Spark to Heart
All Transformer characters belong to Hasbro. The halfa, Clockwork, and Ghost Zone idea belong to Butch Hartman. Any real life songs, food brands, etc. do NOT belong to me. I only own this fanfic ideas and my OCs. Don't like, don't read. Everyone else, enjoy.
Warning: Violence and a few adult themes.
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Chapter 1: New Body, Same Soul
At a CVS in Salt Lake City, Utah; Zettabyte's Perspective
Zettabyte tapped his holoform's foot patiently, shopping basket hanging on one arm while he checked to make sure he had enough money in the wallet Sasha allowed him to borrow.
A few days ago, he had confronted his partner about his desire to be of service to the humans around him, regardless of the fact that he could never truly know who or what he was.
Touched by her guardians desire to aid the people and understanding his need to be useful should he encounter an emergency, the raven-haired girl had given him some money that morning so he could purchase medical items and first aid kit materials. Thankfully, it was a Friday, meaning that the mechling would have plenty of time to shop while his friend was busy with her own agenda. And it didn't hurt that her Sawyer friend gave her rides.
"Don't be afraid to socialize while you work," the Goth had said sincerely before leaving for school.
The Cybertronian youth would have happily socialized, but unfortunately, it was easier said than done. Most of the humans he came across seemed to be too focused on other things to hold a proper conversation with him. The only ones who weren't occupied were human girl about Sasha's age or older and elderly humans who loved having a young companion to talk with.
Sadly, the teen girls were only interested in talking with him either because they found him incredibly attractive or because they thought he was the right type of "guy" that their fathers wouldn't be pleased with. The elderly, while they were very vocal, sometimes got off track during conversation and started talking about other things.
Still, it's better than nothing, the neutral youth thought.
He turned his holoform's head downwards to see a small boy, no older than three most likely, with curly brown hair and blue eyes staring at him. As soon as their gazes connected, the young boy's eyes widened and he grinned.
He tugged at his mother's arm and pointed at the halfa, "Mommy, that man has green eyes like a cat. And his hair matches."
"Now Henry, we don't point at people," his mother, a thirty-something woman with straight brown hair and eyes lectured softly before smiling apologetically at Zetta. "I'm sorry."
"No it's okay. I said a few things myself when I was his age," Zettabyte smiled with a chuckle.
Nodding in understanding, the woman then sighed, "I wish this line would be shorter already. I need to get home to finish those fleece scarves for my daughters. It's gonna get really cold soon."
At the mention of fabric, the neutral youth thought back on the fabric-like material he discovered just a week ago. He had come to the conclusion that the material had belonged to whoever owned the room before him. While he was tempted to ask Clockwork if he knew who use to inhabit the room, he knew it probably wouldn't be appropriate. Surely if the mech had restrictions, being the spirit of time. And even if there weren't, the halfa had a hunch that the older mech would be cryptic about the answer. Clockwork just had that air of complexity and wisdom about himself.
His train of thought was broken by a shrill scream and several alarmed gasps.
Looking up, his holoform's emerald eyes widened in shock and horror.
Two people, a man and woman were at the front of the line. The man, who was dressed in dark clothing with a hoodie covering his face, was pointing a gun at the four people behind the counter. The hand holding the weapon had a skull tattoo on it. The woman, who was wearing a mask but very skimpy clothing despite the cold, windy weather outside the Rite Aid, had dark hair and pale skin. The mask resembled a porcelain doll but with no makeup. Everyone who had been standing in their respective lines or near the counter had run to hide from the armed robbers.
"Give me all the money from cash registers you got here or I'll start putting bullets in the brains of everyone here. And that would be bad for business," the man growled in a voice that sounded as though he had gotten a cold or had been smoking for some time.
As the people behind the counter, an elderly man, two young men, and a young women, began going to retrieve money from the nearby registers, Zetta tried to think quickly. What could he do? He looked around before his gaze fell onto something on the chip stand near him.
It was baseball.
No doubt that it was left there by someone who was considering on buying it but then decided not to. And for some reason or another, they decided to place it on the stand rather than put it back where they found it.
Slowly, Zetta set his basket down and grabbed the ball. Making sure that neither of the robbers were looking his way and that he had a clear view of the man's head, the "teen boy" reeled his arm back and hurled it at the man's head.
Sure enough, the ball beaned the robber hard in the back the head, eliciting a grunt of pain with a hard thunk. The pain wasn't enough to cause the man to fall unconscious, but it was enough for him to drop his gun and moan in agony. The young woman, who was of Hawaiian heritage, behind the counter pulled out a spray can of what was either mace or pepper spray and sprayed the contents into the man's face. The robber howled as some of the stinging particles made contact with his eyes, despite the hoodie.
His female counterpart made a dive for the gun but never made it. A woman, who looked to be about in her late twenties or early thirties, rushed over, grabbed the masked woman's scraggly dark hair and gave a hard yank. The masked robber yowled in pain, no doubt the combination of the hair pull and the whiplash the customer had given her. The woman glared at the delinquent with icy blue eyes before ripping off the mask and throwing it behind her. The robber's skin was pale and unattractive unlike the soft-looking fair skin of the customer. The customer's skin went wonderfully with her hair which was as black as night. She proceeded to slap and scratch and the female would-be-thief's face, scratching it as she did. All the while, the female criminal was screaming and begging for her to stop as she tried to yank her hair out of her hostage-turned-captor's amazingly strong grip.
Zettabyte was utterly astounded by the female customer's strength and will. He saw that everyone, the customers and the employees, were staring in awe as well. And that's when he noticed the hoodie robber was getting back up.
"Oh no you don't!" the halfa shouted as he tackled the man back to the ground and proceeded to punch him in the back. "You think you can threaten to hurt people whenever you want? You think that you can live your life stealing from those who have earned what they got? Well guess what; you picked a bad day to do it!"
The two young men jumped over the counter. One of the men, who was of Armenian heritage, kicked the gun away while the other, who was of Korean heritage, grabbed a bat from behind the counter.
"Get out of the way," the armed employee said to the "teen boy."
Zetta did as he was told and jumped off. And before the man could get up, the employee swung the bat. It connected with the man's jaw, finally sending him into unconsciousness. The woman, seeing that her opponent's male counterpart was unconscious, she grabbed the female criminal's head and smacked it against the counter edge. Now both wrong-doers were out cold.
Both Zettabyte and the customer stood glaring at the thieves, heaving from effort. They looked at each other. The woman, who was wearing dark skinny jeans, periwinkle sneakers and a zipped up sky blue sweater stared at the Cybertronian teen. She smiled and nodded. Zetta returned the gesture.
The silence was broken by applauses and cries of relief. The customers surrounded the two heroes, offering their praise and thanks.
"Great job!"
"That was amazing!"
"How did you learn to fight like that?"
"Mommy, they're superheroes!"
Zetta could only stand there and stare at the impressed and happy faces around him. That's when the elderly man from behind the counter came over. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies and had curly white hair, slight stubble, and sparkling hazel eyes that were looking at him through wire-rimmed glasses.
"Thank you two so much," he said, sincere smile of appreciation spreading across his face. "As a show of appreciation, my co-workers and I would like to give you some free things, including whatever you were planning to buy."
"Oh no sir, it wouldn't be right to take anything without paying for it," the mechling said immediately with a humble tone.
The icy blue-eyed woman beside him nodded.
"No, we insist," the elderly man said. "We're giving it to you. And we won't take no for an answer."
The mechling looked at the other three employees who nodded with grateful smiles. He looked at his fellow fighter and saw that she also seemed to be letting go of her resolve.
Seeing that there was no way out, Zettabyte gave in, "Alright."
"I give in as well," the woman said as well.
"Excellent. Now let's see what we can get you two,"
Out in the parking lot twenty minutes later; Zettabyte's Perspective
Placing his items into his vehicle mode's compartments, Zetta watched as the cops placed the two incapacitated robbers into the back of their car. One of them, a young man with short and scruffy strawberry blonde hair, looked at the "teen boy" and smiled with a salute which the halfa happily returned.
The twenty minutes had been busy. The cops had arrived, cuffed the two criminals, and spoke to the staff. Apparently, the two were wanted for a string of robberies; both houses and businesses. The elderly man and the young Armenian man had been talking with the police whilst their co-workers had helped Zetta and the young woman get their items. The mechling had only meant to get the medical supplies he desired but the CVS employees were terribly persistent. To appease them, he took a bag of barbecue Lay's chips, two Milky Way bars, one dark chocolate and one milk, a bottle of water, an apple, and a orange.
He noticed that the icy blue-eyed stranger collected a lot more than he did; toiletries, food, medicine, and snacks like Oreos, Nutter Butters, dried fruit, pretzels, chips, sodas, candy, and other essentials and pleasures. She also grabbed any clothing items they had alongside batteries, matches, and even a few necessities for a child like toys and toothpaste approved for children under six years. The latter items made the neutral youth realize that she was a mother or at least caring for one of some sort.
Still wanting to be courteous, Zetta slipped each of the employees twenty dollars when they weren't looking. Seeing as that they did foil the two serial thieves, he felt that they deserved some reward themselves. He would have given something to his fellow crime-fighter but she had walked out the door before he was done and now he couldn't find her.
Must have been in hurry to get back to her charge, he thought with casualness.
Suddenly his comm. pinged.
"Hello?" came the Cybertronian teen's friendly question as he answered.
"Hey Zee, it's me," came the familiar voice of Team Prime's youngest charge.
"Hey Raf? How are you?" came the mechling's cheerful response.
"Fine. Actually, can you come get me? I was studying in the library and I called Bee to pick me up but he didn't answer. I tried Ratchet too but no answer. And my parents are having some old friends from college over for dinner and my mom told me yesterday to come home early from school to wash up," Raf explained. "If I'm late, it won't be pretty."
"Of course. I'll be over in a few minutes," Zettabyte confirmed.
"Thanks Zetta. See you when you get here," the computer protégé's gratefully replied.
"Alright. You're welcome Raf. See you soon," the halfa said before ending the call.
As he drove away from the CVS and into the outskirts of the city, preparing to call Soundwave, Zetta wondered what on Earth and Cybertron was going on today.
In Jasper, Nevada ten minutes later; Third Person Perspective
"Thanks for picking me up, Zetta," Raf said happily as he got into the hybrid car's passenger seat. "I guess Bee is on a mission with the others and Ratchet is busy."
The young Cybertronian's holoform was absent. No doubt it was put away so he could focus on driving. But Raf didn't mind. He was just glad that he had someone to drive him home and have a conversation with.
"There's no need to thank me Raf. I don't mind helping you, Jack, or Miko," the neutral youth said humbly. "Say, how are Jack and Miko?"
"Jack's fine. That organic burn cream you made with the plant samples you and Sasha collected is doing wonders," the pre-teen boy said with a pleasant nod.
Three days before, Jack had been at work, showing a new employee the ropes. The new employee, a jaded, uninterested freshman named Shawn, had little interest in listening to his more experienced co-worker. While cooking some fries, Shawn had been distracted. Upon realizing he was over cooking them, he hastily pulled them out, splashing Jack's shoulder with hot oil that seeped through his clothes and burned him Sasha, who had been there at the time to try their new veggie burger, had called Ms. Darby as she ran out to her guardian to alert him of what had transpired. The nurse had never driven so fast in her life and thanked the heavens that she was not caught by any cops.
Jack's boss allowed the frantic Darby matriarch to tend to her son whilst he set to give Shawn a pink slip. Why June went to cool down her son's burns, the mechling had proceeded to use some of the herbal plants sample that the nature-lover was bringing home from the greenhouse to make a mixture to heal burns, a useful skill he had learned from his human friend. Applying the substance to the onyx-haired boy's injuries before wrapping them in gauze, Jack claimed to be feeling better. That didn't stop June from taking her son to the hospital.
The following day, June had come up to raven-haired girl and the mechling's holoform and hugged them, thanking them for their help and the burn cream which was miraculously working fast and that it seemed Jack would escape scarring. The neutral youth only let his charge know that the mixture had some Power Nectar in it. Having found out it could make any substance, topical or otherwise, work faster, stronger, and more adequately from his teacher, Zetta thought it would be a good idea to keep some on hand.
He had also been thanked by Arcee as well, though something in his spark and mind told him that she wanted to gather him into an embrace. And, surprisingly, that would have been alright with him.
"That's good. And Miko?" the Cybertronian teen probed.
At this question, the brunette's frowned a bit as he spoke, "Not so well. She's still grounded until a week from today. And her hopes of joining the Art Club or Music/Band Club have been crushed."
"What?! Why?" the halfa couldn't exclaim in surprise.
The Asian girl's art may not have been equal to that of Pablo Picasso or Leonardo da Vinci but he had seen quite a few of her pieces and thought they looked good. And while her music tastes differentiated from his, he was certain that others in the club who enjoyed metal music would be fond of her skills.
"Her grades," Raf said with a disappointed shrug. "There have been reports that some students with low scores have been using the clubs they're a part of as excuses. The counselors and teachers in charge of the club are starting to keep track of the members' grades. If they're grade falls below the C line, they're suspended from the club or denied integration into the club until their grades are brought back up."
"And Miko's grades are unacceptable?" Zettabyte inquired softly.
"Well, she's managed a B- in a few like English and P.E. and a C+ in everything else she's currently has a D+ in Math," the computer protégé explained.
"Has she gone to tutoring? Has anyone offered her help?" the mechling questioned.
"She doesn't like staying after school too much. And even if she did want to get tutoring, she'd have to tell the Sandersons that she'll be getting tutoring. I think she's afraid they'll look into her grades and ground her more when they see how she's doing in Math," Raf continued. "I use to help her but we stopped because she had a hard time concentrating. To be honest…I think she's embarrassed to ask for help from me because of the age gap."
"Well she shouldn't," the mechling said in a harsher tone that he meant to use. "There's no shame in asking for help from a friend. No matter the age. Has Bulkhead said-?"
The neutral youth's suddenly stopped talking and driving.
"Zetta? What is it?" the pre-teen high school student asked, a bit apprehensively.
After a second, Zetta answered, "Raf, hold on to something and cover your head as best as you can."
Officially nervous, the brunette did as he was told. No sooner had the young genius obeyed his driver's did the ground start shaking. The tremors wracked the poor mechling and his passenger with hard crazed movements. Zetta's holoform appeared and covered the young human. The young Cybertronian even, involuntarily, jumped off the ground a foot or two at least three times. It lasted for a minute or two before stopping. Slowly, the holoform sat up and fizzed out.
Silence.
Then the halfa spoke, "Are you alright, Raf?"
"…Y-Yeah," Raf replied.
"Good," Zetta breathed in relief. "Was it just me or was something strange about that earthquake?"
"You noticed it too?" the computer protégé asked.
"Yes. It felt like we were becoming airborne. Like something was trying to lift us and a good chunk of the Earth off the planet," the mechling said in astonishment.
"Hey, how did you see that earthquake coming?" the brunette asked curiously.
"To be honest, I have no idea. I just got a sense that something was about to happen," the neutral youth answered honestly.
And he was being honest. While his senses were enhanced thanks to his ghost abilities, his sensing the oncoming of the earthquake was not due to that. Something else had been the cause. It was like a change in the air when you felt someone was about to pop out and attack you or something of the sort.
"Maybe you have a sixth sense to these things, like animals," the brunette replied before he gasped and clamped his hand over his mouth. "I-I'm sorry! I wasn't comparing you to an animal. I-I-!"
"It's alright. I'm not offended," Zetta said, laughing. "It fact, that might be just what happened."
The pre-teen smiled just as his phone went off. The Cybertronian teen remained quiet as his passenger answered the call.
"Hello? Hi Mama…Yes, I'm fine...A friend is driving me home...He kept me safe during the earthquake…No Mama, it wasn't the friend with the muscle car…We're a few minutes away from home…Alright, see you soon. Love you too," the young genius said before the ending the call. "My dad just left the house to get my siblings. My mom's alone at the house waiting for me. We better hurry."
"Of course," the halfa agreed as he began driving once again. "Hey, you want a snack?"
As Zetta said it, he opened the center console to reveal the chips, water, fruit, and candy.
"Thanks!" the computer protégé said as he grabbed the water, apple, and the milk chocolate Milky Way.
He would gladly grabbed the chips but he knew his mother wouldn't want him to spoil his dinner.
"No problem," the mechling said casually.
By the time they had reached the Esquivel residence, the pre-teen had finished the apple and drank the last few drops of water. He had put the Milk Way bar away for later.
As he prepared to get out, Zettabyte spoke up, "Do you think you can call Ratchet for me?"
"Yeah, why? Are you injured?" Raf asked with concern.
"No but I want you to tell him to get a Ground bridge ready for me at these coordinates in fifteen minutes," the neutral youth stated as he gave Team Prime's youngest charge the coordinates. "I want to have a chat with the team."
At Autobot base eighteen minutes later; Third Person Perspective
The three Autobot soldiers and Prime didn't expect to see Zettabyte standing by Ratchet when they arrived back at the base.
A combination of hope and fear welled up in the sparks of two of the soldiers and the Autobot leader. Why was he here? Was he finally going to ask to be a part of their team? Or was he here to officially denounce Optimus in favor of Megatron.
Bee was the only one who wasn't focused on the other mechling as he spoke urgently to the medic, [Ratchet, I need you to Bridge me to town! I just heard there was an earthquake! I need to get to Raf!]
"Calm down! Zettabyte already saw to that," the veteran mech snapped irritably.
Looking at his ruby and sapphire counterpart in surprise, the scout beeped, [Really?]
"Yes. He tried calling you but you didn't pick up so he called me," the neutral youth stated in a-matter-of-fact voice.
[Well, thanks,] the young Autobot said sheepishly.
"Why are you here?" the Wrecker asked bluntly.
Before anyone could scold the Wrecker for his rudeness, Zettabyte coolly spoke, "Are you aware that students at the high school now have to have passing grades to be in clubs?"
Seeming a bit put off, the moss-colored mech answered, "Uhhh, no."
"Are you aware that your charge wants to join the Art Club and Music Club but can't because she is not passing her math class?" the halfa asked patiently.
"Well that math class is pretty hard," the Autobot brawler said, still not understanding what the ruby and sapphire Cybertronian teen's point was.
"Well, don't you think you should help her correct this problem? Seeing as how you're the only authority figure she'll listen to?" Zettabyte asked carefully as though he was talking to distracted youngling.
"I've tried helping her but human math is pretty different," the former construction mech said with a helpless shrug which irked the halfa.
No it's not. You're just too lazy to study it in your free time and see how it works because all you care about is human pop culture and killing the Vehicons and Eradicons, Zetta wanted to snap.
"Have you tried to encourage her to ask Raf or one of the tutors at the school for help?" the neutral you asked calmly instead.
"Well, I kind of thought Raf would help her if she was having trouble. He's good at it," Bulkhead stated.
"That he is but Raf says that she has difficulty concentrating when he helps her. And she refuses to go to tutoring because she's afraid the Sandersons will ground her further," Zetta said, growing a little annoyed. "Bulkhead you should be concern about this. She's talented, I'll give her that. But whether you and her like it or not, she needs to pass that class."
Feeling a bit annoyed himself, the Wrecker snipped back, "I don't see why humans make kids like Miko study that stuff. Not all of them are gonna be mathematicians like her teacher."
"That's not the point! She needs it to get into a good college so she can go on to be whoever she wants to be. Be that an artist or a musician. But to get into classes that have those subjects, she needs a good understanding of the general education subjects. Because, other than volunteer work and jobs, those are the other things colleges look at to see if a high school graduate is qualified," the ruby and sapphire mechling explained in exasperation. "Until she gets an adequate place to work or volunteer, getting acceptable grades is the only way, at the moment, she'll have a chance for a university when she graduates."
Arcee stared at her son. While she didn't doubt that he cared for the humans, especially the ones who knew of their existence, he never vocalized how truly passionate he was about it until now.
"You think that I don't know that?" the moss-colored mech spat.
"Well you act like it!" Zettabyte shot back.
"Now let's all calm down," the former archivist said as he stepped between his soldier and the neutral youth. "Now, I agree with Zettabyte. While Miko may choose a career of her choice, it is imperative that she graduate so she can obtain the education needed to help her pursue her goals. We will find a solution."
"Thank you, sir. And since I brought the situation to attention, I would like to offer to be her tutor," the neutral youth stated respectfully.
"No way!" the Autobot brawler growled. "I'm not letting you tutor her! Ratchet can!"
"Yip-ip-ip! Stop right there. I already have you all to fix after every battle and this base to tend to. I don't have time to tutor that stubborn little human femmenet," the Autobot CMO, who had been busying himself with the console, retorted. "Why don't you ask Ms. Darby? Isn't that what human carriers are for?"
Now it was Arcee's turn to get mad.
"Excuse me? What were you suggesting?" the two-wheeler asked angrily.
"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked, half confused and half annoyed.
" 'Isn't that what human carriers are for?' Are you kidding me?" the femme spat in disgust.
Realizing what his teammate was angry about, the older Autobot immediately try to correct the misunderstanding, "Arcee, t-that's not what I meant-!"
"Then what did you mean?" the sapphire and bubblegum colored Autobot snarled.
Before anything else could be said, and before fists could start flying in place of words, Zetta spoke up once again, "Excuse me but we were talking about Miko. I'm not gonna stand around while you all ignore the fact that her future is in jeopardy."
"Then leave it to us! And stop butting in!" the former construction mech snarled.
"You know what? Fine! Forget this!" the ruby and sapphire Cybertronian mechling snapped as he made his way towards the exit. "It's obvious that I was fool for coming to you guys about Miko's trouble. You can't even discuss such subjects without turning into a group of raging zoo animals!"
That certainly got them to shut up.
"I don't know why I'm surprised, honestly. Scrap, I don't know why I came here if all I was going to get in response was a package of chaos. But I guess that serves me right for thinking you guys could ever understand and solve a problem that isn't focusing on murdering the Cons!" came the halfa's spiteful lashing as he tore out of the base without looking back at the astonished Autobots.
In the Ghost Zone half an hour later; Zettabyte's Perspective
"Are you feeling better now?" Nephilus asked his student.
"Mostly. Thank you, Nephilus," Zetta said gratefully as he moved deeper into the hot water and sipped his glass of Nectar.
"Good. I don't enjoy seeing my friend and student unhappy," the halfa's confidant said in a no-nonsense tone.
Five minutes of leaving the base, Zetta knew he needed to blow off cool off. Dropping his supplies and the leftover snacks at Sasha's house, planning to ask her to help him organize them when she got home, he left for the Ghost Zone. Upon exiting the portal on the other side, he was instantly greeted by his mentor. The spirit mech instantly saw that his pupil was in distress and immediately set to resolve his unhappiness.
The soul guider had taken the neutral youth to a foresty place not unlike Terrana's garden. However, there were less trees and more flowers and in the middle was a hot spring that could hold seven to nine bots. The water was clear in spite of the steam rising from it. Stepping into the warm liquid soothed the mechling little by little. Upon fully submerging himself in the spring, the Cybertronian teen calmed down a bit and proceeded to vent his frustrations to his friend. After Nephilus lit a few scented candles and gave him a glass of Nectar garnished with a slice of fruit and herb sprigs from Terrana's garden, Zetta was finally feeling at peace. He was tempted to ask his friend and mentor about the material but thought that it could held off for another time. Right now, he just wanted to relax and let his problems roll off his shoulder platings.
"I know. It's just that…I feel for Miko. She's stuck with a guardian who, I feel, isn't trying hard enough to be good examples for her," Zettabyte sighed. "Bee is, honestly, pretty darn good with Raf. He obviously does look at him like he's his brother. Arcee is good to Jack but things, from what Jack has told me, still seem tense at times. But Bulkhead…I can't seem to find an excuse for him."
The spirit mech looked at his pupil, gesturing for him to go on.
"Jack told me that his and Arcee's partnership use to be very strained. But if you ask me, I can't help but feel that it's still a little strain. It's like she's afraid to let him completely in and that's not right. Jack has been nothing but a hard-working, compassionate, and trustworthy allie to that team. He already had to worry about school and his job, a job that is less than what a good person like him truly deserves, and now he's being expected to act like a fellow soldier for Arcee. He should be enjoying himself like all his classmates, not paying for a war that was provoked by the upper class of Cybertron."
The soul guider listened with patient look.
"And if it's not bad enough that he has to be the man of the house but now he and his mother have to worry even more about their welfare!" the neutral youth exclaimed. "And, I know this sounds ridiculous, but I can't help but think Arcee is using Jack to replace something besides the whole her deceased partners left. And…I don't know why or what it is. It worries me."
The cobalt mech's indigo optics visibly softened.
"And of course there's Bulkhead. It's like the mech lives to turn human teens like Miko against their own elders. You should have seen him. He was acting like some irresponsible, man-child uncle who actually enjoys seeing her become like him. He forgets that human society isn't like the Cybertronian "Golden Age" where you can drop out of an educational facility and there will be some low-grade construction job, a mining job, or a dueling job that you can apply for with just a few bulky upgrades. Miko has potential and talent, I don't want to see her squander it just because she couldn't get into an adequate college," Zetta huffed irritably. "What if she does drop out and gets into some trouble while trying to keep herself fed and clothed? Seeing as Bulkhead has had such a huge influence on her, I'll doubt she'll swallow her pride and accept help from her family or friends. And what if it's legal trouble with corrupted authority figures who'll instantly take a look at her and throw the book at her just because they feel like it?"
Nephilus optics visibly widened before darkening with a grim nod.
"Honestly though, I think Ratchet's attitude towards the human race is the worse. He has absolutely no passion about learning about the inhabitants of this world. He just ridicules their customs and cultures. Like he thinks it's not worth his time! I bet that if he could, he would leave Jack, Raf, and Miko in the middle of nowhere. He just has no respect for humanity. Probably thinks that, despite our war consuming our planet and destroying everything we've held dear, we're superior to the humans who have overcome oppression and caste systems of their own with wars and yet still have their planet. Well who the Pit is he to talk down to others?!" the mechling snorted bitterly.
"Sounds like a circus of discord," the cobalt mech stated coolly.
"Exactly! And I could forgive all of it if they would only show an ounce of real, sincere gratitude for the humans who are helping them. Jack told me that Bulkhead talks back to Agent Fowler and says a lot of slag about him. That poor man works his rump off every day, trying ensure his people's security while helping out the Autobot's cause and that's the thanks he gets? And what about Ms. Darby? She's the sole human parent. If she wanted to she could keep Jack from coming back to the base and encourage the Esquivels and the Sandersons to keep Raf and Miko from their partners. Yet I've seen her time and time again show them forgiveness and faith. So if I were them, I would shape up and start showing the humans some more respect and gratitude," the halfa vented, servo clenching the glass. "Primus forgive me, but I'm tempted to tell Jack's mom that the upper class bots Optimus use to socialize with saw all organics, sentient or not, as vermin and would not hesitate to kill them. That would certainly make her put her foot down with them."
"Now Zetta, you know that's not a good way to go about this issue," Nephilus lectured gently. "A lot of this sounds like it's coming from something deeper than just your aggravation with what they're lacking."
"I know," the Cybertronian teen sighed exhaustedly. "I just can't help but feel that they would just up and leave this world if they could, without realizing what they would be losing. I just want them to actually, visibly show that they care about the humans. Protecting them is not enough. I want them to see the beauty and wonders of this world like I do. To see how loyal and loving their charges are being towards them. For once, I just want them to truly be grateful for the help they're getting."
"It's challenging for the war-hardened to have clear vision," the soul guider said sadly.
Sighing and nodding, Zetta looked at the tree nearest to the hot spring. In the branch was a nest and inside were three small Golden-Crested Woodpecker hatchlings. Terrana's garden, as the spirit of nature had explained, was a haven for endangered species that were supposedly, to the humans, extinct. He recalled the day before how a few Tasmanian Tiger cubs climbed all over his servo. The neutral youth watched as the mother bird arrived, worms in her beak for her offspring. Dutifully, she began feeding her precious babes.
"Nephilus…do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a different species?"
"Many times. But each species has its ups and downs," the cobalt mech responded in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yes, but just think about it," Zettabyte insisted eagerly. "If you were a bird then you could fly to any place you want-!"
"While never truly having a real home. Soaring but never settling," Nephilus said firmly with a nod but smiled slightly.
The halfa would not relent, "You could be a fish and swim to places unexplored by land-dwellers-!"
"Until one of them makes you their meal," the spirit mech chuckled lowly, causing his student to pout. "Nothing is black or white. Just gray. You of all individuals should know that."
Blinking in surprise, the mechling blushed a deep sky blue out of embarrassment.
"But you have an open-mind and a curious nature. And that is why you see things as such," the soul guider said, optics softening to show he meant no harm.
That certainly made Zettabyte smile once again, "Thank you."
His teacher nodded back.
"So how has it been for you? How's everything with Riversong?" the Cybertronian teen asked curiously and politely.
"Things have been good. Well…more than good, actually," the spirit mech said with a blush of his own.
"I can see that," the halfa said as he moved to where the soul guider's cloak laid, folded neatly, and pulled out a tuft silvery white fur.
That's when Nephilus splashed him.
Ten minutes later on the road to Jasper; Zettabyte's Perspective
Feeling refreshed from the hot spring and the talk, Zetta thanked Nephilus and left to return to Sasha's house, hoping that she was home already. As he drove, he thought about the last part of the conversation.
Even if the ups and downs are different for each species, it would be amazing to experience them. To see how they differ. To…understand them, the mechling thought wistfully as drove.
The sky was mostly covered in grayish clouds, indicating that autumn was upon the inhabitants of Jasper. Most of trees were covered in leaves of yellow, crimson, orange, and brown. Very few held emerald green leaves. Despite the desert, the Cybertronian teen enjoyed the beauty in the changing seasons.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he came upon an ugly sight.
A large yellow and sea green truck lay on its side just feet away from the road. The cargo the truck was carrying, a large container with an ominous looking hazard sign on the side, looked to be undamaged but the truck tractor looked pretty banged up. There were even flames flickering from the area where it looked like the engine tried to burst out through the grill.
Moving into action, the neutral youth screeched to a halt, leaving blackened skid marks in his wake. Transforming into his bipedal mode, he sprinted to the truck. Without thinking, he off the dented door and looked in. A heavy looking man who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties was slouched over the steering wheel, obviously unconscious. Zetta exhaled in relief when he heard the trucker groan. He was still alive.
Carefully, he lifted the trucker from his seat before gently settling him down on the other side of the road. As soon as he was sure the man was safe, Zettabyte went back to the truck. He had to unhitch the container from the truck before the engine blew. But before he could do so, he noticed something. Beneath the dashboard, he saw something white. He realized it was a large envelope of some sort. Opening it, he discovered it held a short letter. At the top was a sphere-like symbol and the letters KSI under it.
"*Dear Dr. Thaddeus Morocco,*" the halfa began reading. "*We here at Kinetic Solutions Incorporated (KSI) are very impressed and pleased with the machinery and tools you have provided us with. You have especially caught the eye of Mr. Joshua Joyce, head of our company. As promised, we have sent you the mysterious and rare metamorphic chemical that our chemists have recently found. We hope that any findings you get while using this substance, you will graciously share with-*"
But Zettabyte didn't get a chance to finish.
Three blurs of dark violet flashed by. Zettabyte immediately recognized them as Vehicons.
"DRIVE!" one of them screeched at the neutral youth, voice filled with so much terror that Zetta couldn't tell who the mech was.
He looked the way they had come from and saw what they were running from.
A familiar quartet of vehicles were coming after the drones.
Acting quickly, the Cybertronian teen stepped in front of them, waved his arms, and shouted, "Stop! There's been an accident! I think the truck is gonna blow! We gotta get it out of here!"
The shouting and waving was effective but not in the way the mechling wanted.
Whether it was because they heard what he said and wanted to help or they were surprised by his actions, they did stop. Or tried to anyway. Optimus was the first to try to brake fast but it only resulted in him skidding sideways. Transforming did him no good. He fell forward, onto his chest. Arcee faired no better. The moment she transformed, she tumbled into the sandy side of the road, coming to a screech on her side, small flecks of metal and blue paint sprayed alongside the dust clouds. Bumblebee transformed as well but he lost his footing and fell on his back with a loud thud. Bulkhead, tumbling with a startled look on his face and blaster out, fell awkwardly. The Wrecker fell on the same side as the fallen truck. And while he fell parallel to the mangled vehicle, the arm that had the blaster was pointed at the container. The impact his blaster made with the ground caused the Energon shot to be let loose.
Everything happened so fast.
Zettabyte quickly ran to the other side of the road where the human laid. Like he had done with his partner the first time he saved her, he hunched over the trucker, covering him. The silence didn't even last a second. The roar of an explosion hit the neutral youth's audios with a full force and the heat from the combustion singed his armor slightly. And just when he thought it couldn't get worse, he felt something splash onto his armor.
And he had a pretty good hunch on what it was.
Third Person Perspective
Both factions had no idea what had happened.
The Vehicons had been driving away when they heard the ruby and sapphire mechling's shouting, followed by an explosion. The Autobots had been right on their enemies' tails when the neutral youth threw himself in front of them, screaming and yelling.
Then everything became havoc.
What was left of the already damaged vehicle was burning into blackened scrap. The contents of the container, a strange fuchsia substance that was tinted with a blackish or dark-grayish hue, had a scent that mimicked rotten fruit and bleach, and had the same consistency of diluted soap, covered a portion of the road and sandy area around it.
But as they all looked at Zetta, their saw, to their horror, that he too had been drenched by the substance. It mostly got his back and legs but a little had gotten near his neck and a bit on the back of his arms. They all watched intensely, waiting to see what would happen next to the young Cybertronian. Afraid to touch him, for fear that he would fade out of existence if they so much as called out to him.
They watched, anticipation bordering between anguish and relief, as Zettabyte stood up. He lifted his head and looked off into the desert, away from the road. Thankfully, the Vehicons didn't seem to notice the unconscious human that laid at his pedes. Arcee was the first to take a step towards him.
His helm snapped in her direction.
At least she thought it was her direction. She nearly gasped when she saw the far off look in his optics, as though his mind was some place else. Her spark twisted as it recognized the sensation of a carrier sensing that their creation was not right. Before she could get closer, one of the drones pointed their blasters at her.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" the scout drone shouted in a rage.
That seemed to snap the halfa from whatever daze he was in. He shook his helm and blinked. He still seemed stunned but not as much. Suddenly, Zetta snapped his head and looked behind the Autobots. His enhanced sight helped him see three shapes in the distance that were moving towards their direction.
"Shoot!" he breathed alarm as he turned towards the trio of Decepticons. "There's more humans coming! Move!"
Hesitating only a little, the Vehicons, and the Autobots not too long after the Cybertronian teen said that, obeyed the ruby and sapphire mechling's warning, transformed, and fled. Zettabyte did the same, though he drove off into the desert, shouting that he would see the drones later. Arcee was tempted to chase after him but her leader and teammates were already fleeing as well.
"Arcee! Let's move!" Bulkhead shouted at the femme.
"But Zetta-!" she tried to protest frantically, her "Sadie" disguise pointing in the direction he went.
But when they all turned to the direction where the neutral youth fled, they saw no trace of him. No footprints, no tire tracks, nothing. The only sign that he had went into that direction were droplets of the chemical that had covered him which seemed to stop just a few meters from the accident site.
"We'll find him! I promise! Now we must move!" the Prime said in his authoritative tone.
The two-wheeler gave in miserably.
As he and his soldiers sped away from the sight, thankfully, before the civilian vehicles arrived, Optimus silently promised that he would find the neutral youth safe and sound.
No matter the cost.
At Sasha's house three hours later; Sasha's Perspective
Sasha smiled as she got out of the black and violet SUV, backpack on her back and Midnight in her arms. Her greenhouse uniform was very dirty thanks to a mishap with some new soil but she didn't mind.
"Thank you for the drive home Sawyer," the nature-lover said gratefully, holding the feline close to her. "And thanks again for looking after Midnight."
"Mew!" Midnight mewled in thanks as well.
"Anytime Sasha," Sawyer said with a grin. "I gotta go. My grandma just sold some old things on Craigslist and I don't want her meeting with the buyers alone."
The raven-haired girl nodded in understanding, "Gotcha. We still on tomorrow for a day out with Addie, Colette, and the others?"
By others she meant a few members of the Earth Club who had offered to take the Goth and her friends to the movies and other places tomorrow.
"You bet!" the soccer-player nodded before driving away, hand waving out the window. "See you tomorrow! Bye!"
"See you! Bye!" Sasha replied before making her way inside her house.
After giving the feline fresh food and water, the nature-lover headed up stairs to wash up and put on some clean clothes. Minutes later, after a short shower and slipping into some comfortable violet shorts and gray spaghetti-strap tank top with a dark brown owl on it, she proceeded to take her uniform and other dirty clothes to the laundry room. However, she was stopped by the sound of her phone vibrating, signaling a text. Setting down the basket, she picked up her phone and went to her messages. The message she received was from Juliet.
It read: (Look up "Botched Robbery at a CVS" on the Salt Lake City News website! It's unbelievable!)
Curious and slightly concerned, the Goth did as the text instructed. Going to the website on her phone and typing the title into the search engine, she looked at the article.
She began reading, "* It was a shocking day for the employees of this CVS when two wanted, serial thieves held a gun to them, threatening to kill them and the customers. They were even more shock when two of the customers, one teenage boy and one grown woman, proceeded to fight the thieves. Witnesses described the two individuals' fighting styles as swift and intense. Both customers, who folks are now calling heroes, came out unscathed and humble. While the staff wasn't able to get their names, they were able to get them on tape.*"
Scrolling down, her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she saw who the teenage boy was.
A moment later, she frantically began calling her partner. She called him once. He didn't answer. Twice. Still no answer. A third time. Nothing.
Just as she felt that she was about to freak out, she heard scratching. Following the noise, she saw that the small mammal was clawing at the door, mismatched eyes focused on the barrier that was separating her from whatever it was that she was trying to get to. Slowly walking over, the nature-lover bend down to her small, furry friend's level.
"What is it Midnight?" the raven-haired girl asked rhetorically. "Is Zetta home?"
"Rowrr!" the small bundle of fur meowed impatiently.
Standing back up, Sasha slowly opened the door.
What she saw was something she never expected to see in her time in Jasper.
A boy, about Jack's age, lay naked in the middle of the garage.
He had tanned-skin and a mop of deep black hair. She couldn't see his face as it was buried in his arms, as if he was taking a nap. He was lithe but had an equal amount of muscle. She had to turn her face away, face drained of color.
Who was he? Why was he here? Where did he come from? What had been doing or planning to do? How did he even get in? Was he some sort of streaker burglar? A perverted runaway? A drugged out drifter? A teen from another school who was on the receiving end of some prank or dare gone wrong?
It was then that the Goth realized Midnight was no longer beside her. Sasha realized, to her horror, that she had closed the door with her precious feline in the garage with the possibly hostile stranger! Running to grab a weapon, which was basically an umbrella, she ran back to the side door and ripped it open, ready to save her dear cat.
Until she saw that the small mammal was nuzzling the intruder's head, purring.
Bewildered and confused, Sasha stepped closer, umbrella still in her hands. Kneeling in front of the stranger, she poked his shoulder with the tip of the umbrella. No movement. Was he dead? She repeated the action. This time, she did get a reaction. The boy groaned and he started to shift. Somehow, the pitch of the groan sounded very familiar…
"Amma, five more minutes!" came the newcomer's whine.
Her guardian's whine.
Dropping the umbrella in shock, the nature-lover lifted the boy's face to discover that it looked almost exactly like Zetta's holoform. The hair-do was similar as well, minus the highlights.
The action of his face being lifted up caused the stanger's eyes to scrunch up before opening.
His left eye was blood red and his right eye was a crystallic blue.
Her suspicions were made officially right when he spoke, "Sasha? When did you get to be my size?"
Ignoring the question, the raven-haired girl inquired, "Zetta? Is that you?"
"Yes? Why did you ask that question? And why does my face feel like it's been compressed but it doesn't hurt?" the robot-turned-human asked, growing more frightened by the moment.
Trying to remain calm herself, Sasha managed to choke out, "Zetta…I don't know how to tell you this but…you've somehow…became human."
Here it is! My "Zetta Becomes Human Fanfic!" Sorry it took so long. I'm trying to upload these stories as fast as I can. Stay tune!
Once again, haters will be ignored and flamers will be flamed.
Everyone else, Happy Reading!