I know this isn't the story that I was talking about doing, but I lost the plot bunny to do it, so I decided to write another one that I've been thinking about. And no, it's not a Mary-Sue! (I don't think…), but I think it's good.
Summary: Samantha Cross, the daughter of medical assistant Nina Cross of NEST Base, is the survivor of a terrible car accident that took the life of her mother when she was 8, caused by Sideways. Ratchet, having adopted the child, has to put up with her stubbornness that reminds him so much of her mother. Sam grew up, a rebel, never knowing the true reason behind her mother's death. But when a certain rogue Decepticon begins to search for her to finish what he started, will the truth begin to unravel, and will her guardian, Sunstreaker, be able to protect her?
Enjoy!
-10 years ago-
It was dark and rainy at NEST base. Ratchet and his medical assistant, Nina, were filing away patient charts. Nina had been Ratchet's assistant for six years. Nina was in her mid-thirties, but looked like she was in her twenties, with long, wavy brown hair and brown eyes. She was pretty, and to Ratchet, she was beautiful.
Nina is a single mother, her husband left after her daughter was born. Her eight year old daughter, Samantha, or Sam as she likes to be called, is a spitting image of her mother. Her straight brown hair reached a little past her shoulders and curl in towards her face so it framed beautifully. Her giant chestnut eyes added to the cuteness.
"Well," Nina let out a sigh, "I'd say that about does it." She put the remaining two charts in a file cabinet.
"I really wish you would reconsider your option of staying with us for tonight. It's getting late, and I'm not comfortable with you driving home in this weather." Ratchet triend to reason.
"Sorry, Ratch, but I have to get home. Besides, I don't have any extra clothes for Sam and you know how she is. She can't sleep anywhere unless she has her favorite teddy bear."
Another characteristic that Ratchet loved about Nina was that she was incredibly stubborn, which was a good thing and a bad thing; she never gave up on a patient, but she also had to win every argument, including with Optimus. He sighed, knowing she wasn't going to change her mind.
"Alright, just promise me that you'll be careful."
Nina did a two finger salute and smiled. "You got it, boss!" She and Ratchet laughed and proceeded to walk to the Med Bay doors.
When they reached the main hanger, she saw Optimus, both sets of twins, Bumblebee, and some soldiers. Sam was playing with the Lambo twins.
Sunny and Sides were her best friends since the day she could walk and talk, but Sunny seemed to be the closest to her, though he would never admit it. Sam was always excited to see the Autobots, but Sunstreaker was always the focus of discussion. Whenever they were on their way home, Nina would ask 'How was your day, sweetie?' and Sam would reply 'It was great, Mommy! Me and Sunny painted Ratchet pink while he was in recharge! It was funny, because when he woke up, he thought Sides did it!' It seemed whenever she and the twins were alone, Sunstreaker would his true colors, a sweet and caring mech, but in public, he would mask it with his super ego and 'I Hate Squishies' attitude, of course Nina saw through that.
Sam, Sunny, and Sides were on the ground and Sam was writing on a piece of paper with a crayon.
'Another prank most likely.' Nina guessed. Whenever it came to pranks, Sam was notorious for drawing out the plans and putting them into motion.
Sam looked up from her paper and saw her mother and Ratchet enter.
"Mommy!" Sam shrieked with glee. She got up and ran to Nina and Ratchet while the twins stood up and watched her. "Hi Mommy! Hi Daddy!" Ratchet smiled down at her. Ever since Sam could talk, she would sometimes call Ratchet 'Daddy'; but only when her mother was around. When she wasn't, she would just call him Ratchet, though he never understood why.
Nina knelt down to give her daughter a hug. "Ready to go, pumpkin?" she asked.
"Yep! Hang on a sec!" She ran back over to Sunny and Sides and gave them the crayon covered paper. "Hold onto this and we'll start the prank tomorrow." Sunny took the paper and grunted.
"Yea, Ironhide won't know what hit him!" Sides exclaimed.
"And what would that be, Sideswipe?" an irritated, gruff voice asked from behind him. Sides gulped and turned around to see a pissed off looking Ironhide.
"Oh, umm. Hehe, about that. Gotta go! Bye Sam!" Sides took off running out of the hanger with Ironhide chasing after him, cursing.
"Bye, Sides!" she called after him. She looked back to Sunny. "Bye, Sunny!"
"See you, kiddo." He gave her an awkward hug with one hand, the paper in the other. After the good-byes, she ran over to her mother, who was starting up her red Berlingo LX.
"Okay, mommy, I'm ready!" Sam opened the door and hopped in the front seat. Nina shut the door, buckled her seat belt, and gave one last good-bye honk as she headed out into the rainy weather.
Ratchet waited until her taillights were out of sight. He, then, turned away from the hanger entrance, uncertainty still edged in his spark, and started to walk to his Med Bay when he saw Optimus staring at Teletraan-1 grimly.
"What is it, Optimus?" Ratchet asked. Prime looked over to him.
"Teletraan-1 picked up a Decepticon signature. It's Sideways." He sighed. Ratchet stiffened, he knew all about Sideways. He was, by far, sicker, crueler, and more destructive than any other Decepticon. Megatron even deemed him as a rogue Decepticon and wanted nothing to do with him because he was a possible threat to him and his plans, plus he sought amusement in torturing the other Cons.
"Well, where's he at? We'll send a group out there to handel him." The pause in reply from Optimus was almost too much to handel, and Ratchet had a bad feeling. Prime let out a stressed sigh.
"He's heading towards the intersection of James and Berkley." (FYI- just made that up, don't know if it really exists!)
There was an eerie silence that strained in the room. Everyone had heard the news. There were mixed expressions between shocked and worried. Ratchet's frame shook with anger and fear. He bolted for the hanger door before anyone could say anything, he transformed and sped off, sirens blaring. No one made any move to stop him.
Sunstreaker stared after his vanishing lights, fear etched in his face.
"Sam." He whispered.
-With Sam and Nina-
Nina pulled up to the intersection of James and Berkley and stopped at a red light. There were no other cars around, but this light was taking forever to change. Nina took this time to fill the silence in the car.
"So, Sam, what prank are you and the twins planning on pulling on old Ironhide?" she smirked.
"I can't tell you, mom!" she yelped in surprise, "You have to wait until tomorrow to see it!"
Nina laughed. "Okay, okay!" The light turned green and Nina proceeded to drive straight.
Sam stared at her mother while she kept her eyes on the road and saw that she failed to notice a pair of blinding LD lights speeding towards them. Sam gasped.
"Mommy!" she screamed. Nina looked over through the window and barely had enough time to gasp.
The force of impact sent the car sliding sideways, ultimately doing three rolls before resting on its hood. Smoke poured off the car, glass everywhere, rain still pouring, everything was silent.
-With Ratchet-
The tracking device on Nina's car stopped at the intersection of James and Berkley, probably at a red light. Ratchet revved his engine and went faster; luckily no other cars were on the road.
He had placed the device on her car years ago without her knowing, because she would throw a fit if she did. Yes, he knew he was being over-protective, but he'd be damned if anything were to happen to Nina or Sam.
The little blinking dot that was Nina's car began to move again.
'Slaggit, Nina!' he cursed. He was almost there, just a few more miles.
Suddenly, the blinking dot disappeared. Ratchet slammed on his breaks, now he was sitting in the middle of the road, rain pelting on his hood.
Where did the signal go? Where were Nina and Sam? There should be no reason for the signal to just disappear, unless…
"No." he whispered. Tires squealed on the wet pavement and he took off.
-At James and Berkley-
Sirens and flashing lights pierced through the eerie darkness. Ratchet could see the many police cruisers and ambulances nearly two blocks away. His spark pulsed fiercely as he got closer. He stopped next to another ambulance, so he was at the scene, and his spark was ripped from his chest when he saw the red van on its hood, a mangled heap of metal and broken glass. He activated his holoform and moved closer to where the paramedics were working on getting the driver side door open.
When they got the door off, a few others rushed in with a gurney and other medical equiptment. He stood, frozen, as they dragged Nina's lifeless body from the wreck and put her on the gurney and loaded her in the back of an awaiting ambulance. Cops and Paramedics were shouting all over the place, but Ratchet tuned most of them out and listened to key statements.
"Get that woman to the hospital!"
"She's alive, but critical!"
"Hang on, we got another body!"
"She's not breathing!"
Ratchet's focus returned from the retreating ambulance carrying Nina to the wreck as they pulled Sam's body out of the car. The paramedics worked frantically to revive her.
Time seemed to move slowly and it was agonizing for Ratchet. He would die if anything happened to her. He couldn't hear anything, the shouts and sirens faded off into the background as he prayed to Primus for Sam to be okay, for some way to bring her back.
'Please…'
A loud gasp was heard and time sped back up again.
Sam was looking directly at flashlights that were shining in her face and worried strangers, but relieved, strangers; but didn't see her mother.
"Mommy!" she called out as she looked around frantically. She couldn't move, she was strapped to a gurney, she could only move her eyes.
Ratchet let out a long breath that he didn't know he was holding. He watched as they loaded Sam, one of the guys hit the back, and the ambulance drove off. Ratchet's holoform disappeared and he followed.
-A few months later-
At a cemetery, soldiers, the Autobots, and some other people were gathered around a casket, about to be put into the ground. In front, Sam stood, her head was wrapped up in a bandaged and she had a cast on her left arm; her face was expressionless. The preacher said his parting words and the casket was slowly being lowered into the ground.
People slowly began to disperse; the only ones left were the Autobots and Sam. Sam, of course would still live in her own home, with the company of one of the Bots until she was old enough. She felt a hand grip lightly on her shoulder and saw Ratchet's holoform staring sadly at the tombstone.
"Come on, Sam. It's time to go home." He sighed sadly.
Sam didn't say anything, she just stared off at nothing, having the feeling of being watched, when something caught her eye. Off in the distance, there was a path on the other side of some trees. She could've sworn she saw a gleam of silver speed off.
Maybe it was just her imagination.
Okay, what do you think? I've decided I like this story much more, but since I'm currently doing scholarship stuff before school is out, updating may be a little difficult.
BUT, I've gotten most of it done, I just have to wait until after February and it will be smooth sailing. Thanks!