A/N: GREETINGS FELLOW CYBERTRONIANS! Here is the third Chapter of "A Family Bound by Spark." I can't believe how many people like this story so far. It's only the third Chapter for crying out loud! But I'm still glad I'm able to write these stories for your enjoyment. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. I only own the story, and any and all OCs in said story. OCs being the Grayson Siblings.
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Thank You to all who have read, reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story. It makes my little Writer's Heart happy.
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Reaching for the cube, Stormjumper looks at Ratchet. Then back at the cube. Back to Ratchet. Looking at the cube, he finally opens his mouth.
"What the heck is this?"
"No, seriously. What is this?"
Ratchet grips the wrench in his servo tightly, his patience wearing thin. The grouchy Mech was prepared to let the tool fly, when he receives a Comm. from Optimus.
:Remember Old Friend. They are not knowledgeable of anything Cybertronian. Not even Energon.:
Taking a deep vent, Ratchet turns to address the young jet, when the sight in front of him makes him pause. All three brothers were inspecting the cube with child-like curiosity. Holding back a smile, he clears his throat, bringing their attention back to him.
"What you are holding is called Energon. It's the fuel and lifeblood of all Cybertronian lifeforms. It's also in short supply, and all three of you are low on Energon. So drink up."
All three look at the glowing cube with trepidation.
Realizing what they were thinking, Ratchet sighs.
"It's not going to hurt you. It might take a while for you to get used to it, but it's safe to drink."
Trusting that the Mech wouldn't help them just to turn around and give them poison, Stormjumper takes a sip. The taste bombards his senses, causing the youngest brother to shake his head, sticking his tongue out. Hearing a snicker, he turns to Riley, the mousey-haired girl trying to stifle her laughter at his funny face.
Recovering, Stormjumper holds out the cube.
"You try it then. You won't be laughing so much when-"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
All four siblings jump at the outburst, staring at Ratchet with wide eyes. The old Mech's optics were blazing.
"She will not be going anywhere NEAR the Energon. It's extremely toxic to humans-any organic for that matter."
The Med-bay was quiet. Stormjumper lowers his head, grumbling. Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, Nightwing addresses the angry Medic.
"We're sorry. We didn't know how the Energon would affect Riley. We didn't mean to upset you Ratchet."
Instantly, all the anger leaves Ratchet, and his optics soften.
Optimus was right. The three young Cybertronians in front of him didn't know a thing about their origins. Sighing, Ratchet picks up the cube, which had fallen to the floor. Luckily, none of the precious fuel had escaped, so the cube was still quite full. He holds it out.
"No, I should be the one to apologize. I suppose I keep forgetting that you are unaware of anything Cybertronian, having lived your whole lives here, on Earth."
Nightwing smiles and takes the cube, drinking some of the liquid. He hums and hands it to Windstorm. The amber-optic Mech tries it, then lift an eyebrow.
"Huh. This tastes nothing like the food we normally eat."
Ratchet chuckles.
"No, I suppose it wouldn't. Energon is composed of Energon crystals. Something that is not naturally on Earth. However, I am curious as to what fuel you have been using."
"I have been wondering the same thing." Optimus states, stepping into the Med-bay.
Nightwing shifts.
"Human food."
"I'm sorry?"
Windstorm steps forward, "What he means Ratchet, is that we've eaten human food as a fuel source. We found out we had human forms, so we would use those."
The white Mech's eyes dim, and a human male appears. He's wearing jeans, and a white T-shirt underneath a navy blue and gray sleeveless hoodie. The boy looks up, amber eyes slightly covered by shaggy, white-blonde hair.
"Hey. Name's William Grayson."
Ratchet kneels next to him.
"You have activated the programming for your Holoforms."
"William" looks down.
"Holoforms? Is that what these are called? We just call them our human modes."
Suddenly, a loud crash echoes through the Hangar. Everyone looks towards the source of the noise, which revealed it to be Stormjumper, who had knocked over some empty Energon containers. The Mech the young Mech flinches, looks up to find everyone staring at him, and grins sheepishly.
"Hehe. Oops?"
Ratchet frowns, crossing his arms.
"And where exactly are you going?"
Uh-oh. He didn't like that look. Stormjumper shifts nervously.
"…Nowhere?"
"He's gonna go flying."
"Riley!"
The twelve-year-old grins. She knew how much her brother hated being grounded for so long.
Ratchet's optics narrow and without a word, he points to the Med-bay. Stormjumper grumbles, as he trudges back to the Medbay. When he passes Riley, he levels a mock glare at her.
"Traitor."
That single word causes Riley's grin to widen as her brother slumps onto the metal bed. Optimus holds back a smile at the friendly banter, when a voice interrupts his thoughts.
"There's just one thing I don't get. They're younger than Bee. Shouldn't they, you know, still be sparklings?"
Everyone turns to Ratchet for answers.
"Under normal circumstances Bulkhead, yes. However, that is not the case."
At the confused faces of the brothers, he elaborates.
"Do you three know what imprinting is?"
Realization dawns on them.
"You know, that actually makes a lot of sense." Windstorm states, thoughtful.
Bulkhead was still confused. He wasn't the only one.
"Okay, you lost me." Smokescreen says.
Ratchet sighs, mumbling something that sounded a lot like "Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots."
"When Cybertronians are sparklings, they will imprint on their Creators. However, if something were to happen and the sparkling were found by another species-like humans in your case- they would be able to imprint on that species. When that occurs the sparkling-or sparklings- would grow up like that species. So while Nightwing, Windstorm, and Storjumper would technically be considered sparklings on Cybertron, they are seen as adults here, on Earth."
Ratchet turns back to the brothers. "Now that that's settled, get out of my Med-bay."
The brothers leave, and go over to the little entertainment nook where Riley and the others are.
Optimus watches as all three talk to the kids, then activate their Holoforms. The massive Prime finds himself smiling as they start playing, Nightwing ruffling his sister's short, mouse-brown hair. Riley and her brothers were as close as they could be.
He didn't know just how close they really were.