Author's Note: Dragonsheep, your wish is granted! Also, because I'm a pile of scrap, I forgot to say what all the italics and stuff meant, so here's a guide to any special text formatting! Please remember it, as I don't want to redo this every chapter, and I've forgotten it once, so might forget it again. Once, again, enjoy and feel free to review!
Italics: "Comms/Bumblebee/Radio", 'Thoughts', Names
Bold: Cybertronian language
Disclaimer: I only own my story and OCs, but as Megatron is pointing his fusion cannon at my face, he owns Transformers.
Chapter 2: Life on Earth
It was 10 AM before Sparkmaker onlined the following day. He groaned and sat up, remembering where he was. The medbay in Optimus's base. The memory of the crash hit him again, as strong as the actual thing. The impact made him close his optics and wince. Questions and fragments of memories swirled in his processor. Who was he as a person? What did he used to be and do? Would he want to remember who he was? Why was the symbol on his chest pulsing? Putting one hand on his helm, unsuccessfully trying to clear it, he stood up and stumbled out into the main room- some kind of command centre, still lost in his thoughts. He took in the scene slowly; A groundbridge, a control console where Optimus stood in conversation with the medic who had patched him up, tunnels to his left and right, one marked SURFACE, and a raised platform. Standing on the platform, looking at him were three… organics?
That shocked him out of his train of thought. He wasn't sure how to take it, especially when the female said "Well, the zombie lives!", making Optimus and the medic turn.
"Err… hi?" He said to them, unsure of what to do. Optimus saved him from an awkward silence by walking over and introducing the trio.
"Sparkmaker, I see that you have met our three human associates. They are a native species to this planet, Earth. From left to right we have Raphael, Miko and Jackson." Each human waved when they were introduced. Optimus then gestured to the medic saying "This is Ratchet, who repaired your injuries yesterday" as the bot walked over.
Doctor and patient shook hands, the later saying "Thank you Ratchet, I owe you my life."
The medic smiled saying "It's just good to know my work is appreciated. Take it easy for now. Doctor's orders". He returned to his console, becoming engrossed in the screen. The triple changer turned back to the Prime as a thought struck him.
"Optimus, for you of all bots to be here, how many Decepticons are on this planet?"
Optimus sighed. "Hundreds. Megatron wishes to conquer this world, as he did with Cybertron. That is why we are here, and why we protect humanity, though most its people do not know that we are here, as the knowledge could endanger them."
"Oh joy... This will be a walk in Kaon."
The Prime smiled "I see you have not lost your sense of humour, or the memory of Kaon."
"I remember... there were a lot of guns... and explosions. And I thought we agreed that what happened in Kaon, stays in Kaon. It's kind of fuzzy."
Optimus nodded. "Since this is your first time on Earth, the children and I have decided to give you an, as they say it, orientation day. You will also need Earthly alternate modes. Raphael will assist you." With that, he transformed into his truck mode, opening his doors for the other two humans to climb in. "We will wait for you outside" he said as he pulled away. Sparkmaker turned to Raf who had turned on his laptop.
"You know that we have to have the example vehicle in front of us to scan it right?" The mech asked uncertainly, looking down at the small boy.
"That's not necessarily true" the Raf responded without turning from his screen. "The scanning process just requires an example to copy from. In this case, blueprints suffice. You just need to pick what you want to copy, and I'll pull up the specs."
"Okay… but how do I find what to copy?"
"The Internet. You should be able to connect to it directly. Just find the forms you like." Sparkmaker did as he was told, opening a browser and beginning his search. Ten minutes passed before he was satisfied.
"Right, I've decided" the mech said, tired of browsing. "The McLaren Senna and F-18 E/F Super Hornet." Raf looked surprised at his choice, as if he expected him to go for something else but nodded managed to find blueprints of both vehicles. The triple changer activated his scanner, lasers in his optics tracing the designs. The boy watched in wonder as Sparkmaker's body began to change, accommodating the new forms. His wings thickened, and thrusters formed in his feet. Lights appeared in his torso, as well as a radiator grille. As the alterations progressed, he stretched, feeling the best he had… since he could remember. He sighed as the adaptations completed. He paused, then transformed into his jet mode, the red, white and black looking very out of place. Raf was shocked to find the bot had installed VTOL capabilities into the Super Hornet, which activated, thrusting the jet off the ground. After popping a few weapons out of concealed areas, he transformed again, this time into his car mode. Raf saw that Sparkmaker had also modified this mode, the cabin a little further back than usual, and the jet engines able to pop out of the slightly enlarged rear of the car. Comparing to the jet mode, Raf thought the colour scheme looked much better on the McLaren. It was just more in place. Again, weapons hatches opened, showing off the car's armaments, then closed.
"Want to go for a spin?" Sparkmaker asked Raf, popping open a door.
"You bet!" the boy responded, climbing down from the raised area and pouncing into the car. As soon as the door shut, the engine activated. Brutal sound flared. As Raf belted himself in the passenger side seat, Sparkmaker pulled out slowly towards the tunnel marked SURFACE. Reaching the end, the rock face opened, allowing the mech and boy to leave the base. Outside they were met with a surprise. The other Autobots were waiting for them. Pausing to allow Raf to exit, the triple changer transformed, again unsure of what was expected from him. Optimus took charge.
"Sparkmaker, this is Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead." He pointed out the respective bot in turn.
"I remember you all from last night. Thank you for saving me from the crash" Sparkmaker said, shaking hands with each of them as they were introduced.
"That's okay. It's what we do after all" said Bulkhead, smiling. With introductions were out of the way, Optimus continued, explaining that his team were the only Autobots on Earth, and protecting humanity from the Decepticons was their top priority. He also explained that they had suffered losses and would not stop until Earth was free from Megatron's tyranny.
"Sparkmaker." the Prime said, looking him directly in the optics. "Will you join us in our mission to save Earth, as we could not Cybertron?"
"Optimus, I don't remember much, but I remember you" he replied. "I know you will free Earth from the Decepticons, and I would be honoured to be fighting alongside you to make that a reality."
"Thank you, old friend. Now, I don't usually allow this, but to test your ground-based perhaps a little racing would be enjoyable?" Optimus said, breaking the tension with a fragment of a smile. Sparkmaker just stood there, a broad grin spreading across his helm.
"You're joking!" he exclaimed. Optimus shook his helm.
"Autobots! Start your engines! First one to Trucker's Ranch wins!" The Autobots transformed and lined up, revving their engines. The humans boarded their guardians with grins bigger than the triple changers', while the bot himself only stood there, unbelieving. This was not something he expected from Optimus Prime, who was always so serious. The big rig himself was also participating, engine rumbling, counting down for a start.
"3... 2... 1... GO!" The Autobots pulled away, tires squealing on the road with Arcee and Bumblebee taking an early lead. Realising that he was about to be left in the dust, Sparkmaker broke into a sprint, jumped, and transformed into his car mode in one fluid motion, accelerating aggressively, while turning on his radio. Hmm, that looks intresting… 'Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered, and there's nowhere to turn…' Bumblebee was laughing it up in pole position with Raf. 'You wonder how you keep going…' However, Arcee wasn't far off his tail, Jack pressing himself down in the saddle for a slipstream, trying to claw back the distance. 'Think of all the things that really mattered, and the chances you've earned…' Bulkhead and Miko were trailing 200 hundred metres behind, trying to lose Optimus, though he wasn't going anywhere. 'The fire in your heart is growing…' The triple changer was a 300 hundred metres behind them, silently cursing his late start, but closing fast, roaring engine firing on all cylinders. 'You can fly, if you try, leaving the past behind…' Within half a minute he had caught up to Optimus and Bulkhead, passing them easily. 'Heaven only knows what you might find!"
As Miko yelled "Step on it Bulkhead!", he was pelting down the road towards the leaders. It was only when Arcee glanced back that she saw how close he was, within 20 metres. 'Dare, dare to believe you can survive!'
"Jack, we've got company. Sparky's on our sixth!" she warned. He turned, eyes widening in shock. 'You hold the future in your hand!'
"Did you just call me Sparky?" the bot asked as he passed. Jack could swear that car looked smug. 'Dare, dare to keep all your dreams alive…'
"Arcee, tell Bee he's coming. If we can't win, Sparky can't either!" The teen ordered. 'It's time to take a stand…'
"Bee already knows" the bike replied. As Sparkmaker reached Bumblebee, the muscle car suddenly swerved, blocking his way. That was met with cheering from everyone except the triple changer. 'And you can win if you dare!' They couldn't let the new guy win! Where the hell did he find this annoyingly appropriate music anyway? 'Everybody's trying to break your spirit, keeping you down…'
"So that's the way we're going to play it then?" the mech said. Jack's blood ran cold. 'Seems like it's been forever…' He wouldn't, would he? He did. Parts separated, whirred and recombined as Sparkmaker returned to his robot mode, the radio still playing. 'Oh, but there's another voice if you'll just hear it, saying it's the last round' He took three running strides and jumped into the sky. 'Looks like it's now or never' Again his components split, moved around and came together, barrel rolling into his jet mode. 'Out of the darkness, you stumble into the light… fighting for the things you know are right!'
He activated his thrusters, yelling over the comm; "I've got better things to do today than lose!" He shot over Bee, gaining 50 metres before rolling onto the road, transforming back into his car mode. 'Dare, dare to believe you can survive!' Pushing his engine to it's limit, he pulled away from the muscle car easily. 'The power is there at your command!' He hit 200mph, laughing at the reactions of the humans. Miko was pounding Bulkhead's dashboard in frustration while Jack and Raf were looking at him in slack jawed amazement. 'Dare, dare to keep all your dreams alive, it's time to take a stand…' Sparkmaker exposed his jet engines and fired them up, pounding down the road at subsonic speeds, radio still playing as he disappeared in a dust cloud. 'And you can win, if you dare!'.
When everyone finally reached the finish line, they found Sparkmaker in robot mode, trying to extinguish his flaming tires. Releasing their charges, the Autobots transformed. Everyone started laughing at him hysterically and mercilessly. For as long as he was online, nobody would let the triple changer forget this. He grinned back sheepishly.
"A little help?" he asked. They only laughed harder, black smoke starting to rise from the rubber.
Raf managed to gasp enough air back to say, "Cover them with dirt or something!" before collapsing back into laughter. Nodding, Sparkmaker transformed into his car mode, rolling off the road onto the dirt, trying to dig his tyres in. Slowly, the smoke and flame dissipated, showing the terrible, but barely serviceable condition of his tires. The cost of victory had been high. Transforming back to robot mode, the mech eyed his wheels.
"Primus, these things wear out fast. I'm going to have to ask Ratchet for a new set. Hopefully some better ones" he said. Optimus put a hand on his shoulder, smiling.
"Impressive move, old friend" commented the Prime.
"Thanks Optimus, though it was the Earth vehicles that made it possible" he replied. Turning his helm to the children he continued. "Your species makes good machines. You should be proud of that." The humans just shrugged, still chuckling. "What's next on the agenda then Optimus?"
"The home of the children." Optimus replied. "Jasper, Nevada. This will show you the species that we protect in a greater light, and help you learn about them. On the way there, Jack will ride with you, if he is willing."
"Hold up Optimus, why Jack?" Arcee interrupted.
"Sparkmaker needs to learn the traffic laws of Earth, and Jackson is the only one of the children with a driver's licence" he replied, with a finality that was impossible to ignore. He looked at Jack for conformation to his request.
"Sure Optimus, robots in disguise, traffic laws, I can bring Sparky up to speed" the teen said.
"Sparky... that nickname's going to stick" mumbled Sparkmaker, rubbing the back of his neck as Bumblebee and Bulkhead chuckled.
"Fine. I guess we don't want him impounded" smirked Arcee, prodding one of the mech's ruined tyres. He jumped back, rubbing it.
"Hey, those things are sensitive!" he retorted.
"Then get going, Mr. Sensitive, and look after my partner!" she replied as he transformed and pulled up to Jack. Sighing, he opened his driver-side door for the teen to climb in. Optimus took point before things escalated.
"Autobots, transform and roll out!"
"So, Jack. What's life on Earth like?" Sparkmaker asked, rolling through Jasper after Optimus and Arcee, her hologram activated to avoid suspicion. Bumblebee and Bulkhead had returned to base to investigate an energon source Ratchet had detected, after half an hour of patrolling the town with their companions. The triple changer had mastered human driving laws without... many bumps. Kerbs were lethal.
"Well... it's okay, I guess. Some places are really cool, but... this is Jasper, and it isn't that scenic." Jack replied, looking out the bot's window.
"You like the outdoors?"
"Not the desert, but yes otherwise."
"What about other people? You go outside to get away from everything?"
"No, of course not. I just like fresh air and a nice walk." The teen paused. "Though sometimes, yeah it's to destress and relax."
"Huh. Could I come with you next time? Just to try it. I mean, if it's good with you?" the bot asked.
"Sure. If Arcee won't turn you into scrap for stealing me away!"
"Ah, she'd never catch me!" Sparkmaker said, breaking into laughter with Jack at the mental image.
The moment was cut short when Jack looked up and yelled "RED LIGHT!", causing Sparkmaker to slam on his brakes, barely managing not to plough into Optimus.
"Watch it Sparky" came Arcee's amused voice over the comm as traffic passed over the intersection they had stopped in front of. "We wouldn't want you to crash into your boss on your first day, especially with a passenger."
"Thank you very much for your concern about my health Arcee" he replied, smirking inside. "I had no idea that I meant that much too you!"
"If I could slap you now I would." she countered coldly as Jack began laughing. The remark of "You too partner." quickly made him clamp a hand over his mouth as he began shaking with the force of trying not to laugh.
"Erm... I don't know much about organics, but are you supposed to be doing that?" Sparkmaker cut in.
"Doing... what?" Jack replied as he managed to, through a bucketload of self-control, regain his composure.
"Shaking so much."
"It's all your fault" he teased. "I can't take the comedy. By the way, green light."
"Thanks buddy." The Autobots pulled away.
"Arcee, Sparkmaker, Jack, we're returning to base. Ratchet has something to tell us." Optimus announced over the comm.
"Understood" replied Arcee.
"You got it" Sparkmaker said. He addressed Jack. "I wonder what he's found out?"
The drive back to base went in slowly. Jack and Sparkmaker chatted, exchanging bad jokes and puns until they both fell quiet, leaving Sparkmaker alone with his thoughts. Bad idea. They drove for twenty minutes before he broke the silence as they passed through a small forest.
"Jack?"
"Yeah Sparky?"
"My memory loss, do you think I'll ever fully remember the Bot I used to be?" Taken back, it took a while for Jack to respond.
"I'm not sure how memory loss works for Cybertronians, but humans who have amnesia sometimes regain their memories. You said yourself this morning something about Kaon, whatever that is, so obviously some of its returning."
"Those are only fragments. Not even point 1 percent of my storage capacity." Jack was shocked that the mech sounded close to tears, or at least the robotic equivalent. "We live for so long Jack. So long. My creation date was probably millions of years ago! I'll never remember it all, never!"
"Hey, stop thinking like that!" the teen argued. "Being negative never helps anyone. Optimus said to us that he knew you when he was an archivist on Cybertron, so he can probably fill you in and help you remember who you were."
"Do I want to remember who I was?" The half rhetorical question hit Jack like a kick to the gut. "What if it turns out I was a complete pile of scrap? What... what if I was a merciless killer? What if I did... terrible things I couldn't atone for, and... and wiped my memory as a result?"
"Sparkmaker. Pull over" Jack ordered. The mech did as he asked, Optimus and Arcee doing the same as they realised what was going on. As Jack stepped out of his car form, Sparkmaker transformed into his robot mode, the two other Autobots following suit as the triple changer ran into the trees, his symbol pulsing rapidly.
"Jack, what... what just happened?" Arcee asked, staring in shock at where Sparkmaker had disappeared.
"Some kind of panic attack, I think. He asked me if I thought he would get his memory back."
"What did you tell him?" Optimus said, looking down at him.
"I tried to be supportive y'know, saying he would eventually find out who he was, but he started getting upset and nothing I said seemed to help. I guess I messed up" the teen said, looking at the floor, rubbing his neck.
"You tried to do the right thing Jack" Optimus reassured. "I don't hold that against you, and neither would Sparkmaker. He is just unsure of what he is, and what he should be. I tried to make him take his mind off his issues by keeping him active, but he's a thinker, and keeping his mind off things isn't one of his strong suits."
"Should we follow him?" said Arcee, sounding unsure.
"Sparkmaker will require our help to overcome his ordeal. We can't abandon him in his time of need" the Prime replied, starting to follow the trail the panicking mech had made.
Then they heard the gunshots.
"Arcee, return Jack to base! I will assist Sparkmaker" Optimus ordered, breaking into a run.
"No Optimus! Sparky will be too distracted to fight. You'd have to take down his opponents on your own. You need my help!" Arcee yelled back, transforming for Jack to hitch a ride, then followed Optimus.
He didn't object on her insistence, except to shout back "Make sure Jack is safe before we enter the battle!" The bots kept on going until they reached a clearing, Jack scampering off Arcee to hide behind a large boulder at the very edge of the clearing and watch the conflict. The Autobots transformed with amazement. The fight was going surprisingly well for Sparkmaker, despite Arcee's prediction. He had his battle mask activated, dual wielding a Path Blaster and X18 Scrapmaker that had folded out from his servos, he shot down Vehicons left, right and centre.
"Come at me you piles of scrap!" he yelled as Optimus and Arcee joined him, opening fire with their own built in blasters. Drone after drone fell. Then the Cons decided to bring out the big guns. Sudden, jolting impacts shook the ground as new opponents joined the battle.
"3 Leapers on the left flank!" Arcee warned, laser blasts skimming past the Autobots.
"Same on the right! Take cover!" Sparkmaker replied. A rocket flew centimetres away from his helm and exploded against a tree.
"Titan in the centre!" concluded Optimus. "Ratchet-"
"Yes, what is it this time?" the medic replied sounding annoyed.
"We are under heavy Decepticon fire and require a groundbridge!"
"Bridge coming now Optimus" Ratchet confirmed, his tone neutral.
"Why are so many Cons here?" asked Arcee.
"This is the place! This was our rendezvous!" Sparkmaker replied, his symbol pulsing so fast that it was practically glowing. "I remember now! I remember them! My team, we were supposed to meet here after the crash!"
"Then we need to find them, and quickly. Ratchet, do you copy? Sparkmaker has informed us that he has a team in the area, and they must be found. We need the others, now" Optimus said, half into his comm.
"Understood, I'm contacting them now. Get yourselves under cover until they can get there!" Ratchet replied. The Autobots threw themselves behind some boulders and tensed, hearing two explosions going off right behind them.
Turning, they saw the triple changer in his jet mode, blasting off vertically into the sky as he yelled "There's no time, we have to act now! Get down!". Following his flight path, they did as he said, watching him turn once he had reached enough altitude. Then he unleashed eight missiles, one for each Leaper and two for the Titan. The missiles streaked towards their targets like meteors to earth, gaining speed as they screamed downwards. The Leapers never stood a chance. Still concentrating on the two grounded Autobots, they advanced slowly, not noticing the missiles until they tore through their back thrusters, the combinations of highly concentrated engine fuel and superheated plasma warheads exploding so violently they were obliterated, their sparks atomising. Most of the Vehicons were offlined by the blast waves, not to mention the shrapnel. The Titan fared better, but only marginally, its armour melted down to the protoform and its left servo gone. It howled in pain, producing a Corrosive Slime Cannon from its right servo, firing at Sparkmaker and missing as the Autobot landed behind the boulder his comrades were crouching behind and nonchalantly brushed himself off.
"I reckon we can take the Titan if we concentrate on the weakened areas" he said, ignoring their stunned looks as he equipped his Path Blaster.
"Agreed" Optimus, well... agreed. The Autobots scattered as the Titan fired again, the corrosive slime dissolving the boulder they were hiding behind. They opened fire, every shot finding its mark. The Titan roared in pain, leaking a river of energon from its wounds as it collapsed backwards, shaking the ground as it offlined.
Wasting no time, Sparkmaker yelled "Come on, we need to find my team!" as he ran out of the clearing, ploughing through the trees towards the forest's edge. Optimus following him while Arcee transformed and drove over to Jack, letting him jump on before they shot off after the two mechs.
As the trees thinned and gave way to desert, they began to see the real battle. The Decepticons had surrounded four Cybertronians, both sides exchanging fire. Jack saw one of the new bots, coloured in khaki camouflage paint, fire some kind of missile launcher at a group of Vehicons, obliterating them as he transformed into a cybertronian tank, rotated his turret to his right and fired, hitting a Titan which was pulled apart by the joints as the antimatter warhead hit it, opening a singularity that consumed its spark then phased out of existance. Acree let Jack off, before transforming and re-joining Optimus and Sparkmaker, who were charging towards the battle, blasters out and firing at the Cons. The teen watched as another of the newcomers, a femme, unhoused a subsonic repeater, shooting a Vehicon point blank in the head before kicking its chassis into its brethren. As Optimus, Arcee and Sparkmaker drew close to the new Bots, she noticed them, alerting her comrades who began cheering, blasting their way towards the reinforcements. Breaking out of the horde of Decepticons, they joined the three Autobots, greeting Sparkmaker in joy, embracing him.
"Escape now, hug later?" Arcee interuppted. They nodded, retreated towards Jack as they laid down covering fire for each other. Reaching him, Optimus opened a comm link to base.
"Ratchet, we need a-" A massive explosion cut him off, throwing dirt into the air. A silver and purple cybertronian jet soared out of the sky and transformed, landing before his army.
"Megatron" groaned the Prime.
"Optimus. Hand over the new arrivals and I shall let you continue to function." Megatron ordered.
"We don't belong to you!" the green tank yelled back.
"But you will, soon." the warlord chuckled, a canine grin on his face.
As Arcee, Jack and Optimus exchanged nervous glances, the five other bots responded in unison "Not today, not ever!"
Sparkmaker looked optics with Megatron and clenched his servos. "Igniters, COMBINE!"