There were many things Bumblebee knew about himself. He was the youngest Autobot (Primus, youngest Cybertronian) left after the war had torn apart their planet. He was the least well trained due to his position as scout (A position given to him to keep him out of battle, it had backfired quickly when he found himself in Decepticon claimed territory by accident). But Bumblebee had become proud of his role in the war and his subsequent role as defender of the humans who had helped them win the war.
All of this combined had led to a problem though. His charge was ill. "It's just the flu, he'll be in bed for a few weeks." Mikaela had reassured him. But she was lying. Her heart rate and rapid blinking meant she was lying to him and Bumblebee didn't know what to do. Sam probably just wanted time to himself, Bumblebee remembered how when he killed his first Decepticon he hadn't left his room for vorns. Ironhide had dragged him out kicking and screaming. So Bumblebee kind of understood why Mikaela was lying to him.
But it was still distressing. His charge was mentally hurt and Bumblebee couldn't do anything. He couldn't even talk properly because Ratchet was missing the right components to fix his vocalizer. So the yellow mech sat in the driveway in his Camaro alt mode moping to himself in mild self-pity. So when morning came around and he heard loud coughing Bumblebee sunk a bit lower on the ground. Maybe Mikaela had been telling the truth about Sam being seriously ill? But if he was why did she stay in the building with him instead of leaving to avoid becoming ill herself? He was certain human illnesses were like Cybertronian viruses where if someone had a virus you avoided them like smelt to avoid becoming ill yourself.
The coughing became louder, like something was being coughed up and Mikaela began to scream. That was when Bumblebee revved his engine, driving into the back garden (Optimus had ordered Bumblebee to not be seen, he couldn't be seen.) and transformed. The yellow mech looked through the window to see the human femme… female Mikaela shaking Sam's shoulder crying. The bedroom door was locked judging by the yelling from the other side of it. And Sam… Bumblebee's engine stalled. Sam was covered in blood. Even as he lay on his side (Mikaela must have rolled him over to prevent Sam from choking on it) blood dribbled out of his mouth and Bumblebee realised was falling from him his ears.
Bumblebee let out a small worried series of clicks that had Mikaela look at him with a tear stained face. She glanced at Sam and flinched. "We think it was the Allspark." She muttered causing Bumblebee to tense. Of course. Human radiation was much weaker than Cybertronian. All you had to do was look at Sector 7 to realise the Cube had affected them (why else would the Simmons human act like a 'deranged lunatic' as Mikaela put it?) but… oh Primus, Ratchet hadn't looked over Sam and Mikaela after the battle. They'd been taken by the humans to visit the hospital and been given the all clear. Sam suddenly convulsed as he began to scream.
Oh Primus the sound. He was screaming but the scream was like nothing Bumblebee had heard before. Mikaela's horror mixed with confusion though as she leaned forward and touched the side of Sam's mouth. "Bumblebee… what's this?" Mikaela held up her hand to show her fingers. The liquid on her fingers was a gold.
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The moment Mikaela had explained to Judy the existence of Aliens and added sheepishly that Sam's illness was caused by an Alien artefact Judy had taken it… well. She'd hit Bumblebee's leg with the baseball bat and when her anger was mostly sated told him to help Sam. Mikaela had just sat with Sam as he appeared to drift in and out of consciousness. Sam blinked at her as if looking at her for the first time sometimes. "You're not me." He choked out. "I'm me." And other times what he said made absolutely no sense. "What does it mean to be a Cybertronian? Or a human?" Mikaela ran a hand through his hair not sure what else she could do. Ron was at work and the appearance of the gold liquid meant taking him to a hospital was officially useless. This was clearly no human illness.
They bundled Sam into the back of Bumblebee wrapped in a blanket with Mikaela getting into the front to drive. "Someone… Someone needs to tell Ron." Judy sniffed wiping an eye sharply. "Just phone me when you have news?" Mikaela nodded as Bumblebee clicked loudly.
It was so much easier to click reassuringly then find the right music, Bumblebee sighed to himself. He'd broken Optimus' orders. He'd been seen by Sam's mother. But his orders were to protect Sam and to protect Sam he'd needed to be seen. So did that negate the first order or was the first one more important? His thoughts were negated by the fact that Mikaela had driven him out of the drive and down the road. But he still felt Sam's heart beat through the seat, fluttering in and out. He should have been back sooner. He should have…. He should have called Ratchet last night.
He should have done allot of things. But now he needed to get Sam to Ratchet. Ratchet. He commed the CMO desperately. I need help. I think Sam's dying. His comm was replied too quickly.
WHAT THE FRAG DO YOU MEAN DYING?! Ratchet screamed over the comm making Bumblebee swerve. Mikaela hit the wheel and snarled angrily. If they got pulled over it would waste valuable time even with Sam on the back seat coughing up blood and that gold liquid.
Sam's coughing up blood and a thick golden liquid. Bumblebee reported from memory. Mikaela suspects the Allspark. We never checked for radiation poisoning. It exploded in Sam's hands and we never checked.As the comm went on Bumblebee became more distressed. They should have checked! But they hadn't and Sam was now on his back seat coughing up more and more of the mystery liquid.
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Not-Sam was smiling at him again. "You told me to live." Sam accused.
"Yes, I did."
"Then why am I here?" Sam's fingers clenched on the Allspark as it played a sad song through chimes. The liquid was still falling through his fingers. It was like syrup, sticking to everything as it fell onto the floor.
"You're here to talk of course. You must adapt and to adapt we must talk." Not-Sam sat down cross legged and watched Sam calmly. "You were dying." Not-Sam nodded. "But you wanted to live. You aren't the first who's had this option, merely the first on this planet." Sam stared.
"First….? Planet…?"
"Have you heard of Soundwave?" Not-Sam suddenly asked. "A Cybertronian telepath from the old Clans. The original Guardians." Sam narrowed his eyes before looking down.
"The Guardians of the Allspark?" Sam guessed.
"No, of the Primes. The original clan leaders before the population became too big. Before the Senate became to corrupt. Soundwave is the third in command of the Decepticon's because Sentinel Prime led a massacre against a clan who refused to serve the Senate alone. Tell me, who's in the right?" Not-Sam leant forward with knowing smile. "The leader who felt he should be listened to or the clan who ignored the leader because they didn't believe?"
"You're not human. You're Cybertronian!" Sam realised. How could a human know about the beginning of the war?! Not-Sam leant back and smiled wider.
"Very clever, although I was almost spelling it out for you. Yes, I am here for a purpose. And to fulfil that purpose we need to reach an understanding. You chose to live so you need to understand. What is it to be Human? Cybertronian? Or the Cube?" Sam tensed realising the Cube was cold in his hands. "The Allspark is dying Sam. Its purpose to exist must continue, an entire species depends on its continued survival."
"So the liquid…."
"The Allspark's tears for its race." Not-Sam nodded. No, that wasn't the full story…. Sam let it go, Not-Sam really didn't like being clear.
"…If you're Cybertronian, why look like me?"
"Because you wouldn't be able to look at my true form. Even in my race not many can look upon my true form and remain sane. It is the way things are." Sam tried to stand up and froze. The white room had changed. "This room also has a purpose. Did you know Primes have been chosen in this room?" Sam could believe it. The room was metal and was bigger them any building Sam had ever seen. He looked up and saw only darkness. "The glyphs tell the story of our past. The war between Primus and Unicron to stop the destruction of the universe." So that's what the squiggles on the wall were. "However I fear we have gone off track. You are here for a purpose. Soundwave's clan fulfilled that purpose and were rewarded for it, that role now falls to your clan."
"….This makes no sense! YOU make no sense! This is a dream! A messed up dream that isn't real!" Sam yelled furiously standing up fully now. "I don't want a purpose! I want to go home and have a normal life! I want a normal life with school and a girlfriend and… and… you make no sense!"
"If you say so." Not-Sam nodded. "But you chose to live. You could have walked away then."
"And died?!"
"No, you are merely overwriting the old Sam. You would have died but the human Sam would have lived." Sam froze. Oh Hell no.
"What?"
"In a sense you are a new personality over writing the old one. The human brain wasn't ready for the gifts that you are being given so I had to… change a few things. You chose to live. And to live you must cease being human. It is a fair deal."
"What… what's fair about that?!" Sam screamed. "Nothing's fair about that! Old me? New me? I'm Sam! I'm human! I've always been human!"
"I see, so a normal human can move things with their mind." Not-Sam laughed.
"You never said that!"
"Then you should have asked." Not-Sam dismissed with a wave. "You impressed the Allspark so it chose you, it should be an honour. Maybe one day it'll even choose you to become a Prime. The clans need good leaders and they're so hard to find."
"But…. I don't want…. I never wanted…" Sam felt his knees give way. This was a nightmare. It had to be.
"The blood was unfortunate I admit, it's been so long since I helped change another human chosen. She reacted similarly to you in fact. Although she cried in a corner for most of the conversation." Not-Sam shrugged. "But you all chose this. A verbal contract was signed and you must now accept the consequences." Sam shuddered looking at the cube. It seemed so dull and cold in his hands now. Then he looked at Not-Sam and realised something.
"Are you Primus?" Sam whispered. Primus, the Cybertronian God.
Not-Sam's smile was wider than ever as he observed Sam. "Now why would you think that?" Not-Sam almost purred. Sam gulped as Not-Sam stood up and walked closer to him.
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Bumblebee and Mikaela pulled into the hanger where the Autobots were staying to be almost be pounced on by Ratchet. After the battle and Ratchet appearing in a lot of the videos the medic had changed his altmode to something more appropriate for a medic. He was now a white ambulance with a red cross on his shoulders. As soon as Bumblebee pulled in and Mikaela had stepped out of the car Ratchet immediately scanned her and nodded not finding any radiation on her. "Get Sam out." Ratchet ordered. Sadly the humans were too fragile to be dragged to the medbay (Well, the corner of the hanger he'd claimed for himself.) So Mikaela pulled Sam out of Bumblebee with Ratchet holding his hand under him so Sam didn't fall. As soon Sam was out of that idiotic blanket which wasn't going to do anything to help Sam Ratchet scanned Sam with his most powerful scanner. As Bumblebee leant forward warbling in worry.
If Sam was dying of Allspark radiation his scanners weren't going to make much difference. And frowned scanning again. And again. And again. That was impossible. He poked Sam to look at Sam's face. The gold liquid was still dripping out of his mouth but now there was no sign of blood except for the blood dried on his face. His temperature was a bit high but other than that….
"Is he ok?" Mikaela begged.
"I don't sense any radiation on him." Ratchet muttered. "According to my scans he's in almost perfect health. But that's…." Ratchet broke off muttering loudly in a language Mikaela didn't understand.