"Hey Lumber follow me!"

Lumber lifted his head and his optics flickered. He stood at the entrance of an old Cybertronian factor that had been shut down long ago. Now it was just a building with a lot of fun things to climb on.

"I'm not sure Cobalt," argued Lumber as he hung back, whimpering a bit in fear.

Cobalt turned and bolted to Lumber, rubbing his spikes against Lumber's flank. "Come on," he chided. "You're not a scared scaredspark, are you?"

"Of course not," growled Lumber as he turned his muzzle in the air in defiance.

"Then come on," barked Cobalt as he pushed his head against his brother's shoulder, nearly pushing him down. "It's just an old factory. Nothing even works anymore."

"That doesn't mean it's an invitation for us to go in," pointed out Lumber as he braced his shoulders. "I don't want to get into any trouble."

"You won't," vowed Cobalt with a dip of his head. "Not as so long as you're with me."

Lumber smiled a bit before Cobalt darted in with his brother following. The pair strode through and gasped in shock at all of the broken down assembly lines and exposed wiring everywhere. "This is amazing," breathed Cobalt as he wiggled his haunches.

Lumber's optics flickered in shock as Cobalt leaped onto a conveyer belt and bolted up it. Lumber leaped beside him but he was much smaller than him and he fell easily. Cobalt turned and nudged him to his paws. "Don't worry, we'll make it up there together." Cobalt lifted a paw and pointed toward a gap in the ceiling.

"All the way up there," Lumber whimpered with half closed eyes. "I don't think I can make it."

"Sure you can," barked Cobalt as he nudged him forward. "I'll help you. Start walking and I'll be right behind you."

"O-Okay," stammered Lumber as he extended his stubby excuses for claws and sunk them into the belt. He hauled himself up with Cobalt easily treading right behind him. Every time Lumber slipped Cobalt pushed his head against his hind leg to push him upward. He regained his balance and hauled himself upward. They finally reached it to the top and Lumber looked on in awe at all of the belts and chutes that used to work.

"It's cool, isn't it," breathed Cobalt as he leaped beside him.

"Yeah," yipped Lumber. "Thank you so much for bringing me here Cobalt!"

Cobalt shrugged. "No problem. Now don't forget the funniest part," he barked as he motioned to a chute. Lumber gulped before Cobalt pushed him and Lumber yowled as he spiraled down the chute, tumbling head over servos.

Cobalt leaped after him, staying on his paws. He leaped over his brother and wagged his tail as he skidded to a halt at the bottom. Lumber came rolling down and Cobalt stopped him before he could land on the hard ground. Lumber yelped as Cobalt eased him down.

"I thought you were going to let me fall," whimpered Lumber with widening optics.

"Of course not," argued Cobalt as he touched his muzzle to Lumber's shoulder to reassure him. "I'm your brother. I would never let anything happen to you. Would you ever let anything happen to me?"

Lumber looked into Cobalt's optics and shook his head vigorously. "Never! Brothers stick together, right?"

Cobalt stuck out his paw and shook Lumber's paw. "All the time. We help each other and learn from each other. We will never be enemies."

"Yeah never," assured Lumber as he pushed against his brother's flank and rumbled. "We're going to be friends forever, right?"

Cobalt looked at his brother and touched his servo to his. "Yeah forever!"

Lumber yipped excitingly in pleasure as he pushed his brother playfully. He could never push Cobalt over but he always liked to try. "Come on let's do it again," Lumber urged as he leaped back on the conveyor belt.

Cobalt wagged his tail in agreement. "Okay I'm coming," he barked as I leaped back on the belt and helped his brother up. Lumber shook his body and extended his claws, ready to climb. He sunk his claws into the belt and tried to haul himself up but he wasn't strong enough. Cobalt pushed him up again and if he slipped he would always be right beside him.

When they reached the top Cobalt gingerly pushed his brother down the chute. He howled in glee before Cobalt followed. He let Lumber go first this time and he leaped off of the chute when he got to the bottom. Lumber yipped in excitement and he shook his head to clear it from all of the bouncing around he did in the chute. His optics glowed. "Again! Again!"

"Okay," barked Cobalt as he dusted some soot from Lumber's flank. "Just be careful, alright?"

"You don't have to worry about me," argued Lumber as he bunched his shoulders and leaped. "I'm the smart one!"

"Really," inquired Cobalt as he steered Lumber back toward the conveyor belt before he steered him toward a different direction. Lumber looked to a different, steeper and more windy conveyor belt. "Let's do this one."

Lumber's optics widened in shock and he ducked behind Cobalt. "No way," he argued as he lashed his tail. "I can't make it up there. I can't even make it up the other one."

"Don't worry," assured Cobalt as he nudged his brother gingerly. "I'll help you."

Lumber sighed and leaped onto a table. He yelped since he couldn't haul himself up and he began slipping. Cobalt leaped onto the table easily and sunk his fangs gingerly into his brother's shoulder. He hauled him up and let him go. Lumber panted madly and looked up at his brother, embarrassment showing in his optics.

"Why am I so weak," asked Lumber as he turned his head away from his brother in shame.

"You aren't weak," argued Cobalt as he urged his brother to look at him.

"Yes I am," pressed Lumber as he hauled himself to his paws. "I need help with everything. You don't ever need help."

Cobalt smiled a bit. "I may not need help right now but I will one day," he told his brother gently. "One day I'm sure I'll need help and you'll be there to help me, right? Since I'm helping you now."

Lumber wagged his tail, feeling a bit better. "Yeah and I'll be there to help you." He leaped onto Cobalt's shoulders and tried to weigh him down. Cobalt thrust his shoulder backwards and he rolled into the back of the conveyor belt. He chuckled and Lumber rose to his paws heavily.

"I'm sure you will be. However until then you just need to practice a bit and you'll get stronger. If you'd like I could help you," Cobalt offered as he nudged Lumber toward the belt.

"Yeah that'd be great," growled Lumber as he got a bit of a running start and leaped for it. He sunk his claws into it and hauled himself up, his body aching. Cobalt gave him the final push over the first hump and he looked over his shoulder, smiling to his brother.

"You coming slowspark," asked Lumber in amusement as he winked at him.

"Oh we're doing that now," rumbled Cobalt mischievously as he bunched his muscles and leaped easily over the first hump and charged up beside Lumber. He made sure he was still partly behind him in case he needed to catch his brother if he tripped or lost his balance. He also wanted to make his brother feel like he beat him for real.

Lumber looked over his shoulder. "Keep up," he yowled since Cobalt had fallen a bit behind since the belt had gotten too thin for them both to be right behind each other on the conveyor belt. Suddenly his paw became tangled in the belt. He lowered in shock and his hind legs fell from the belt. He held onto the belt with his front servos. He was almost to the top of the conveyor belt and toward the top of a building. A fall could be deadly. "Cobalt."

Cobalt surged forward, tearing at the belt in the process with his massive claws. He skidded to a halt at his brother and grasped Lumber's paws in his own. He hauled Lumber up and nudged him toward the belt. "Go down before this collapses."

Lumber forced a nod and bounded down the belt. Cobalt looked at the gashes he had made and realized it wouldn't hold his weight. He realized that the chute was his only option. He turned and bounded toward the chute, leaping through.

He yowled as he plunged straight down. He landed harshly in a pile of soot and ash. He coughed as he spat out the ash. "Cobalt, are you alright?"

Cobalt turned his head and saw Lumber rushing toward him. He halted, his optics widening in shock. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," gasped Lumber as he shook in shock.

"It's alright," assured Cobalt although secretly he was a little shaken up. "Everyone is alright."

Lumber didn't look so sure. He whimpered and Cobalt stretched out a servo to reassure him. "Everything is alright, I promise. No one got hurt."

Lumber nodded slowly. "You saved my life."

"Of course I did," barked Cobalt as he rubbed his head against his brother's shoulder in comfort. "You are my little brother and it's my job to protect you."

"Will you always be there for me," asked Lumber as he looked up with unblinking optics.

Cobalt smiled. "Yes I will. Will you always be there for me?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lumber let out a screech and sat upright. He looked around and realized that Optimus had drifted off into a light recharge. He shook his head to clear it and pawed at his head. He didn't want to wake anyone but he certainly didn't want to recharge again, not after the nightmare.

To his dismay Optimus stirred. He turned to look at Lumber with exhaustion showing in his optics.

"I'm sorry," gasped Lumber, still shaking from his dream or nightmare or whatever it was. "It was just a dream."

"Something tells me it wasn't," murmured Optimus as he readjusted himself in a more comfortable position.

Lumber shook his head a bit. "Just a very old memory of Cobalt and I." He sighed and sat a bit closer to Optimus. "We are brothers after all."

Optimus nodded slightly. "Believe it or not I was once very close to Megatron."

"The leader of the Decepticons," echoed Lumber in shock as he shook his head. "I mean I was once close to Cobalt but I like to think that I'm not a murder and a liar."

"He wasn't always like that," Optimus argued. "It wasn't until corruption and a hunger for power took him over that he turned into the Decepticon leader he is today."

Lumber nodded slowly. "I believe you or at least if you say so. I've only known him the way he is now. He's a lot different leader than you."

"I hope that's a good thing," sighed Optimus as he looked out to where it was still raining. "I hope it's not late."

Lumber looked out. His dream or more a flashback had more than confirmed that Cobalt had always been there for him and how had Lumber repaid him, by killing him. He shook his head. "Me too and you will never understand how much."