Disclaimer: do not own Transformers.
Summary: Oneshot, MovieAU. Optimus Prime has a chat with another person to whom leadership was suddenly thrust upon, and muses on the Allspark's last legacy. Fervent nods to Beast Wars/Machines.
Rating: K+
Author note: An offshoot of heslestor's bunny over at LJ.
Legacy
Optimus Prime surveyed the scene before him, standing atop a hill overlooking the kingdom of Tranquility. Humans, their hosts as well as their brethren, went about, picking up pieces of their shattered lives, mourning for the Allspark as the Autobots mourned.
This…this was a strange planet. From what the Autobots had gathered, it had been a dying planet. Thousands of years ago, a meteorite fell from the skies, bringing with it an alien disease that ravaged the entire planet. The humans were slightly better off than their evolutionary cousins, but of the several species of humans that existed at that time, only Homo sapiens managed to survive, and that species too was dying out, when a miracle occurred.
As far as they could tell, the Allspark was drawn there by the planet's death throes. The Allspark was an artefact of life, and had changed the genetics of the remaining life-forms so that they would survive. What was once an organic world was now a technorganic one.
And yet…yet it had changed the humans most of all. Perhaps something in the humans made them as different from their wild cousins as the Cybertronians were as different from the drones. In any case, these changes allowed the humans to take on second forms—forms of other creatures of the planet.
The humans had an intimate understanding with the Allspark—as a child would know her mother's touch and her father's voice, so the humans knew the Allspark.
The Cybertronians were never quite certain, but the humans, at least, firmly believed that the Allspark was sentient.
Cybertron was the Allspark's first child; then the Allspark had adopted Earth.
Is it luck that the Allspark was at the proper place in the proper time? Was she meant to have been lost from us, only to be found here?
Luck, or fate? Coincidence, or intent?
Behind him, Ironhide was anxiously watching a rambunctious Annabelle, who had just started her transformations and delighted in her bird forms, flying higher and higher. Will Lennox, in eagle-shape, encouraged his fledgling child, and his pack-brother Robert Epps, in jaguar mid-transformation, ran underfoot, ready to catch either of them. When humans were young they were able to take any form that they wished. As they neared adulthood, this plasticity was exchanged for skill as they limited themselves to three or four alternate forms. Despite himself, he had to smile. It reminded him of a newly-sparked's first attempts at transforming.
Jazz was recovering, and Ratchet was in recharge and splayed out on the ground, after a three straight hard orns of saving Jazz's fading spark alongside the native CMOs. In his hand were cradled the chief medics of those in Tranquility, Carlisle and Danielle Banes, with Mikaela nestled in between them. The three humans were exhausted, and had taken on their tiger forms before going to sleep. Mikaela's snow-white fur stood out from between her parents' gold.
Bumblebee was elsewhere, probably being entertained by Sam, Miles and Nina. The Autobots had thought that the falcon was odd…but were proven wrong when they found that the ape and the wild orchid were true oddities, even amongst the humans. Miles wasn't exactly there much of the time. He came from a long line of clairvoyants, and had known the instant that the Autobots had landed. Nina was odd in her fascination of nature, and in her secondary form of a demi-flower instead of an animal. No doubt the duo was keeping Bumblebee on his feet.
A falcon's cry from above interrupted his musings. Looking upwards, he saw a peregrine, massive in size…and strangely alone.
It was strange to see him alone. Humans had always been highly social creatures, and the Allspark's influence had strengthened that, to the extent that they were very uncomfortable when alone. The nuclear family consisted of at least two pair-bonds and their offspring. Sam was usually in the company of Mikaela, Miles, Nina, or Bumblebee, who had been a very recent addition to the young humans' comparatively small pack.
He noticed Optimus standing there, and descended.
"Hello, Sam," Optimus said, watching the young technorganic land and transform.
Sam stopped mid-transformation, keeping the glinting brown-blue wings that extended from his back and arranging them around himself, warding off the evening chill.
"Evening, Optimus," Sam greeted in turn.
The silence stretched between them.
Sam's wings shifted, feathers sticking up at odd angles, and he shuffled from foot to foot.
Optimus was also slightly uncomfortable, although he hid it better.
Optimus knew that humans and Cybertronians could live together in harmony, but that didn't mean that the Autobot leader was blind to the obvious: that they were from different species, and, though the Allspark had given the humans exponentially long life-spans, there still existed an age gap of eons between them.
The Allspark knew when Megatron had landed, and had alerted her adopted children through the Lancaster family. The Witwicky family was in charge of protecting the Allspark, and were instructed to sacrifice her if necessary, and, when Megatron was finally unearthed, the Simmons family was supposed to make sure that Megatron never got out of stasis.
As the generations passed, the responsibility had fallen onto Ron Witwicky to take care of the Allspark, and now to Sam, who had taken over for his recovering father.
Now with the Allspark gone, the human population—numbering thousands to the Autobots' hundreds—were looking to the Witwicky family as mediators between Autobot and humanity.
This was a leader…but a child. A soldier…and yet also a civilian.
This was more than leader and leader, commander and subordinate, Autobot and human. And Optimus didn't quite know how to overcome this hurdle.
"You doin' okay, big guy?" Sam blurted out suddenly.
"As well as can be expected," Optimus answered, trying to make his voice soothing.
Sam rearranged his wings over his shoulders, and cleared his throat. "We haven't found anyone in Sector Seven yet, let alone Simmons."
Even though the humans knew in their hearts that the Allspark would sacrifice herself for them—and indeed, that was what she did for the sake of both her children—the velociraptor was bitter about the Allspark's demise. He had even tried to take her away perforce, before the Autobots intervened.
No doubt that he was out there still, though what he was planning, they did not know.
Optimus nodded. "And we've yet to track down Barricade or Starscream."
"I guess there's a big storm ahead of us, huh?"
"I would say so. However," Optimus said, gesturing back to their comrades and friends. "The worries of tomorrow should not distract us from the joys of today."
Sam just nodded. He seemed to want to say something, and Optimus waited patiently as the peregrine rearranged his wings around himself.
"I never wanted her, you know," Sam said finally. He sounded almost…apologetic, though why, Optimus could not fathom. "The Allspark, I mean. I mean, don't take it the wrong way—I, I loved her, really, I did—but I always grew up thinking that I was never meant to protect her. I mean, how could I? You're looking at the kid that got beat up regularly in school. I was all for handing her over to Simmons' care when my eighteenth birthday rolled around. All I wanted was to make it through my education and training, not get stuck in any transformations, and catch Mikaela's interest. I guess part of me never really thought that I deserved her. Now I'll never know."
Optimus caught the self-condemning tone. "Do you blame yourself for her destruction?"
"Huh? I—I mean. Well, yeah. I guess so." The boy suddenly found one of his feathers quite interesting. "I mean, I always knew that—that she…er…loved us, I guess you could say." He looked at Optimus. "And even though that's what she wanted me to do…I don't know."
"The Allspark loved life, Sam," Optimus said after awhile. "We've given her the peace she wanted."
"It's just…hard," he muttered. "Sorry for sounding so lame," he added.
"It is not 'lame,' Sam," Optimus said, smiling gently. "All leaders have their doubts."
Sam gave an uncertain smile.
Optimus wanted to tell the boy about another mech, who, long ago, had had similar doubts when the Allspark was passed into his keeping, and had similar feelings when he had had to take the Allspark away from Cybertron, initiating her disappearance.
But that would have to wait another day.
"Guys!" Miles said, rushing up to them, promptly tripping, and then getting up again. His eyes were bright. "I See that we're about to have company!"
"Planet-fall?" Sam asked, incredulous. "Already?"
Barely after Sam finished, Optimus received a message. He smiled.
"Yes, Sam, already."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Miles asked. "Come on! Let's go meet our sibs!"
Before they could respond, he was already jumping on Ratchet's arm, waking up the rest of their pack.
"Sibling," Sam repeated. He looked up at Optimus. "Well, the Allspark…er…gave birth to you, and it adopted us, so…I guess that makes us brothers, huh?"
"Yes," Optimus said. "Yes, it would."
Transforming alongside Autobot and human alike, Optimus was filled with a strange sort of peace.
Some things were just meant to be.