses. It didn't last long, the fight; obviously, they were outnumbered and Knock Out was also in need of repairs. Bulkhead chased the two into the ground bridge before it winked closed at his reaching hand.

"Ah, c'mon," Bulkhead whined. He slammed a fist in his hand. "I was just gettin' warmed up!"

"Save it for next time, big guy."

It wasn't long before the remaining Autobots gathered beside Mirage. "How is he?" Prime asked, looking to Ratchet.

"Still an idiot, I'm afraid."

"At least the idiot's still alive," Arcee snorted. She placed a hand on her hip, smiling at the wide-eyed mech. "You really need to stop underestimating us, 'Raj. We're a lot smarter than you think."

Mirage stared another moment. He looked from Arcee, to Bulkhead, then Bumblebee, Ratchet and finally, Optimus, staring down at him with concerned, but firm eyes. Mirage blinked and lowered his gaze, the medic sealing up a wound he had not even noticed on his leg. When he looked up again, Bulkhead leaned forward and whispered, "This is the part where you thank us."

Mirage was still dumbfounded in his shock. Everything had happened so fast. Finally, reality setting in, he looked to the Autobots and said quietly, "Thank you."

III

"Fracture to your knee joint, damage to your sensory circuitry, two sprockets blown, three nerve-stints snapped, four shattered digits, 3rd degree dermal burn - do you want me to continue?"

Mirage smirked. "No. I know what was broken and damaged thanks to the pain.

Ratchet snorted. "Well," he said and placed the datapad on the med-table's edge. "I've fixed you up to the best of my abilities, using the tools I have on hand. While you still may feel a few aches and pains, you're fit to leave the medbay." He scowled and folded his arms. "Now just because you've been obedient enough to stay here for the past few days, does not mean you're off bed rest. You won't be back to your usual smarmy self for another week, what with the mess you made with your chassis."

Mirage nodded. As he tried to sit, he was surprised to find Ratchet gently taking him by the elbow. Helping him. He smiled weakly before he sat up; Ratchet kept hold of him as the blue mech rubbed his head. "Dizzy? That's normal. You're going to feel a little dizzy for a few hours. Your equilibrium chip should adjust quickly."

"Hmm."

"Yes, hmm."

"Am I interrupting anything?"

Ratchet and Mirage looked to the door. Arcee smiled at them, stepping inside. "Your friend's just about to be discharged," the medic explained. He stood and approached Arcee, giving her a stern glare. "Try not to rustle him up, all right?" After that, he stepped outside, leaving the two alone.

Arcee chuckled then looked back at the blue mech. He dropped his gaze instantly. She said nothing as she walked up to him, but the smile on her face did falter a little. "... So," she said, leaning against the bed, "Knock Out's your brother."

Mirage said nothing for a moment. She waited. He nodded once.

"That explains a lot," Arcee murmured. "I knew your stupidity had to be over something more than money and fame."

Mirage chuckled. "I suppose so."

"What... happened. Between you two."

Mirage wasn't sure what to say. He looked at his fingers splayed in his lap, then closed his eyes, allowing himself to withdraw the walls. "Knock Out and I... We were once very close. We did most everything together. Just as two brothers would. We both trained in the art of fencing; we went on hunting trips usually every other week; we threw parties together... We were almost inseparable." He placed a hand over his chest, fingers slowly curling.

"However, in my spark, I knew... I knew there was something wrong with him. He was always getting into trouble, but I never thought... It would get as bad as it did. I usually bailed him out, and I think... I think the only reason he stuck by my side was to use me. I had more power than he did, more respect. I could save him from any sticky situation. And I think I realized this at some point before he turned to the Decepticons, but I refused to acknowledge it. But... I know now he's never loved me. Never even liked me. I think he's despised me since the day we were born; especially because of the strange mutation in coding we shared that gave only me the natural ability to cloak."

Arcee nodded. "So he was jealous, then."

"I suppose. But I just..." Mirage grit his teeth. "I should have known. When he took me to the gladiator pits-"

"Gladiator pits?"

"Yes," Mirage replied. "I wanted nothing to do with that nonsense, but he insisted I join him in watching a round. So we left Crystal City and ventured into the seedy, dirty town of Kaon. It wasn't dirty because I was some stuck-up Towers' bot, but... I knew there was something very wrong in Kaon. I knew something bad was happening, and it was only going to get worse. But... I went to watch the gladiator match." He shook his head.

"It was barbaric and disgusting. I wanted to leave, but Knock Out refused until the match was over. I've always been protective of him - which is why I deleted his tampering in the destruction of Crystal City from the archives - so I wasn't about to leave him alone in such a Primus forsaken Pithole. But just when I thought it was over, he snuck away from me; I was frantic, searching for him, running into all sorts of dangerous lowlifes who knew who I was and I wanted to curb-stomp my head into the ground." Mirage looked up at Arcee. "You know where I found him?"

"Where?"

"With the winner of that night's match," Mirage said, and took a deep breath, "gladiatorial champion, Megatronus."

Arcee twitched. "... I see."

"They'd been talking for some time now, and I noticed Knock Out was discussing the proper way to tend to wounds, and how best to avoid pain doing so," Mirage continued. "I think Megatronus gave him the inspiration to become a medic, but really, it was the desire to tear apart mechs without having to risk fighting them that did it. From then on, I barely saw him - his excuses were studies, and I did not question him, since I saw to his enrollment at Iacon Science Academy. But I knew he was... there. At the gladiator matches. In Kaon. Making new... friends. Striking up alliances. Letting the prospect of power and control and violence pollute his all ready dark mind."

Mirage bowed his head. "I saw all the warning signs, but I did nothing. Because even if he hated me, he was still my brother and I still loved him. I still hoped he would never cross that line." He smirked bitterly. "Then Crystal City was blown sky high. And when I found out Knock Out had been involved, I just... I couldn't believe it. For a long time, my search for Knock Out was just to-just to ask him why he did it. Back then, I might have spared and forgiven him. But time..." He met Arcee's optics. "Has a way of changing you. Whatever desire to help my brother turned into hatred the more I dwelt on what happened to me and to those who were killed and suffered from his lust for power. Any mercy I had died. But when I... When I saw him today, looking so broken and helpless, I remembered why I initially sought to find him... That he was my brother, and surely, we could fix things." He laughed. "I was so very, very naive. Cliffjumper helped me to realize the truth, however."

"I think I can understand where you're coming from, to some degree," Arcee reassured. She smiled crookedly. "It's not easy letting go. Not just anger, but love, too."

"Heh." Mirage sighed. "Suppose so. But now... I know where I stand. I got my answer, and I realize... I'm still weak, in a way. But I can change that."

"You can start by letting us help you," Arcee suggested.

Mirage smirked. "How'd I know you'd say that?"

"Because it's a good idea?" Arcee shrugged then, suddenly, punched him in the arm.

Mirage jolted. "Ow! What the Pit was that for!" he snarled.

"That," Arcee scowled, raising a hand as if to strike again. "Was for knocking me out." Instead, she placed it gently on his shoulder. "Now we're even." Mirage blinked then grinned. He just laughed, and she joined him. The laughter dying down, Arcee said softly, "Now that you've been discharged, there's somewhere I want to take you."

"Oh?" Mirage snorted. "Well. I guess." He heard the medic at the door, looked to Ratchet. Ratchet nodded at him, carrying something in one hand. Mirage looked back to Arcee and smiled. "There's just one last thing I gotta do..."

III

In the distance, the sun set behind the horizon in a pool of vibrant orange, red and yellow. The lights swallowed the desert land. It was silent, the winds gentle and cool, soaring along the valley. With its back to the sunset, the memorial mound stood peacefully on the cliff.

Arcee and Mirage drove to a halt some feet away. Arcee transformed first, followed by Mirage; he turned to her, and she smiled, looking back to the sunset. She took lead, and Mirage followed, still hesitant. Finally, the two stood side by side at the grave site, and Mirage looked down with a small ache in his chest.

"I didn't think I'd see you again..." Mirage murmured. "Cliffjumper."

With a frown, he glanced back at Arcee, who encouraged him with a little nod.

Mirage took a deep breath and turned again to Cliffjumper's grave. "I hope, after all this time, you've forgiven me. I never meant to hurt you. I... I'm so sorry..." He trailed off; a moment later, Arcee's hand was on his shoulder, a comforting presence and warmth. He smiled to her, nodded then looked back to the grave. "No, I... I think I know you've forgiven me. I think you understand now. I had been foolish, I know, but... I believe we've all done some stupid scrap. And... I think everything's... okay. Between us. Somehow, I just... Believe you're not mad anymore." He glimpsed back at Arcee, chuckling. "One of our mutual friends is helping me sort things out, so maybe one day I can stop being so angry, too."

Mirage stepped forward and knelt before the mound of rocks. He placed a hand at the top and felt a small rush through his spark. "I hope you can look over this world and cheer us on. You were always a loud scraphead, so I'm sure we might one day be able to hear it."

Arcee chortled. "Hey, now, don't upset him. He might send a thunderstorm instead."

"Yeah, yeah." Mirage patted the rocks. "Thank you, Cliff... For everything." He stood, slowly, facing the sunset, his optics glowing against the cool lights. "You know..." he said, a few moments later. Arcee tilted her head. "This planet does have a very lovely sunset."

Arcee smiled. "It does, doesn't it? Which is why I think we need to protect it."

"Yeah," Mirage agreed. He looked down, fingers gently touching the fresh Autobot insignia on his chest. "I like that idea, too."

END

A/N: Tommy is singing "Galvanize" by the Chemical Brothers.

I don't mean to imply KO cried because he was scared, but he was crying because, well, he was being choked lol.

The title of this fic is obviously in reference to KO representing fire and Mirage representing ice, as well as ice being compared to crystal. However, it draws inspiration from the poem by Robert Frost of the same name. Which claims the world will end in either fire and ice, and goes on to say both are equally destructive.