Will Lennox woke up to the familiar sound of a Topkick going seventy miles an hour down an interstate highway. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, ready to set.
"Gah." he grunted, yawning. He unbuttoned the stiff collar of his uniform and stretched his legs, careful not to touch the gas pedal or the brake with his feet.
"Do humans often go into recharge like that?" a disembodied voice asked, its tones rough and deep. "You slept for three hours."
"I haven't had a decent... er, recharge... in about a week, so yeah, I'll probably be doing that a lot." Will ran his fingers through his scruffy brown hair, wincing as all the stitched-up wounds flared with pain. He gazed at his hand, noticing how the nails were ragged, the skin blotchy with bruises and criss-crossed with dozens of scratches.
"You doin' okay, Ironhide?" Will asked, patting the dashboard.
"I will be fine. Ratchet made sure that my minor injuries were repaired before we left Mission City." the voice replied. "My cannons are in perfect working order, in case we are ambushed by Decepticons."
"That's good to know." Will said, recalling seeing the Autobot in battle. It was a sight both terrible and awesome to watch Ironhide blasting away at enemies with his two giant laser cannons. Will knew that as long as he had Ironhide as a fellow soldier, there was no need to fear any opponent.
"Before we left, you mentioned something about a... family." Ironhide said, his tone mildly inquisitive. "We Cybertronians once knew what it was to have a family, but we have long since been separated from those who share our Sparks. What is your family like?"
It was odd to hear the gruff weapons specialist inquire about something as insignificant as a human's family, but after the battle, now all they wanted was to get their minds off losing Jazz, one of the Autobots and a valued comrade.
"Well, uh..." Will shrugged. It was amazing how comfortable the seats in this truck were. "My wife, Sarah... God, she's beautiful. Not just on the outside; it's like being married to an angel, I swear. She's the best." He smiled, not caring whether or not the numerous bruises and cuts on his face ached. "We've been married for five years. Every time I go in fighting, all I can see in my mind is her eyes." He colored slightly. He barely knew this alien being, and here he was going off like a sentimental oaf.
"Your wife... Hmmm." Ironhide fell silent for a moment. "She is your Sparkmate, then?"
"My what?"
"Your Sparkmate. Your other half. When two members of my race are attracted to each other, they express this attraction by merging their Sparks, thus becoming one. It is much like your species' mating process."
Will had an urge to blurt "TMI", but recognized the seriousness behind the mech's words.
"Yeah, it's like that." he replied. He held up his left hand and gazed fondly at the gold band that adorned his ring finger (which was in a small splint). "Together forever." He frowned, then dared to ask a radical question. "What about you? Do you have a... er, Sparkmate?"
Will waited as Ironhide changed lanes and picked up speed. "Look, if you don't wanna talk about it, it's okay. I'm sorry, man."
"No, it is, as you say, okay." Ironhide paused, then continued. "Her name was Chromia."
"Chromia." Will said the name. Despite its mechanical, alien quality, it reminded him of some titanium lily or something as bizarrely metallic yet delicate. "Lovely name."
"She and I were friends from our days as younglings. We learned to fight and win together. There were many, many happy vorns when all we would do was abandon our posts and pursue more... enjoyable activities. That was before the war. Before Megatron betrayed us."
"What happened to her?" Will asked, his voice a bit low.
"She... was always a born fighter." Ironhide admitted. He didn't enjoy talking about it. But since Will was his assigned human, and a great warrior to boot, the mech trusted him. It was a trust that could not be explained. "Megatron fought her and wounded her greatly. We didn't lose her to the Well of All-Sparks, but... she couldn't survive on her own. Instead of letting her die, her sisters, Firestar and Moonracer, offered to mutilate themselves and merge with her into a collective consciousness. I did not stop them; it would save her life. So she ceased to be my Chromia and became simply one of three. Their individual Sparks faded and became one entity. So now she and her sisters are somewhere in the galaxy, inseparable."
Will digested this with a worried look. He thought about Sarah. She had a sister, Melanie. What if Sarah had to do that to save herself? How would he react to losing the light of his life? Would he be broken or forged anew?
"I'm... sorry." Will said quietly. "I shouldn't have asked."
"You have done nothing wrong." Ironhide turned off at an intersection and made a grumbling noise as traffic slowed to a mere twenty miles an hour. "That is why I fight the Decepticons with such rage as I do. They are the reason that my Sparkmate is now torn from me. I fight so that others will not have to lose their Sparkmates as I have."
"I joined the Army 'cause I felt like it was the right thing to do." Will said, his eyes staring at nothing in particular. "My dad, her fought in Persian Gulf. My granddad, he fought in Vietnam. My great-granddad, he fought in World War Two. My great-great granddad, he fought in World War One. And I'm pretty sure someone back there fought in the Civil or Spanish-American Wars." He grinned, but the grin faded. "I heard them tell stories when I was younger. How tyrants came to rule nations and those nations tried to take freedom from others. It made me mad that that kind of crap could exist in my world. As I got older, I realized that it was in my blood to fight for freedom. I don't know how I knew. I just know that as soon as I was eighteen, I was enlisted, and Sarah had an engagement ring on her finger from me." He shook his head. "Lots of stuff has changed since then, but it's all the same story. Bad guys want to steal freedom and blow up innocent people. Good guys want to take out bad guys to save lives. People die in the struggle. Good people, bad people." He sat back and sighed. "You Cybertron dudes, you're not that different from us. Just bigger. And much wiser."
"I would beg to differ, Major." Ironhide grunted. "Just look at the Decepticons. How much wiser than Earth's tyrants are they? And we, the Autobots... we are merely the soldiers, just as you are. We fight and we die. Or we go on fighting. All in the name of freedom and peace."
"That's the gist of it." Will said. He sat up, watching as ordinary people crossed the street and congregated on the sidewalks, lost in their everyday lives. "Look at them. They don't know what it is to fight and stare death in the eye. We protect them and half the time all they can call us is 'murderers'." He felt bitter. He had seen enough flag burnings and troop bashings to know that some people didn't care whether or not their freedom was at stake. He had lost all his friends except Robert Epps and a few lucky survivors; Fig hadn't lived through his injuries.
"That is what killing is, isn't it? Murder?"
"Yeah, but... If someone didn't stand up and shoot the serial killer, he'd kill ten more. It's all about the end, isn't it? The end justifies the means."
"Indeed it does." Ironhide chuckled. "You fight for the same reasons we Autobots do... to protect, and to remove evil from the world."
"Yeah." Will fell silent for a moment, then shifted his weight, getting more comfortable in the seat. "You're a good guy, Ironhide. A good soldier."
Ironhide did not reply for many seconds. "Major Lennox, before I met you and the other soldiers, I was convinced deep in my Spark that humans were primitive, violent and lost to the excesses of evil. But now I have seen your true colors. Optimus believed in you, and I believe now. We have fought side by side and lost dear comrades. I will not ever forget that. As long as your kind of human exists, there is hope for your race."
Will felt flustered, but did not show it. "Thanks." he said, his voice almost thick.
"Perhaps we Autobots can become what you are... both citizens and soldiers. Warriors and brethren. I think we could learn to get along, given the proper time and patience..."
"Look, you're gonna be my car from now on, so you might as well get used to it." Will grinned. "Your people aren't going anywhere as far as I'm concerned. As long as the Autobots call Earth home, we humans don't have to worry about extinction anytime soon."
"That is good to know." Ironhide slowed down as he turned off onto a peaceful-looking street. There was no hint of war or battle here; the grass was green, the houses were cheery, the flowers still bloomed. "This is your street of residence, correct?"
Will's pace quickened. It was indeed familiar. And the house on the corner was as welcoming as the pearly gates of heaven.
"My home." he breathed.
Ironhide pulled off onto the gravel driveway and Will got out, toting his duffel bag. A slim, blonde woman emerged from the front door and let out a shriek of joy. Within seconds the bag was on the ground and the man and woman were kissing each other in wild abandon.
The sun set; under its fiery rays, a family was reunited, and a father met his infant daughter. And Ironhide, gruff as he was, could not help but sigh. This was what they were fighting for, this and only this. Peace, love, freedom. It carried a heavy price, but it was worth it.
Will Lennox was home at last. And Ironhide couldn't help but feel as if he was, too.