A/N: So, after so many chapters of The Long Road to Happily Ever After, I needed a break, a hiatus. So for a break/hiatus, I have decided to write this shorter story as a break. I hope you'll all enjoy! :D
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers. I only own Michael and any other OCs that may appear.
Pairings: Mentions of OptimusxElita, IronhidexChromia
...
PROLOGUE
The worst casualties were always the ones that never saw their demise coming.
Optimus Prime had promised himself the humans would not be caught in their crossfire. He had sworn that they would fight their battles away from the alien populace of the planet Earth. Yet, even then, he could not have foreseen that one of their homes would have been so far out from civilization. A single home, what he understood to be a log cabin, now reduced to a pile of logs and dark smoke. The powerful leader frowned beneath his face plates and took in the sight, Starscream had gone out of his way to attack the home, most likely to torment Optimus and remind him of a simple fact...
He couldn't save every human. Not even with their secret being kept so tightly bound.
A hand moved towards his shoulder, as he turned carefully to his second-in-command, Prowl. The tall white and black mech frowned at him, his own optics softening. "Optimus, given the circumstances..." Prowl paused a moment "We should allow the occupants a proper burial." He explained calmly, scanning over the decimated remains "There are three signatures in there, none are moving. But given their customs-." He began.
"Given their customs, we should leave them to be found." Ironhide quipped from behind.
Optimus said nothing, finding himself at a loss for proper words. He shook his head slowly, turning his head away from the rubble to face Prowl. "Ironhide speaks the truth. We do not know the customs through which they burry their dead." Optimus vented out air quietly "It is best that we leave for The Ark. Nothing, and no one-." He began.
His words were interrupted by a loud wail. At first, Optimus wondered if he had been hearing things. After all, the small home had never stood a chance, and neither had its occupants. Certainly, they were all... Another cry pulled him from his thoughts. "I'll be slagged." Prowl muttered "I'm getting a living signature. It looked gone at first, but..." He paused a moment "Does that sound like a sparkling to anyone else?"
"Baby." Ironhide corrected "The human beings call their youngin's babies."
Optimus simply held up a hand to silence them both, activating his holoform after a moment. Though the solid, energy created form had been created to fool the humans, he no less knew he could not approach the infant as a metal giant. Carefully, his holoform approached the home, searching out the sound of the cries. Pushing past log after log, he eventually found the source. A woman, very much dead, but her body curled carefully around a form, protecting it even in death as it wailed.
It was most definitely a human infant, and very much alive. "There, there little one." Optimus spoke tenderly, as he removed the infant from his dead mother's arms and into his holoform's own "It's alright... Please, do not cry." The infant seemed to calm at the holoform's warm touch, and amber eyes carefully stared up into the holoform's own blue ones "I've gotcha now. You're safe." He explained.
The sound of both Prowl and Ironhide's own holoforms approaching grabbed his attention. Ironhide was the first to step forward for a closer look, his eyes widening in surprise. "Ah've never seen one so up close before." Ironhide stated calmly "Do ye suppose it's hurt in any way?" He questioned.
"A trip to Ratchet should answer that." Optimus replied calmly.
Prowl immediately gawked at his leader, staring at him. "We're not actually taking it back to the Ark are we?" Prowl asked carefully "Have you any idea what a breach of security that would be? Red Alert would have a field day!" Optimus did not waver "Prime-."
"We can't just leave it here t'die." Ironhide spoke calmly "It's a helpless infant. If starvation doesn't kill it, then some animal will." He turned to Prowl "We ain't murderers Prowl. But if we leave it to the elements, we will be." Prowl couldn't argue with that "C'mon, hand it ova to me. Ah'll take it up ahead to The Ark while y'all get a comm to Ratchet."
Optimus moved to hand the young infant over, yet felt it's grip tighten to him. The leader stared down, noticing as the human's already large eyes bugged out, and its lower lip quivered. Frowning a bit, he shook his head. "I think it'll wail if it's moved around." Optimus replied honestly "You two comm Ratchet, and I will take it back to the Ark." He paused a moment "Be sure to send an anonymous frequency to authorities about the casualties."
"Will do." Ironhide spoke "Careful Prime, I hear they're known to purge everywhere."
Optimus heeded his old friend's warning, yet only brought the young infant back to his waiting truck form. They could settle things once they returned to The Ark, but for now, it was the safest place for the small creature. All he could hope was that he was indeed making the right choice by bring it it back to base.
...
"Looks like we have a male here." Ratchet spoke slowly "Relatively of average weight and height for his age. Which is relatively five months." He stared up at his leader slowly, eyeing him carefully with an optic "You say the boy survived an entire home collapsing?" Optimus nodded his head slowly "Primus almighty..."
"It seemed that his carrier shielded him with her body." Optimus noted.
The two giant robots stared down at the young infant boy carefully. Currently, he sat on a medical berth, preoccupied with playing around with the sheets on top. Ratchet shook his head slowly, turning to Optimus. "We can't bring him to an orphanage." Optimus turned his head slowly to his medic "Face it Prime. If an infant is missing from a scene like that, and we bring him in. They're going to ask questions." He explained.
Optimus's optic ridge furrowed at that, though he knew his old friend was right. And at the moment, they were doing the best they could not to reveal themselves to the human populace. A feat that had now been ended by a little creature no bigger than the tip of his finger. "That's what I fear as well. But abandoning him after a traumatic event is not the answer either." He explained.
The leader carefully approached the human, holding out a finger to him. The small creature examined it a moment before clutching it, and giggling up at the Autobot leader. Ratchet immediately tensed, knowing full well what his leader was about to suggest. "Prime, he's a native." Ratchet spoke up calmly "We can't simply take him like we did Bumblebee." He explained.
"And why not?" Optimus questioned "I seem to remember the circumstances were very similar."
"He's a different species entirely!" Ratchet huffed "Do you realize how much care they take? We'd have to feed him, clothe him, take him out for exercise." He shook his head.
"He's not an animal Ratchet. He is a sentient being."
Ratchet shook his head. "Regardless!" Ratchet explained "He'll grow up like Bumblebee did. He'll have questions, ones that we won't have the answer to. We don't even know his name for Primus's sake!" Optimus turned his head, his optics lowering "If we take him, Prime, we're inviting trouble. Adoption documents from this planet will need to be forged. All the nutrients we'll have to get-."
"It was our war that orphaned him, Ratchet." Optimus spoke up "And that took his creators." Ratchet fell silent at that "Do we not owe it to the first casualties of this planet to take responsibility? Had we not found him, he would have died." He explained "You have forged documents here for us before. Would it not be just as easy for you to forge those for a legal adoption?" He questioned.
"Yeah, and who'll be the adoptive "creators"?" Ratchet questioned.
Optimus stared at the young human, the amber eyes staring wide at him again. The boy carefully examined the wiring in Optimus's plating. Underneath his face mask, the leader smiled. "I shall raise him as my own." Optmus replied calmly "I raised Bumblebee when we found him. I will do the same for this little one." He turned to Ratchet slowly "I will take responsibility for my actions today." He explained.
Ratchet stared at his leader for a long, hard moment. He wasn't sure what to make of the thought, on one hand he knew it was insanity. Yet on the other, he knew that once Optimus set his mind on something it was hard to get him to relent. "Primus help us, this is a bad idea." Ratchet groaned "We'll need to go and get his supplies tonight. We need so many things, Optimus. Do you realize how much "authentic currencies" we'll have to print out?" He questioned.
"Get Hound and the twins on both right away." Optimus spoke calmly.
Ratchet rubbed the back of his helm, staring down at the infant that had stolen his leader's spark. For a moment, he wanted to say no, yet the amber eyes found his optics too. He hated to admit it, but the human infants were cute, they had a way of getting to you. And he was no exception. "I'll need a couple of days to forge and place the documents in the proper places." Ratchet shook his head "But we can get someone on the rest right away." He tilted his head slowly "He'll still need a name though. We can't just call him "the baby"."
Optimus quietly scanned over the many human male names that he had heard in his time on Earth. Slowly, he rubbed the top of the infant's head and spoke. "Henceforth, this little one will be known as Michael James Pax." Optimus spoke calmly "Let that be known to all on base, make them aware of our new guest." He spoke up.
Ratchet could only stare at Optimus a moment, knowing there truly was no going back now once he was named. With a quiet nod, he turned to do as he was told, albeit muttering about how "bad" of an idea it was as he went. Optimus only smiled as Michael stared at his newfound caretaker - and father - with a smile of his own.
Inside, Optimus knew that the boy was in for a crazy, and adventurous life.
...
A/N: Whew! Well that's the prologue. I hope everyone enjoyed it! :)