Chapter One: Warmth

It was an impulse.

Like a tiny voice in the back of his mind telling not to. Because if Optimus died…well, Sam shuddered to think what would happen. Pushing the powerful alien relic into the chest of the menacing tyrant looming over him, Sam had to squeeze his eyes shut as the overwhelming power of the All Spark glowed brightly as it mixed and melded with Megatrons' spark. The light nearly blinded him.

His hands were burning.

The raw power of the All Spark was blazing over the skin of his hands. Gritting his teeth, Sam endured the burning pain, this had to be done. Megatron needed to be beaten, so Earth was safe; so everyone was safe. Powerful vibrations shook both of his arms, but Sam refused to relinquish his hold. The Cube began to disintegrate, quickly disappearing as a buildup of white hot energy burned beneath his eyelids.

He couldn't have seen it coming.

But he sure as hell felt it.

The All Sparks remains burning bright, he braced himself, for surely there must be some kind of backlash to something this powerful. But there was none. Only the feeling of being wrapped up in something; not solid, not any kind of feeling or substance he could possibly describe. But it felt comforting.

And then he felt nothing at all.

The back blast was not impressive.

It did not blind everyone in a hundred mile vicinity; it did not blow out any remaining windows in the wreckage of Mission City, or knock anyone to the ground. No, it only grew brighter as it enclosed around the two beings connected by the ever dissipating Cube. It grew until the two had vanished from sight and then the light just…disappeared.

There was nothing the confused human soldiers -or Autobots for that matter- could do as the light had swelled and, just as quickly, vanished without a trace.

Megatrons' colossal silver body fell to the ground, twitching and convulsing as his chest plating melted into a glowing mess. Sam, standing opposite the downed Decepticon Commander, seemed to sway a moment before, as if in slow motion, he too crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

It was as though something had stolen the very life from his body.

Sam woke with a start; gasping for air as he sat up. What had happened? He remembered taking the All Spark and pushing it to Megatrons' chest plates; remembered the feeling of his hands being burned, the raw energy expanding around them.

The white light…

Megatron roaring in anger…

Pain…

And now he was here. But…where exactly was here? How had he gotten here? It wasn't very bright wherever he was. It was also very quiet. Much too quiet to be considered comfortable. Still he sat, recalling the earlier events before here. Sam hoped desperately that the Decepticons had truly been beaten. He sighed heavily, noting how his breath misted in front of his face, yet it was not cold here. The silence rushed in his ears, almost deafening. It was then he realized his heart remained disturbingly hushed, and came to the inevitable conclusion that he had, in fact, died.

So why wasn't he freaking out right now?

Well, in truth, his thoughts were running rampant. Outwards however, he showed no sign of being distraught. Only sad. Sam was now thinking to the people he had been forced to leave behind; the Autobots, 'Bee, Mikaela, and…oh God, his parents. He could only imagine they were being given the news now, for he had no way of knowing. Tears pricked at his eyes. The sudden urge to see them was now flooding his thought process.

He hadn't even been given a chance to say goodbye…

But there was no possibility of leaving this place, was there?

Speaking of which, this had brought Sam back to his previous inquiry; his whereabouts. This place, now that he had gotten a better look at it, was very…blue. Every structure he could see from the high vantage point he had been placed at was a darkly tinged shade of blue. There were white street lamps glowing brightly, lining the various deserted roads that cut between tall buildings spaced tightly and evenly together. He traced them until everything seemed to fade away into the black nothing that surrounded them.

And there was that question again. What was this place –not that it could really be called a place at all- that he had found himself in? Where was he?

"This, Samuel, is the world I have built for you…" A disembodied voice called, echoing through the empty city. Whirling around, Sam searched for the source of the mysterious voice.

"W-who said that?" He called out, cursing the stutter. A laugh, so light and airy he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or not, was his only response.

"Samuel…my dear Samuel. Of course you do not recognize my voice. I am the All Spark."

"W-what? Really? Well…what- what was that," He made the gesture of an explosion with his hands, "and why am I here?"

"The light you speak of…that was my way of bringing you to me. You are here because I took you from your world of the living. I did that because I want you here with me Samuel." Its' voice betrayed no emotion, but Sam could almost hear forcefulness behind it, "You will not leave."

"I-but, the All Spark-you, I-I thought it was just some kind of…I dunno, 'automatic life-creator'?" Another laugh floated through the air, accompanied by a light breeze which made him shiver.

"You are correct in one sense my dear… I am a 'life-creator' as you call it…but I am in no way 'automatic'. I still feel." The All Sparks voice seemed to darken if possible, "Oh yes, I feel many things. But forget that Samuel, enjoy the city I have created for you. Enjoy the city and forget… Forget your life before this…for this will become your life. And you will stay with me forever…" A chilled wind wrapped around the boys' body before blowing out into the city below, whistling through the buildings. Sam shivered again and stepped cautiously over to the edge.

The streets were empty, that much he had already known. There were no signs of life in this blue-tinted city. He could see the skyscrapers reaching to the vacant black sky, which did nothing to remove the permanent blue tinge to everything. Exhaling shakily, Sam knew he wasn't getting out of here, not anytime soon. Or ever, a traitorous voice in the back of his head reminded him of the All Sparks words. Not that it mattered. He had died, and his parents, the Autobots…they were very, very far away. He could not reach them even if he had possessed the slightest glimmer of hope.

"That is right Samuel… You belong to me now, and with me you will stay. You will forget them. Never will you see them again… They believe me to be gone, the Autobots and soon every other surviving Cybertronian…Whilst I do love my children, all of them, dearly, I am afraid that my help is no longer being given. They have lost faith, each and every one of them have condemned themselves to a slow, painful extinction… Their war is a futile effort. That is why I took you, Samuel. I want to keep you safe… Somewhere you cannot be harmed further by the battles of my children."

Sam stared down to the dark streets below him when a flicker caught his eye. Sure enough, there was a building that had been partially hidden by another which boasted a giant glass and metal structure atop its blue roof. Inside this casing, was a …ball? A ball of light to be more specific. Glowing brilliantly through the clear glass, it did nothing to neither brighten nor diminish the bluish tinge of the surrounding city.

So this was it.

This was his new eternity.

His…he didn't know what to call it.

"Your home." The All Sparks voice spoke softly in his ear, or was it all in his head? "This shall be your home Samuel. I will admit, it is not perfect. It takes so much to build from so little. But it can be improved, over time that is. And I shall make it anything you desire."

Sam did not speak for a few moments. He was thinking; processing this information that had all been thrust upon him so quickly, so suddenly. It was then he remembered something. Something Optimus had mentioned…

"Hang on. What about the Autobots? The Transformers? They…they'll die out without the All Spark –er, you, won't they?" It was the All Sparks turn to remain silent for a moment before a soft, emotionless chuckle drifted into his ears, wrapping around his head like a cool breeze.

"My children, Samuel, should have realized the consequences of their actions before they carried out their deeds. They should have foreseen that war leads only to destruction; and destruction only to death. I am, however, somewhat glad they have strayed to this tangent. I was allowed to find you, dear Samuel. And for that I can only thank them for what I now have, and turn away as they continue these pointless hostilities. You are mine now and I do not intend for that to cease. You will stay with me…"

The pulsating light in the case dimmed a moment as the All Spark and the wind which followed it blew away from Sam, only to intensify. Still casting no light on this dark, empty blue city.

This illusion.

"…Forever and always…"

And with these softly whispered words, he blacked out.

AN: It took a while to decide to do this, but I'm glad I did. I hope everyone else is happy with this too! That would be awesome.

Warmth: Vehemence or intensity of emotion

~DrHooksTowingandCo