Nutritional facts: Contains trace amounts of brotherhood and severed legs
There was a slight silence that lingered on when Sam had relayed that little bit of information to the Autobot leader. He was scared he might have broken Optimus' CPU or something, because all the huge mech could could do was stare at the wrapped up figure on the ground with large blue optics like a deer in the headlights. After the initial shock, Optimus motioned to Ratchet, spoke a few words of their strange electrical language and looked at the figure again. Ratchet raised a metal eyebrow, looked at Sam and then shook his head.
" It's shock, Optimus. Just shock." said Ratchet and he left to tend to Bumblebee's injuries from the battle.
" What was that all about?" asked Sam, leaning against a metal street light, bent from the battle that had taken place.
" I told him what you told me. He didn't seem to believe it at first, but he's reviewing his scans of the man and will be going indepth at his biologial identity. He believes the man to be just a victim of the battle. Not Megatron."
" Great, he thinks I'm a nut. But what about you? You believe me right?" asked Sam
Optimus let out a sigh, as if remembering a tiring event. " I have seen many impossible things in my life that defy explanation. I don't put it past the Allspark's power to change my brother to this form. So yes, I do believe you, Sam. I couldn't think him to be anyone else but my brother. It explains why I can still sense his spark."
" You guys can sense each other's sparks? Whoa. That's kinda cool." Sam said, leaving the conversation as is.
He looked around and saw the Autobots were ready to leave, Ratchet had finished loading up Bumblebee on the back of Ironhide and the rest of his legs were being carried by the medic. Sam waved to the little yellow mech and he waved back. 'Please be ok, Bee.' he thought.
" Optimus, we're ready to go." said Ironhide " Captain Lennox has said we should leave the area to allow the humans' govenment to clean up the area safely."
" Alright. Sam, I must leave you for now. We'll meet at the lookout near the lake mid-day today. Is that ok with you?"
" Sure, sounds good. Mikaela and I might be a bit late if they question us about Megatron more. I hope that goes ok."
" I hope so as well. I would not want to lose my brother after getting him back from the Allspark." said the large mech.
" You care about him huh?" said Sam, watching Optimus turn around toward him.
Optimus looked at Sam with bright blue optics full of concern." He's the only family I have left, Sam. Even if he had tried to kill me many times. However, if harm had indeed found it's way through him to any living being, I swore, that I would take him down myself."
" Sorry that I..." stuttered Sam
" No, you did a very brave thing, and he's not dead. You did nothing wrong, and I owe you my life on that account. He also, now owes you his life as well. However, even if we are of the same make, we do not share the same code of honor. I doubt he would acknowledge or admit to it. "
" Are you saying you guys are almost like twins then?" Asked Sam, a bit shocked at this bit of personal information.
Optimus smiled tiredly and finally replied." In some ways, yes."
" Optimus?" called Ironhide to his leader. " Are you ready to go?"
Optimus nodded. " Yes, let's leave as requested by Captain Lennox. Autobots, transform and roll out!" And he transformed into his Peterbilt truck form and drove off with his team towards the highway. Sam waved goodbye and sat on the curb, looking toward Mikaela who was talking to Captain Lennox.
" What you going to do with the bodies?" she said, pointing the twisted piles of metal that were once the Decepticons. " I hope Sector Seven doesn't end up with them."
The captain shook his head." God, I hope not. They did a wonderful job last time. I don't know. I just got orders to collect them and deliver them to the nearest base. From there, I'm not sure what they plan to do."
" Yeah that went really smoothly with Megatron." she said, before remembering that Megatron was still among the living, she looked at Sam and the wrapped up man lying next to him. The captain got a message on his radio.
" Sir? Just a second, Mikaela, I gotta get this. Yes sir? No, the NBE-1 has been destroyed. Yes, I will..we are. Alright we'll do that right away..."
Mikaela left the captain to his work and walked over to her boyfriend, Sam. He was sitting on the curb, taking in the damage that had been left to the city. It wasn't even a day before, she had ridden her cycle around this block and it was perfectly fine. Now the familiar stores and shops were half destroyed or completely covered in rubble. Even her boyfriend looked pretty beat up, she knew she looked a mess as well.
" I heard from Optimus that he..he's really...Megatron."
Sam nodded silently, as she sat next to him on the curb, curling her fingers around his. Her eyes traveled to where the now wrapped up Megatron lay. He, this man laying under a red and yellow hand woven blanket, was the megalomaniac robot that nearly killed her boyfriend? That was bent on ruling the entire universe and exterminating the human race? This was Megatron? Well what do you know.
" How incredibly ironic." said Mikaela. Sam let out a little chuckle, it was true, it was ironic. The Allspark must have had one heck of a sense of humor. Either way, it was a fitting form for the situation. The ambulance Ratchet had spoke of was already here for the guy. Sam had to lie to the doctors about the man being related to him. He and Mikaela got up and sat in the regular ambulance right next to Megatron's prone form. Sam wasn't letting this guy out of his sight. After all, the Allspark did tell him to watch him.
" His name?" asked one of the nurses, handing Sam a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it. Sam stared at the paper nervously. Like he'd ever write down 'Megatron' in the name space, or put 'Giant alien robot' in the race/origin space.
' Oh well, I'll come up with something. Let's see...'
Mikaela noticed this and grabbed the paper, quickly writing down some information before he put pen to paper.
" There, that should do for now." she said, handing back the tablet to Sam.
Matthew Banes? What the hell? Age 43? A immigrant from Europe? Served in war? Relatives in country...Mikaela Banes?
" 'Kayla, what is this?" he whispered.
She smiled " It's called helping, Sam. There's no way he's related to you, no offence, but..he's got more 'Banes' features."
Sam looked at the man on the makeshift bed before him. She was oddly right. His features were very pronounced. A long nose, high cheek bones, a strong chin, and fair complexion.
" Man that's creepy. He does. But still! All this...this would make him like...your uncle or something."
She sighed " Better that, then some weird old man we found naked on the street."
Sam nodded nervously, "Yea that's true."
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The ambulance turned a sharp corner and stopped on the steps of the hospital. The kids were escorted to the lobby, while Megatron, or rather, Matthew, was being wheeled into the main building. A honk sounded outside and Sam and Mikaela peeked out of the nearby window. They spotted a familiar silver topkick truck passing by. Ironhide. They both smiled as Mikaela sat down with another clipboard on her lap, busy fabricating more lies and a story for the beat up man.
Meanwhile, Sam was on his cell phone, talking to Ratchet about Bumblebee's condition. Well, more like yelling about it.
" And he's ok? Are you SURE? No, I'm just checking.....Dude! He got his legs SLICED off!! I mean, how is that MINOR?!"
Sam looked around, and noticed some people staring at him. " I'm just...Ok..no..he's still not awake. He's in the recovery something. Yea...yea...tell Optimus that we'll call as soon as he wakes up. Ok...Tell Bee I'm glad he's alright. Just tell him ok? Thanks. Bye."
Mikaela had just finished up the information on the clipboard and set it aside. " Boy, you sound like your mom. All worried."
" Yea well...can you blame me? He saved my life, but at the expense of him getting hurt. I feel like it's all my fault." he said, sitting down next to his girlfriend.
She sighed "That's a part of what war is Sam. He knew the risks, he's a warrior after all. Bee did what he had to do to protect you and me, and not because he was your guardian. He did it because he's our friend. I'd do the same if I was in his shoes, and I think you would have as well." Sam nodded.
" In a heartbeat. But I don't know if I would have made it like he did. I'm just glad Bee is going to live. I also heard..he got his voice back." smiled Sam.
Mikaela cheered " We finally get to hear his voice. I wonder what he sounds like. Maybe like Jazz?"
Oh. Sam and Mikaela cringed at the sound of that name. Jazz. That fun-loving Autobot that loved Earth's music and culture. Optimus' second in command and best friend. The one that didn't make it. The one that risked his life to stop the D leader from chasing after Sam and the Allspark. The one who got ripped in half and thrown like a ragdoll to the streets below. By none other than the one the Allspark saved from death or the pit or whatever Cybertronians called Hell.
Sam was feeling a little halfhearted about watching Megatron now. But if Megatron could come back, why couldn't the Allspark bring back Jazz too? Even if it would have meant he'd be human as well? That was unfair. He never did get to know Jazz as well as he knew the other Autobots. Now he would never get that chance.
" Mikaela Banes?" Said a nurse. Mikaela sat up and anwsered " Yes?"
"Um, your uncle, Matthew Banes. He's resting in a room and if you want to see him, you can follow me." she said.
Sam spoke up. " Can I go too? If it's not too much trouble?" He was secretly crying 'please'.
" What are your relations to him?" she asked, looking over Sam. Mikaela knew where this was going.
" He's my cousin. He's family to him."
The nursed nodded and lead them both down the hallway. Sam kind of shivered a bit, this was his first time he'd been in a hospital, well, not exactly the first time, since he was born in one, but, as a young adult, it was his first time. Already, he hated the smell, and the blank sterile walls of the whole place. He wondered if this was the start of some weird phobia. Mikaela on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered by it. Maybe she was used to it? And god, why was the place so cold?
Room 219. Read the door. Matthew Banes, written on a little dry-erase board. The nurse opened the door and let the kids go inside.
" If you need anything at all, just press the red button on the side of his bed. I'll be back in ten minutes." she said, and with that she left to do whatever she needed to do.
Sam and Mikaela didn't bother to look for the button, they were more concerned over the one in the bed. The curtain were drawn close, so Mikaela opened them to get a little light into the room.
The sunlight fell on Megatron, making his fair skin seem paler. He looked better though, than before. Mikaela thought it was because of the mud and stuff was washed from him. She noticed a few stitches on the side of his exposed arm. A small IV was connected to his wrist, and his breathing, which was shallow when they first saw him, was now regular and deep.
" I still can't get over the fact that's him, it just...he doesn't look like I would have imagined." said Sam
" You imagined Megatron as a human?" asked Mikaela
" No I mean...he looks alot older than I thought, at least, from his voice."
" I wouldn't know. I didn't hear his voice, it's hard to with everything falling around you." she said
Mikaela curiously bent down to look at the sleeping man, who was Megatron not too long ago. This was getting more and more surreal by the moment. He shivered, and she pulled the blanket closer to his chest and studied his face.
Age marked his angular features, with creases around his mouth and brow, his hair was a salt and pepper grey on the sides, even the faint shadow of stubble on his chin was greyish. He was probley close to being in his late 30s-40s. What was most noticeable however, was a sense of authority about him. Even in his sleep, he looked commanding, strong, and deserved a tone of respect.
" Hmm...I wonder what color his eyes are. I put down that they were brown in the information. But I never got to check personally." she said, accidentally brushing his hand. That little action cause him to groan and shift on his side.
" Opps. Sorry Mega..I mean..Matt." She whispered. Sam smirked a little, that was just so human. He never thought he'd be here to see this. He was pretty sure Optimus would say the same. If he could fit himself into the tiny, white room.
" So, looks like we'll have to wait for a bit. I wonder how he's gonna react to this whole thing. If he's anything like his old psychotic self anyways." said Sam
" Probley something like...' You miserable human, what the hell have you done to me?!' or maybe ' I'm gonna kill you!'" said Mikaela, doing her best Megatron impression. Sam laughed, that did sound like alot like him. As they joked, they failed to notice the fluttering eyelids of the former Decepticon leader. It wasn't until he groaned that they looked his way.
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Author's notes: So Mikaela gets to call Megs 'uncle', don't know what my mind was on last night. I just thought it made better sense in some ways. If he became a Witwicky, they'd be calling Sam's parents and all hell will break loose. Better to have someone with little family ties, like Miss Chesty McBoobs here. Plus, I doubt Sam's parents want a former megalomaniac dictator in their household. I sure wouldn't. Of course that leaves the problem of Sam having to keep watch over Megs.
Blooper:
Optimus let out a sigh, as if remembering a tiring event. " I have seen many impossible things in my life that defy explanation....Like the time Ironhide's head got stuck in an air-vent back on Cybertron."
" Prime! You said you'd never bring that up!" roared the weapon specialist. Ratchet snickered.