A Spark of Life

SUMMARY: When Barricade tries to get rid of Sam, he doesn't realise that Sam's contact with the AllSpark has left him an important legacy-a second chance at life.

RATING: T/PG13 for mild bloody descriptions

WARNING: Character 'death' (but not for long)

PAIRINGS: Implied BeexSam if your mind works that way.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Transformers in any way, shape, or form. Hasbro and Dreamworks do. Period.

A/N: For my purposes, the AllSpark had some sort of life and sentience of it's own.

Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes grinned at each other as they plunged their sponges into their buckets of hot soapy water. One working on one side and one on the other, they began washing Sam's Chevy Camaro, from the bumper and headlights back. Using firm, strong strokes, the motion was half-sweeping cleaning motion, half-caress.

The car let out an engine purr that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. Sam and Mikaela grinned, for they knew that it was a sigh. Sam's Chevy Camaro was also a sentient alien robot, The car mode was just its way of blending in. People would have been scared of him in bipedal mode even without the events of Mission City earlier. After the battle in Mission City-images of which had been beamed around the world-people would have been even more nervous.

If there was one thing Bumblebee liked more than being washed by Sam and Mikaela, it was being washed by Sam on his own. Somehow, Bumblebee reflected, it was more personal, more intimate, more one-on-one affection when just Sam did it. However, he enjoyed it when Mikaela was involved too, for she seemed to know just the right places to wash where grit and dirt got in which Sam sometimes missed.

The two worked together, conversing with each other and with Bumblebee as they washed their Autobot friend. Once they had finished, Sam took the buckets of dirty soapy water over to a drain at the other side of the road. As Sam poured the second bucket down the drain, he heard a car engine, at first faint, then getting closer. It had stopped near the end of the road for some reason, he could head its engine still running. Ah well, it was probably picking someone up. As he turned to cross the road again, he heard the car suddenly rev it's engines. He turned towards the sound, and froze.

It was that badass cop car-Barricade, he thought Bumblebee had called it-and it was heading towards him at a speed well over the legal limit. Belatedly he realised that he ought to move, but as he trued to dodge out of the way, Barricade altered its course to keep coming for him. He heard Mikaela scream, heard Bumblebee call out "SAM!" He heard Bumblebee's engine rev, and maybe if he'd continued running for his drive, he might have made it. However, Sam altered his course, trying to double back to the other side of the street, but Barricade was highly manoeuvrable and altered course immediately.

All this took only a second or two, and as Sam dodged back to the far side of the street he realised his mistake. Then there was no more time to think as Barricade's bumper slammed into his legs.

The speed Barricade was going at threw Sam into the air to land on Barricade's roof. Sam let out an agonised cry, which was cut off as he landed on it hard, rolled, and fell off onto the other side, face-down, lying still. Barricade slid round, tyres squealing, laying rubber on the road, obviously planning to come back and make sure of the job. By then, however, Bumblebee had reversed out of the drive and was transforming, standing between Barricade and his injured charge.

"SAM!" This from his mother, Judy Witwicky, for the screams and auto sounds coming from just outside their house had alerted the parents. As Bumblebee finished his transformation, Judy and Ron ran over to where their son lay prone in a growing pool of his own blood.

In the meantime, Barricade realised he wasn't going to get another chance at Sam, and reversed, turning and speeding off. Bumblebee looked all sat to follow, but Mikaela said "Bumblebee! Can you scan Sam? I've called an ambulance, but it might be useful to be able to tell them his injuries."

Bumblebee did so. "Bruising and leakage from both inside and out of his body. Multiple bone breakage, again all over his body." He struggled to remember some of the other things that Ratchet had said were important to human systems. "Blood pressure dropping, brain activity slowing, heart beating erratically…" He tailed off as Judy let out a wail.

"He's dying!"

Sam was unaware of little else other than pain. It was too painful to move, every breath felt as if he were inhaling flames, even his eyes hurt too much to move. He could hear the voices of his friends and family, but could not make sense of their words for some reason. Their words faded further, and Sam had some idea that he wasn't going to survive this.

Then, as the voices faded out, a new voice, one that seemed to be inside his head, was heard, and this, if he concentrated hard enough, he thought he could understand.

Sam concentrated on listening, not even feeling his body being lifted from the ground.

Bumblebee tenderly gathered up Sam's body, whining as he felt all the bones moving in places they should not. He carefully rolled him onto his back, face-up. His face was deathly pale, and he was bleeding from his ears and nose.

"I failed you…." Bumblebee cried. "I was supposed to be your guardian…to guard you against the Decepticons…and I failed you." He whined again, closing his optics and turning his face to the sky, not caring who saw him or heard him.

Mikaela moved to cuddle his leg.

"Bumblebee, no-one could have predicted that this would happen at this time on this day. You did the best you could. No-one expects more of you."

"It wasn't enough!" cried Bumblebee. "I did my best, but it wasn't enough!"

Sam listened to the voice, which was neither male or female, human or Cybertronian.

'You spelled my death, but I know why.' the voice said.

'What?' Sam thought

'I would have done the same had you been me and I been you.' the voice said.

'I don't understand.' Sam thought, for that seemed to be how he was talking to this-whatever it was.

'You gave me death, but I give you life. Through your life, I can live again.' it said. 'I can hide in you.'

'Who are you?' thought Sam

'I am-what you called AllSpark.' said the voice. Then before Sam could ask any more questions, it felt like a huge jolt run through his body, and for a short time, he was aware of nothing else.

Sam suddenly began to shake hard in Bumblebee's body. Bumblebee's fingers closed reflexively over him, for he was scared that Sam would shake himself out of Bumblebee's grasp.

An ambulance came up, sirens blaring, lights flashing. Two paramedics got out, staring at Bumblebee.

"Well, don't just stand there, do something!" Mikaela snapped.

"How can we when he's up there in the hands of that-thing!" said one of the bearers.

"His name is Bumblebee and he's not a thing!" said Mikaela. Perhaps you could just ask him to put Sam onto the stretcher?"

"Wait, Mikaela, something's happening!" said Bumblebee.

"Like what?" asked Mikaela, who had noticed Sam's convulsions becoming less pronounced. She saw Bumblebee scan Sam, and then scan him again.

"Mikaela-he is getting metal in his body, and his bones are being put back together by it!"

"What?" asked Mikaela. Bumblebee scanned him again.

"Heartbeat increasing, brain function increasing, blood loss slowing, bones being mended by this metal!"

"Judging by the amount of blood on the road here and on the hands of-Bumblebee?-he needs a blood transfusion to be even in with the slightest chance of survival!" said one of the paramedics. "Bumblebee, put him on here; we might be able to save him!" he said, indicating the stretcher.

Bumblebee stooped, gently laying Sam on the stretcher, and the two attendants wheeled it into the back of the ambulance.

"Do you have a car?" asked one of them. "I can take two humans, but the other will have to come to the hospital by another way."

Judy and Ron looked at each other.

"We're going in the back. We're his parents!" said Judy.

"We'll follow in Bumblebee." said Mikaela.

"Er-he'll scare people if he walks behind us." said the bearer, then shut up as Bumblebee obligingly folded back into car form. Mikaela used a still-damp sponge to wipe off the blood that had got on his paintwork before getting in Bumblebee.

"I don't know what's going on here, Bumblebee, but for now, it's enough that there's a chance to save him." said Mikaela. "Let's head for the hospital."

As the ambulance took off, sirens blaring, Bumblebee moved in behind it, and followed it to the hospital.