A/N: I am mixing the Beast Wars/TFA protoform concept with the G1 design-and-build concept. The word "protoform" in this story is therefore creatively employed to mean the initial, small body of a sparkling that is designed upfront but can be not only easily remodeled as the sparkling grows but also mold itself to fit unique traits the sparkling reveals after infusion. This adaptability can sometimes mean deformities . . .
Chapter 2: All that Shouldn't Happen
Bluestreak stared at Sideswipe, who was in turn staring at Ratchet. The medbay fell into a silence interrupted only by the soft whirl of computer fans and hum of electronics. Sideswipe's sudden yell seemed deafening by comparison.
"What?" The red twin looked from Ratchet to Bluestreak and back. "If Sunny disabled what? The Stupidity Stopper? What?"
Bluestreak wrapped his arms across his chassis, his fear doubling.
Ratchet made a slicing motion with his hand. "Sorry, Sides, this is a private consultation. No questions allowed."
Bluestreak knew that wouldn't be enough to deter Sideswipe, and sure enough, the red twin crossed the room and leaned into Ratchet's face. "If it's private then don't conduct it in the middle of the general bay!" He stepped over to Bluestreak and squeezed his left shoulder. "What's this all about, Blue? The way he was talking, it almost sounded like you're carrying — " He paused. "Nah, that's impossible." He looked to Ratchet again. "That is impossible, right?"
Bluestreak stared at Ratchet, silently imploring him to scare Sideswipe off with one of his famous temper flares.
Wheeljack stepped back and activated the computer comm. link. "Wheeljack to Jazz. Report to medbay immediately."
An affirmative answer met the request, and that distracted Sideswipe momentarily. "Why Jazz?" The twin temporarily grew so still he seemed to be in a form of stasis lock. "Primus! Blue really is carrying a sparkling, isn't he?" He looked back at the gunner. "Oh, Blue, you know I can't stop something that shocking from going across my bond with Sunny." He paused, tilting his head as though listening to a mental comm. link. "Yeah, he's on his way."
Bluestreak cringed. He felt like he'd been dumped on a conveyer belt for a smelting pit. Jazz was coming — would he be disappointed? Bluestreak wondered — and Sunstreaker was coming. "Primus!" He shuddered.
Ratchet stepped to the comm. link. "Ratchet to Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ironhide. Report to medbay immediately. Code 27 with a possible and very likely Code 13."
A chorus of affirmatives met this request, and Bluestreak stared at the CMO in horror. Half the base was going to learn his personal business, it was going to turn into a freak show, everyone was going to be angry, and screaming would result. "Ratchet!" The name came out as more of a squeak.
"Sorry, Blue," Ratchet replied, his grey face stern. "With Sunny on the way, I don't have much of a choice."
Bluestreak had the sudden urge to bolt, but Sideswipe still clutched his left shoulder. "Sides . . ."
Sideswipe shook his head, his optics glazed over in the way that revealed he was listening to his bond with his twin.
When the medbay doors hissed open, Bluestreak jumped, but to his relief Jazz had arrived first.
"What in the universe?" Jazz asked, his gaze landing on Bluestreak.
"Please stand by Bluestreak," Wheeljack said quietly, "and, uh, hold his hand if you would."
"Sure thing, but why?" Jazz crossed the room, positioning himself by the berth and taking Bluestreak's right hand.
"You'll see," Wheeljack replied, walking around the berth and, to Bluestreak's surprise, standing behind him as though offering backup.
Bluestreak stared at the third-in-command, who he looked up to like a genitor. "I'm sorry, Jazz. Please don't be disappointed!" To his shame, he felt coolant burn his optics.
Jazz squeezed his hand. "Hey, kiddo, I'm not gonna be disappointed in ya. I don't get what's happenin' here, but yer not gonna ever disappoint me."
The hiss of opening doors announced the second arrival, and Bluestreak relaxed to see it was Ironhide.
"Whatcha need me for?" Ironhide asked, crossing his red arms over his boxy chest. "Yer not serious 'bout that Code 27 are ya?"
"Dead serious," Ratchet replied dryly.
Ironhide dropped his arms and walked to the CMO's side. "What 'n the — "
The unmistakable sound of screeching tires pierced the doors, followed by the sound of a transformation, and Bluestreak jumped. Jazz stepped closer to him and grasped his right hand with both hands.
The doors parted, admitting a clearly angry Sunstreaker. "What do you mean I'm a genitor!"
The yell was directed at Sideswipe, who dropped his hand from Bluestreak's shoulder but stood between him and his brother. "Just what it sounds like. I accidentally walked in on the end of the conversation. Bluestreak's carrying a sparkling."
"Impossible!" The yellow warrior stalked up to Ratchet. "We both have SMERs to stop this kinda slag."
Jazz gasped at the word "sparkling," and Ironhide took position at Ratchet's shoulder, clearly indicating he was there in a security capacity.
Ratchet's optics narrowed and glowed almost indigo. "Obviously one of you got your Stupidity Stopper damaged in battle. Or it malfunctioned."
Sunstreaker pointed one finger at Ratchet and poked him in the chest. "Then I guess that means you didn't do your job right!"
Bluestreak drew backwards in anticipation, and he felt Wheeljack pat his shoulder. Sunstreaker's attitude and temper may have won him the nickname "Resident Sociopath," but Ratchet's disposition had earned him the nickname "Hatchet." Suddenly Bluestreak wasn't sure which mech Ironhide would have to restrain.
"You're supposed to run a systems' check every morning," Ratchet replied icily. "However, that aside, it doesn't change the fact unbonded couples should not be spark merging!"
The medbay doors had opened once again as Ratchet had spoken, and Optimus Prime and Prowl stared into the room. Prowl already looked traumatized, his movements stiff as he entered. Bluestreak guessed Jazz had given him a warning over their bond, and he worried again that Prowl would think less of him. Optimus visibly jerked upon hearing the words.
"Spark merging?" Optimus asked. "So that Code 27 . . .?"
"It appears Blue is carrying a sparkling," Sunstreaker replied, glaring at his leader. "And why is half the base suddenly in here!" He looked at Bluestreak. "Wait a minute. Have you been with anyone other than me lately?"
A beat of silence hit the room, then suddenly everyone seemed to speak at once: "Sunstreaker!"
Everyone, that is, except Bluestreak, whose vocalizer seemed to freeze momentarily. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Of course not!" A pulse of rage passed through him at the implication. "How can you even say that, why would you ask that, and of course I haven't been so why did you ask?"
Several pairs of glaring optics turned toward Sunstreaker, who snorted and crossed his arms. "I never said we were exclusive. Just because I've dated you for two hundred orns doesn't mean I ignored everyone else, so why should you have? It's a valid question."
Bluestreak's logic circuits ground to an abrupt halt.
"Sunny!" Sideswipe stepped up to his twin and crossed his arms as well. "Look, I know this is a huge shock for you — slag, it is for me, too! — but Blue's just as shocked as you are."
One half of Bluestreak's processor told him he shouldn't be surprised. Sunstreaker was the base's biggest player, after all.
"Ya know perfectly well Blue's the loyal type!" Jazz was saying.
The other half of Bluestreak's processor rebelled, pointing out the special way Sunstreaker had treated him, plus he had indicated they were not just casually dating.
"Hey, Sunny, that was uncalled for," Ironhide was saying.
Bluestreak frowned as he stared at his angry lover's face. Sunstreaker still had his arms crossed and was looking to the side, his chin lifted in a clear 'I'm-not-listening' gesture. Bluestreak put his hand over his spark chamber, where apparently a second spark now grew, and felt hurt and betrayed. He'd been committed to Sunstreaker, and this was his payment?
"Calm down," Optimus ordered, stepping into the fray. "Yelling is only going to make this worse. This is an unusual situation, but things like this did happen back on Cybertron. We can all cope."
Feeling a rush of anger like he hadn't experienced since he'd seen his home city destroyed, Bluestreak squeezed Jazz's hand and then pulled away. No, he decided, he didn't feel betrayed or hurt. He was slagged off. "How dare you!" He stood, giving in to the rage even though he didn't understand why it was suddenly so intense.
Every mech in the room stilled, all optics turned to Bluestreak, but the gunner focused solely on the shocked Sunstreaker. "For two hundred orns," he continued, "I've picked my way around your 'moods' and absorbed the occasional brush off in order to keep peace, and all I get in return is the implication that I'm some easy 'facer who'll jump in a berth with anyone who'll give me attention? Even if you don't care about anyone but yourself and think you're better than all the rest of us, even your own twin, I thought you respected me as a warrior at least enough to not hurl senseless accusations at me just because you don't like that there are consequences to your actions and you don't want to deal with it because it's inconvenient and cramps your style!"
For once, Sunstreaker didn't have an immediate comeback. Before Sunstreaker could recover, Bluestreak clenched his fists and finished his speech. "Well, guess what Oh Perfect One Who Can't Be Bothered? Something went wrong, it's half your fault, and I'm not going to sit around and be insulted because you're having one of your moods!"
"Wha — " Sunstreaker growled. "You slagger!" He lunged for Bluestreak, who struck a defensive stance, but Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Ratchet all grabbed Sunstreaker.
Bluestreak couldn't seem to reign in his temper now that he'd lost it. A fire seemed to rage in his tanks, the consuming hate that only Decepticons could invoke in him. Every circuit in his body seemed to burn. "I guess you finally have to grow up, huh?" He howled in incoherent fury, transformed, and before anyone could react, he dashed out of the medbay and down the hall. As soon as the Ark's main entrance was in sight, he pushed his fuel to maximum and shot into the desert at his top speed.
Frag it all, anyway! he thought as the sand flashed under his wheels. Slagger!
oOoOo
Wheeljack was the first to react to Bluestreak's sudden departure, having built too many sparkling protoforms to be fazed by carriers' behavior. That and the fact he was deeply worried for the young mech. "Blue's Gestation Protection program has fragged up his emotional subroutines. We better follow him before he runs his engine too hot and damages the sparkling."
Ratchet glanced over the struggling Sunstreaker's shoulder. "You're right, but no way do I have the speed to catch up with him." He released one hand from his 'patient' and whipped a wrench from subspace. "Calm down, or I'll put you down!" he said, whacking Sunstreaker in the helm.
Sunstreaker growled but grew motionless, and Wheeljack had to suppress a laugh. Ratchet was probably the only 'bot in the universe that could exercise any real control over Sunstreaker, and at the moment, Wheeljack was taking guilty pleasure in seeing him put in his place.
"I have enough speed to catch 'im." Jazz glanced at Optimus. "Technically, both Prowl and I do, and ya know Blue looks up to us."
Optimus nodded. "You're his surrogate genitor. Perhaps it is best for you two to retrieve him."
"I need to go as well, then." Wheeljack was not about to be left off the team. "You know I can catch up with him, and someone needs to check the sparkling."
Prowl was glaring at Sunstreaker, or what little of the warrior could be seen with his brother, Ironhide, and Ratchet all gripping him. "Jazz is best suited to calm down Bluestreak, and I'd like to remain here to have a few words with Sunstreaker."
Extra glad to be wearing a blast mask, Wheeljack couldn't stop his grin. He could only imagine what Prowl had in mind for the mech who'd mistreated his 'adopted' offspring, and he wished he could be around to hear the berating.
However, Jazz, who normally smiled so easily, was totally grim. "Ya do that. 'Jack and I can handle this."
"Very well." Optimus stepped clear of the doors. "Wheeljack and Jazz will retrieve Bluestreak."
Jazz transformed immediately and sped out the room with squealing tires.
"Ah, 'parents,'" Wheeljack sighed, shaking his head in mock exasperation. He subspaced a scanner and transformed, following Jazz. ::Wait up,:: he said through his comm. link.
::All right, man, but hurry,:: Jazz replied.
Wheeljack caught up with him at the Ark's entrance. ::Let's show our stuff, huh?::
::Ya got it.:: Jazz accelerated, kicking up a storm of dust behind him. ::I checked with Red Alert, and he indicates that Blue headed almost due West. He also won't answer his comm.::
Wheeljack accelerated as well, staying by the saboteur's side. He could almost feel the anxiety radiating from Jazz. ::Hey, we'll catch up with him. Don't worry.::
::Ya know Blue's specs. The humans use his model in racing, too. Just like Prowl, if ya give him a flat stretch, he can really go.::
::True.:: Wheeljack couldn't deny the possibility. ::But our top speeds are still higher.::
They both paused their conversation as a boulder came into view, each swerving around one side of it before pulling side-to-side again.
::That ain't what's worryin' me.:: Jazz finally replied, accelerating further. ::What's got me concerned is the fact he has the best endurance. Teletraan I's clocked him at going top speed for twelve Earth hours straight!::
Wheeljack matched Jazz's speed again, realizing he had one nearly hysterical 'parent' on his hands. ::If it comes down to it, I'll use my rockets. Blue can't hope to surpass me if I take to the sky, and he won't get so far ahead that I'll run out of rocket fuel before I reach him. But our biggest concern here really isn't Blue. He can handle himself.::
Jazz sighed through the comm. link. ::I know, it's the sparklin'. Yeah, that's got me worried, too.::
::Hey, the Gestation Protection program should force him to stop if his body can't handle the stress.:: Wheeljack tried to sound as reassuring as possible, but he was concerned as well. Ahead of them lay miles of nothingness with not even a dust cloud in the distance to reveal Bluestreak's exact location.
::It will? Okay, that's good to know.: Jazz paused for a klik. ::Uh, 'Jack? Does this mean Prowl and I are gonna become what humans call "grandparents?" 'Cause that's almost insultin' for mechs our age.::
At that, Wheeljack had to laugh.
oOoOo
A full three breems passed before Bluestreak heard the sound of approaching engines. He'd located a sizable boulder in the desert and was watching some earth creature squirming in the scorching noon sun. When he'd calmed enough to stop and transform, he'd sat on the boulder and sobbed. Now that his anger and pain had dimmed, he simply felt numb. He'd never yelled at a fellow Autobot, having always been polite. In fact, the only hate he'd ever harbored was against the Decepticons for killing his family and friends. Therefore, he wasn't entirely sure why he'd lost his temper so badly, even if everyone knew Sunstreaker could be taxing for even the most patient of 'bots. All he knew was he'd blown it, and he wasn't sure he even cared. He simply felt exhausted, and although his optics were not malfunctioning, the entire world seemed grey.
As the sound of engines neared, Bluestreak noted there were only two cars and both were racers. High speed pursuit, he mused. What did they think he was going to do? Drive himself off the side of a cliff? Spontaneously combust from rage? Bluestreak sighed, letting the bitter thoughts float away from him, and turned his gaze upon the approaching mechs, forcing himself reconnect to the world. Both cars were white with spoilers. One had blue and red racing stripes and the other green and red.
"Jazz and Wheeljack!" Bluestreak stood, feeling both relieved and nervous. He had no idea what Jazz thought of his being a genitor, and he also didn't know how either was feeling about his outburst at Sunstreaker and subsequent high-speed exit.
Arriving with screeching breaks, both mechs transformed.
"Behold the power of the Gestation Protection subroutine," Wheeljack said lightly, "and its amazing ability to disrupt all other emotional programming."
Jazz ran to him and hugged him. "Ya okay, Blue? Primus, ya scared me!"
Bluestreak wrapped his arms around Jazz's waist and leaned his head against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or disappoint you or put you out, I just suddenly felt so angry and — "
"Shhhh." Jazz hugged him tighter. "Ya don't have to apologize to me, although please don't race away like that again. And I'm not disappointed in ya."
Dimming his optics, Bluestreak allowed himself to imagine for a moment that Jazz and Prowl really were his adoptive genitors or creators and that he still had a literal family. He wasn't sure what he could call them, but he supposed he could borrow human words and call Jazz "Dad" and Prowl "Father," provided it didn't confuse Sparkplug and Spike too badly thanks to their human perceptions of gender. Then his new genitors would look after him forever and . . .
Reality crashed into his little daydream, a bolt of fear lanced his circuits, and he pulled back. "Prowl! Oh, Primus! He must be so disillusioned and frustrated. He told me from the start Sunstreaker wasn't any good for me and now this has happened and I'm sure he thought I'd be more careful and . . ." His vocalizer ground to a halt as horror bubbled in his tank.
Jazz clasped his face between his hands. "Hey, Prowler's not mad at ya. Or let down. He's shocked, but more than anythin', he's just worried for ya."
Stepping closer, Wheeljack pulled a scanner out of his subspace. "Yeah, you need to be careful." He turned Bluestreak to face him and scanned his chest over his spark chamber. "You can't tax your systems too much, or you'll kill the sparkling."
"Kill it?" Bluestreak shuddered. "I didn't know that oh Primus what if I'd — "
"It's fine," Wheeljack interrupted. "The scan shows no anomalies or fluctuations."
Bluestreak relaxed, but he still felt sick to his tank. "I don't want to do anything that would hurt it."
"I know." Wheeljack's tone was calming. "Now let's find out what started this little problem." He scanned Bluestreak's upper arm as well, where the SMER was housed. "Ah, I see. Yours has some damage, although not enough to totally account for a sparkling. That means Sunstreaker's is either also damaged or wearing out." He sighed and returned the scanner to subspace. His vocal indicators flashed red as he spoke. "It's a little late now, but in the future remember that you have to have routine SMER checkups and occasional replacements if you're being, uh, active."
Bluestreak dropped his gaze and stared at the sand. "Oh." He didn't want to meet the gazes of either mech. "So Sunny and I were both being careless. I guess Ratchet really does call the SMER the Stupidity Stopper for a reason."
An awkward pause followed, then Wheeljack hugged him. "Hey, no use in beating yourself up now."
Bluestreak relaxed against Wheeljack, surprised but touched to have been hugged by him twice in one orn. He appreciated knowing at least a few mechs cared enough to be affectionate with him, that is, for some reason other than a turn at 'facing. Bluestreak frowned, wondering if Sunstreaker had really only been out for an easy lover after all.
Finding himself angry again, Bluestreak growled and pulled back. "Yeah, but what about Sunny? That slagger humiliated me in front of a whole room of mechs."
Wheeljack exchanged glances with Jazz, and Bluestreak knew they weren't used to him cursing so much. "Blue, the sparkling carrier has a subroutine that activates, and it's called the Gestation Protection program. It enables you to defend your sparkling to an almost supermech capacity, but it also tends to cause irritability and mood swings. In some it can even cause depression or anxiety."
Bluestreak processed this information, gazing at the engineer's masked face. "I see." He paused, frowning again. "Sunny was still a total fragger."
Both Wheeljack and Jazz laughed. Wheeljack kept his arm around Bluestreak's shoulders, and Jazz stepped over and squeezed his arm.
"Agreed," Jazz replied. "But ya should still try to talk things out with him when ya return. Ratchet will have made sure Sunstreaker has calmed down, even if he has to drug him to do it, so ya might find that he'll be less of a slagger."
"And you have to admit it was just as much of a shock to him," Wheeljack said, "although you telling him off was priceless." He and Jazz laughed again.
Bluestreak found himself chuckling, too. "Well, I guess he had it coming but if you two think I should then I will." He sighed, his doorwings slumping. "And I want to talk to him, I really do. I just got so mad."
"That's understandable," Jazz said, smiling at him. "But ya two did just create a new life, after all. Now let's go back to the base, okay?"
Bluestreak nodded, and the three transformed, heading back to the Ark at a leisurely pace.
oOoOo
Standing in the medbay, Bluestreak gathered his courage. Ratchet had told him Sunstreaker was resting on a berth in the back, one of the sectioned off rooms usually reserved for critical patients. Jazz and Wheeljack had encouraged him to speak with Sunstreaker, and even Ratchet had agreed, stating that Sunstreaker was partially sedated. Bluestreak, though, found himself staring at the door to Sunstreaker's room, his fists clenched with nervousness and a trace of anger. Determined to face the problem, however, Bluestreak approached the door, paused as it automatically opened, and then stepped in.
Sunstreaker was sitting up on the berth, his arms crossed over his abdomen and his gaze unfocused. At the door's hydraulic hiss, he let his head loll to the side. His optics focused then, but his face was devoid of expression. "Hey."
Bluestreak stared at him, feeling uncomfortable. "Uh, hey." He really did want to work things out, not let this destroy their relationship or the friendship that had preceded it. Granted, Sunstreaker was the Autobots' wildest and most irresponsible warrior, but despite his irritation, Bluestreak really did believe that something more than interfacing had kept them together.
"I'm sorry," Bluestreak said, sliding into the chair by Sunstreaker's berth. "'Jack said I have a Gestation Protection program and it can cause anger but I still shouldn't have — "
Sunstreaker held up one hand in a gesture for silence. "It's okay. I flipped there for a few kliks, but I know you haven't been with anyone else. I shouldn't have implied you had been." He sighed. "Actually, I haven't been either for the last ninety orns."
Bluestreak flinched. Once again, he found he wasn't entirely surprised to hear Sunstreaker had been with others, given his reputation, but it still hurt to hear about it. He held back his temper, though. "It's good to hear that you know I wouldn't do anything like that and your apology is accepted but now we really need to talk about this because whether we like it or not we're genitors."
"Genitors . . ." Sunstreaker shuddered faintly. "I never wanted to be a genitor. This was a orn I had hoped would never happen."
Bluestreak felt a sick gurgling in his tank. "Well I wasn't ready either but it seems we weren't careful and it's already done so I guess we need to talk about what to do next."
"Oh, yeah. Ratchet was saying something about designing and building a protoform." Sunstreaker's gaze shifted to the wall, where someone had mounted a holophoto of Cybertron. Various beautiful cityscapes flitted across the screen, showing the Golden Age. "I don't know much about that stuff. All my training is in martial arts, weaponry, and battle strategy."
Bluestreak shifted in the chair, his doorwings twitching in agitation. "I don't know much about it either because before undergoing weapons training I was a merchant. I know a lot about parts and upgrades but I don't know anything about design or building. But it's still our sparkling so we have to decide what we want, right?"
"Sounds like we need to consult with 'Jack." Sunstreaker's gaze didn't leave the holophoto, and his vocalizer sounded faintly slurred.
Bluestreak wondered just how many sedatives Ratchet had given him. "Sure. Uh, Sunny, are you okay because you seem really out of it and I know Ratchet gave you something to help you relax but you don't seem like yourself at all."
Smiling faintly, Sunstreaker let his head loll to the side again, catching Bluestreak's gaze as he did. "I think Ratchet said I've gone into shock or denial or something." He snorted suddenly, a harsh laugh escaping him. "I'm sure the whole base knows by now, and they're probably all terrified at the thought of me having a sparkling!"
Bluestreak cringed at the bitterness of Sunstreaker's tone. "Well I don't know I've only talked with Jazz and 'Jack but rumors do fly around here."
Sunstreaker waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Whatever. Talk to 'Jack. All I know is it should be a warrior and have yellow in the paint design."
Bluestreak stared at his lover for several kliks, trying to process what he'd said. "So . . . you insist on a warrior?" He wasn't particularly surprised by the request, but his discomfort with fighting made him uneasy.
Sunstreaker's gaze had wandered back to the holophoto. A sunset over Iacon currently graced the screen. "Of course it'll be a warrior." He paused. "If it's the result of our sparks over-surging, it's gotta be a warrior. Nothing associated with me would be anything else."
"I see your point." Bluestreak supposed there wasn't much of a choice since they were in the middle of a war, so he kept his discomfort to himself.
Sunstreaker nodded faintly. "Right, then. Tell me what 'Jack says." His gaze never left the holophoto.
"Uh, sure." Bluestreak stood and hurried from the room, uncomfortable. If Sunstreaker was having trouble discussing protoforms, then he obviously too drugged to discuss the possibility of an official spark bond. Bluestreak hoped that after Sunstreaker recovered from his shock and had time to think about it that he would see this as the logic in forging a permanent relationship. And sparkling or not, Bluestreak ultimately wanted to be bonded.
oOoOo
The door comm. buzzed, causing Wheeljack to slowly extract his attention from the article he was reading. "Come in." He turned halfway toward the door, only to find that his optics refused to leave the computer screen, where the article said exactly what he didn't want to think about: If the alloy's tensile strength dips below 98.56 percent in any section of the protoform, then when the gestated sparkling is attached, there is a 2.93 percent chance that the fusion will cause . . .
"You're just going to ignore me, huh? What are you reading that's so engrossing?"
Wheeljack tore gaze his away from the screen and focused on his visitor. Ratchet had crossed his arms over his chest and was glaring at him with mock indignation. "Sorry about that," Wheeljack said. "I wasn't trying to ignore you. I was just rereading some material on protoforms now that Blue's carrying."
Ratchet walked over and read the article's title over his shoulder. "'The Occurrence of Superficial Flaws and Interior Dysfunctions in the Protoforms of Gestated Sparklings: A Long-term Study.' Oh, 'Jack, don't tell me you're worried about — "
"I'm not worried," Wheeljack interrupted, uneasy. "I'm being careful. Not counting the time that we were deactivated, I haven't built a protoform in ten vorns." He frowned behind his mask as his gaze returned to the monitor. "And I know you must have told Sunny and Blue to come see me." He held in a sigh, not wanting the reminder that the mech he'd secretly loved was likely to end up spark bonded to someone else now.
A red hand squeezed his shoulder. "'Jack, everyone in Iacon knew you were the best. You were backlogged for up to a half-vorn at times. It doesn't matter if it's been awhile, you'll still do an excellent job."
Wheeljack turned and stared at his best friend. Ratchet, of all 'bots, knew what was at stake. "You know perfectly well 'excellent' isn't always good enough."
"No gestated sparklings ever had abnormalities if you built their protoform." A smile lightened the stern grey face. "You're worrying for nothing. I grant you that your track record on explosive devices is less than stellar, although still impressive, but protoforms are in a completely different category. You always excelled there, and you know it."
Wheeljack sighed through his intakes. "Ratch, it's more than that. We don't have the right alloys here on Earth for a protoform. The Dinobots were nothing like this. It's one thing to build an adult body and transfer a mature spark out of storage. But protoforms and sparklings?" He snorted. "We're in a real bind here."
"I know that." Ratchet sat by him on the workbench. "That's why I've already asked Prime to send a team to raid Iacon's old refinery. I also asked that Hoist and Grapple be included to ensure the very best alloys are retrieved."
Wheeljack gazed at his friend for several moments. "I see you've been thinking this through, too. Who's leading the team?"
"Jazz. He's working on a plan with Prowl and Prime right now. Mirage will help with the infiltration, and Sideswipe and Warpath are going for firepower. I think it's safe to say you'll get the alloys you need."
Wheeljack nodded and glanced back at the article one last time. "Yeah. Jazz never lets us down, and Grapple's a perfectionist." Still, even as he turned off the monitor, he couldn't help feeling worried. "I just don't want the sparkling to have any . . . issues. Or see the look of absolute horror on Sunstreaker's face if there was a flaw." He shuddered involuntarily, his memory banks trying to call up an image that he immediately dismissed. "As vain as he is, Sunny would disown the sparkling in disgust and — "
"Stop it," Ratchet said, his tone unusually soft. "It'll all be fine."
Wheeljack sighed, still disturbed by the entire situation. "I hope you're right."
"I am. Now get some recharge." Ratchet stood. "I suspect you'll have a busy orn tomorrow."
Chasing the ghosts from the edges of his mind, Wheeljack smiled behind his mask. "Yessir! By all means let me not defy the resident CMO."
Ratchet laughed and headed for the door. "Yeah, not if you know what's good for you."
Watching his friend leave, Wheeljack tried to take the reassurances to spark. Surely with the right alloys, all would go well. He nodded to himself and allowed some excitement to filter through his anxiety. "Finally, a new sparkling!" he announced to his lab, then headed to his quarters, protoform designs already racing through his processor.
Postscript: To answer a question I got, I have two continuities going in my stories:
Movie AU: "No Quiet to Find," "A Second Destiny," and associated one-shots.
Season 2 Veer-off into an AU: "Sound and Fury," its sequel, and this story.
Anything that happens in one set is totally independent of the other.
Thank you to the following for reviews: Kookaburra, Bbratteberget, Shirox, Misao-CG, Sergeant Duck, Kick-Aft, P.A.W. 07, and SSlaxx. Love you guys!
