Chapter Seven: Rescues and Conclusions
I do not own Transformers. Sigh
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe arrived at the ranch in the early night, and began searching. They found the guest house, with the door unlocked, a drink on the table and a book on the ground. When Sunstreaker bent down to pick something up, Sideswipe quickly knocked that hand away from the sonic ball. "That thing will put you down," it said. "It only works on bots. Sam must be in real trouble. Come on."
They split up and searched. They found Sludge, Snarl and Grimlock all stiff in a temporary off-line. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker released them as soon as possible, seriously worried for Sam now. Grimlock told them what was going on while it forced itself to move and they released the other two.
"Swoop did this to all of us. I'd forgotten he could do that," the large bot said grimly. "Swoop used to be a priest and the High Judge of the temple. " It explained about their original mission. "Swoop said there was a ritual to pull the All-Spark out of Sam. Sludge turned off the transmissions to keep the damned fool from getting the word out but you said Sam was missing?"
Sludge was moving now, as sluggishly as Grimlock had. "I think they were already called. The way Swoop was acting, like doing a ritual would change anything or do anything at all but hurt Sam, I think his processor must have glitched."
"No," Snarl said, moving like Sludge. "By Primus, that hurts! No, he just wants the All-Spark back to where he can channel the power again. When we were on Cybertron he could do that. I don't even know how he got in the shield. We didn't let him in."
"Sludge, get the communications up and get word to the base," Grimlock ordered, starting to move. "Swoop can't let others into the shield, so he has to meet them at the edge somewhere away from the human areas. We need to run the shield until we see something. One of you comes with me, the other with Snarl. When anyone sees Sam, Swoop, or any sign of them, call the others in internal comm. Move!"
Sunstreaker went with Grimlock, leaving his twin with Snarl. With Grimlock's approval, he transformed and ran the shield with his flar alt, leaving Grimlock behind. Just when Sludge sent the message that the network was back up, they heard the first assault on the shield. The golden bot headed for the noise. They transformed and ran as soon as they saw Megatron test the shield again. Without hesitation, Sideswipe transformed back while Sunstreaker bent over Sam. Finding that he was breathing and not bleeding anywhere, the golden bot snatched him up and loaded him into the silver twin's alt. "Get him to safety!" Sunstreaker said, "You know the humans better than the rest of us. Sludge! Megatron's going to blow the shield!" Megatron was already stepping back, his cannons charging for the heaviest shot he could bring. Sideswipe took off.
"I've contacted Optimus! The Prime was already on the way, someone heard Starscream was nearby."
"Then all of us will hold the Decepticon as best we can," Grimlock said. Sunstreaker was very glad to see the big bot pound up in his alt form. He roared. That sound startled even Megatron. Sunstreaker flinched involuntarily. On the other side, Snarl charged up. Sunstreaker backed up, getting out of the way of the larger bots. As the golden bot set to back them up, he found Sludge coming up from behind. Rage was radiating from the huge, usually pacific bot. He sent a brief burst of communication to all of them.
"Fools," Megatron growled, and fired, just as the shield dropped and the shot went past all of them and buried itself into the ground some distance away. As the other two moved back, Sludge moved faster than Sunstreaker would ever have believed the huge bot could, and whirled, sending all the weight in his huge tail crashing against the Decepticon leader and sending him tumbling. The other two charged as soon as the tail stopped moving. Sunstreaker looked for a chance to get his guns or swords in play, and could not see an opening. The two more experienced dinobots took turns slamming Megatron, keeping him off his feet. When he started to transform, Grimlock got his jaws on a part and ripped it off. Megatron went into jet form to find it was missing part of a wing. Then Sludge slammed him again, this time a straight slam downward. Snarl took off another piece with the spikes at the end of his tail.
Megatron transformed again, and this time he was firing as soon as he could. Sludge took several shots before Grimlock got his teeth on Megatron's arm and Snarl took his feet out from under him. This time Sunstreaker came in and used his swords effectively. He jumped back when Megatron's arm yanked loose of Grimlock, leaving armor behind. Sunstreaker heard a jet.
Starscream fired on Snarl and Grimlock, throwing them off of its master. "Get the human!" Megatron howled. "I'll finish this filth!"
"Sunstreaker, find and give Sideswipe backup," Grimlock sent, and charged again. Sunstreaker transformed into his alt mode and moved. He thought He was moving as fast as he could, until he heard gunfire.
The makers of that particular brand of flar would have been gratified by the speed Sunstreaker was managing then.
"I think you're all freaking out for no reason, " Annabelle Lennox announced grumpily. "Sam has the shield, he has those three big bots, and he's defended himself short term before. Just because the network died and he's not under your eye is no reason to freak out." She leveled a look at the huge bot in the cargo hold, barely fitting. "But I will take the chance to get to the ranch for some vacation, and get you out there too."
"It is my sincerest wish for Sam to tease me for being paranoid," Optimus told her, "and be able to relax for a few days.' The Autobot leader spoke to Annabelle earlier in the day and she organized the trip in exasperation. She worked under Sam Witwicky from the day her enlistment with NEST ended, watching him thrive on work that would have driven hardened soldiers like her father to their knees. As the former CEO and partial owner of a company that rivaled General Electric, Microsoft, and General Motors in their day, he was a powerful man in his way, and she felt they did not give him the credit he deserved for the work he did once and still did. Sam was not a warrior, but without him, the warriors would never have been able to wage their battles. Her father acknowledged that to her the day she joined the company as Sam's assistant.
She would never be able to do the job he did, and thanked Primus and God and any other deity she cared to name that she did not have to. By the time she took the helm, Sam had the company responsibilities divided up so that she could work a decent work week and live a human life. She needed eight hours of sleep a night, and she had her hobbies, and she intended to keep them. She also knew she would never be in the danger he was. The world believed that terrorists came after Sam because he funded NEST to battle them. The world did not know that the terrorists NEST battled were aliens and that some of the NEST soldiers were aliens as well. Annabelle sincerely hoped the world would remain in ignorance for the rest of her natural life.
Then the pilot came on. "I've got a transmission from the base," she reported. "Starscream's been seen near the ranch."
"Get us there ASAP," Annabelle snapped.
The air strip was not on the ranch but nearby. Annabelle was in Optimus as soon as they could get out of the plane. They were only a mile or so from the ranch when Sludge's message came through. Optimus put on a burst of speed that scared the daylights out of Annabelle. She rooted in the cab and put her weapons together and was glad she was sensibly dressed for the trip. She remembered Minnie's hologram of the combat boots over her cherished office pumps that day. She would never have believed the little engineer could run that fast.
They found the shield was down when they got to the ranch. Optimus sent a message and got an intensely relived Sideswipe at once. Optimus paused by the silver bot's alt long enough to drop Annabelle off. Then he transformed. The sight of Sam still and unmoving in Sideswipe's seat was enough to send the Autobot leader into a contained rage. Annabelle poked her head out to say Sam was not bleeding anywhere, his heartbeat and breathing seemed okay, but he was having trouble moving and he could not speak.
Starscream appeared. Optimus started firing as Sideswipe moved to a safer spot. Sunstreaker appeared a few moments later. "Get Sam to a hospital," Optimus instructed, and got two solid hits on Starscream, who flipped and crashed. The twins took off as Optimus fired on the Decepticon flyer, keeping him down. Then Optimus reached him, ignoring the returned fire, and made certain Starscream would not be flying for some time by crunching one of the wings hard. Then he transformed and headed for the other side of the ranch, where the greater threat was.
When he reached the battle, Megatron had his cannon leveled to finish Sludge, who was down. The other two were struggling to get up. Transforming, Optimus had his sword out and slammed into the one it once called brother and the shot went wild. Megatron turned to fight but Optimus harried the Decepticon leader, determined this time to end it. Starscream could not fly, and the rival leader was heavily damaged.
But Starscream was either not as damaged as Optimus thought, or desperation drove it harder than the Prime imagined. It appeared again, shooting at the downed dinobots, and when Optimus went after the flyer, Megatron transformed and left, Starscream behind its eader. Both of them headed in the opposite direction that Sam and the twins were on. When asked, the twins reported that they had reached the hospital and were parked safely in a parking garage. Optimus turned its attention to its injured comrades.
Annabelle paced in the hospital corridors. The emergency room responded with quick efficiency, enfolding Sam in the cocoon of hospital care as soon as she ran in to get help. Fearing stroke, they ran him to get an MRI immediately. Annabelle called Poppy from Sideswipe, and the hospital was grateful to deal with a nurse who understood hospital protocol. Within moments they had the healthcare power of attorney saying Poppy could consent to medical care and Sheena on the line to advise them
She saw the hospital bed roll out of the room. Sam stirred and opened his eyes, then turned his head jerkily. He saw her. His mouth twitched, and she almost wept in gratitude. He was trying to smile. She followed as they took him to a hospital room. They shooed her out. Shortly afterward, the doctor came to see her. "It's not a stroke," he said first. "Dr. Anderson said that Mr. Witwicky had problems with neuritis, that's inflammation of his nerves? We've found a few lesions that might be causing that. They're at some critical junctions of his major spinal nerves, and I think that might have resulted in the paralysis he had. It seems to be fading right now, so we'll wait and see how that works out. "
"He generally goes into a very deep sleep for several hours and wakes up fine after a bout," Annabelle informed the doctor. He nodded.
"Dr. Anderson did explain, and that Mr. Witwicky dislikes any kind of medication. "
"Won't even take a Tylenol," she assured him. She did not add that he never needed to.
"Considering the remarkable shape he's in, I don't blame him," the doctor said. "I wish I was in half as good condition. She also said to expect security? "Annabelle nodded and explained.
"I don't really expect trouble here but in this case, you just have to give his family special permission to bring weapons. Two of them can act as his bodyguards, and as soon as he's ready to move, we'll get him back to our base infirmary. You've heard of NEST, right?" Of course he had. "I'm hoping his daughter Poppy will be here shortly, too. She's about the only one he'll listen to when he feels better. Dr. Anderson did explain about how –difficult-"she wanted to say cranky," he can get?" The doctor's mouth twitched. Annabelle refrained from asking what the forthright Sheena had said as he assured her that they would do the best they could. There was a quiver in his voice when he said it.
Annabelle called with the good news as soon as he left, and arranged for the plane to go and get the family. She texted the twins to let them spread the news as well. "Optimus said Megatron and Starscream got away, but they were torn up good and the Prime doubts that they will be any more trouble," Sideswipe reported. "All of them took some damage but Sludge is bad. Looks like Swoop and a group from their station in space did something with Sam, and Starscream went after them. The one found are permanently off-lined. I think the rest left for space. "
Annabelle signed off and went check on Sam. To her surprise, there was already a security guard there. Sam was asleep. She left to find a meal.
Sam woke several hours later. He opened his eyes to see Poppy, Ronnie and Jimmie on either side of him, and he smiled at their anxious faces. "Morning," he said, his voice a scratch. The relief was instant. Poppy got him some water, which helped, and he began moving experimentally. Everything worked. He had a lot of hospital stuff attached to him, which was annoying.
Sam remembered the ritual, and he remembered the extraordinary feeling of being taken from his body to face a lot of bots and the All-Spark, and the equally weird feeling of a real conversation with it, remembered going back to his body and regretting it, remembered that Swoop and the others had been reprogrammed to do what the presence ordered. Then there was the sensation of being blanketed and absorbing warmth, which was welcome. Shortly after he heard a voice he hoped never to hear again.
"Fools. I thought I would finally have a chance to rip the flesh from your bones, pet, but once again I stand disappointed. However, I still have a use for you, and a pen that you will not break out of. "He heard the sound of the shield being tested again. Then the blessed, welcome sound of flars and pounding feet. He knew he was being picked up and moved. He heard bots shouting, and felt his gut twist over being fought over again. Some time later there was the voice of Annabelle talking to someone, and she had gotten him to the hospital.
He knew he was being loaded into an MRI machine from the talking. As the machine worked, he felt something happen in his back. Then, miracle of miracles, the tingling started. Looking back, he knew the MRI must have destroyed the nanites. When he came out of the machine and heard Annabelle, he opened his eyes and tried to smile. He couldn't, but she saw it and her relief was worth the attempt.
"Take this stuff off me, Poppy," he demanded.
"Dad's better," Jimmie said. Ronnie grinned, and Poppy huffed in exasperation.
Strangely, Sam found he did not have to fight the hospital system to leave. He managed to get the doctor to admit that he could be transferred to a different medical system when he was stable, and he was certainly stable. Poppy had First Aid with her to help the injured bots. Sam signed all the necessary paperwork and let them load him into the bot ambulance. He was out of the bed and dressed before they got out of the parking lot.
"All right, First, tell me what you found, "he demanded. "I thought I heard Megatron, but I don't know if I was dreaming or not."
"You weren't," First Aid told him. "Optimus said to wait until we get to the ranch, there are too many pieces to the puzzle and we need them all to figure out the whole picture. And you are supposed to be resting."
Sam snorted at that and gave his opinion at length about what hospital expected patients to put up with. First Aid tuned him out after the second sentence. Sam complaining was Sam recovering, but nobody wanted to hear it. Sam wound down after a time and started piecing things together. "Somebody must have come to check on me," he said aloud.
"The twins," First Aid answered, startling him. "Sunstreaker got suspicious when Swoop disappeared and after the twins talked to Slag, Optimus did too. They decided to come and check on you since you told Poppy that was okay. And Optimus came not long after that in the plane. Annabelle made a deal with the Prime that no matter what they would stay at least three days, so all the top guys would get a vacation in."
"You don't know how glad I am about that," Sam said with great sincerity. He could relax a little if Optimus was there. He lay back down on the bed, waiting to get to the ranch and find out if Swoop had lied to him or not. He could have sworn he heard Grimlock, but he just could not be sure. As soon as First Aid stopped and got his doors open, he was climbing down.
At which time he discovered that he was indeed tired, as his legs almost gave out and he had to lean hard on the bot to stay upright. Fortunately, Poppy was still climbing out as he straightened. He walked over to the patio and sat at the table, fooling no one.
"Stay right there, Daddy," Poppy commanded. "I contacted Optimus already." What she next was lost with the transform of First Aid.
"I need to check on Sludge and the others, Sam, so I'll-"
"They're not off-lined?" Sam shot up. Then he leaned hard on the table. "Swoop said it off-lined them," he added, and sat again, afraid his legs would give.
"Temporary," Sunstreaker said, coming up in his bipedal form. "You had us scared, Sam, when you just lay there. Sides and I were able to get them back on-line, and that was a good thing, 'cause we had a nasty fight on our hands."
"Considering Megatron came to visit, I think so," Sam agreed grimly. "How bad are they, First?"
"They'll make it, but Sludge is pretty torn up, and the other two are hurt, just not as bad. Optimus got a few hits, but nothing too bad." First Aid moved off. The two boys and Annabelle showed up with a picnic basket, followed shortly by Optimus. Sam looked Optimus over carefully, and saw he was being looked over just as carefully.
Sam talked, and the others listened between bites. When he finished, the twins told their side. "It did my spark good to see Sludge smack Megatron hard enough to put it down," Sunstreaker admitted. "That tail turned out to be a wicked weapon. The problem is, that's all he had, no weapons at all. When Megatron started shooting, all it could do was stand there and be one big target. Of course, that gave the rest of us an opening, because Megatron went after Sludge first."
"I was just glad to see Annabelle and Optimus," Sideswipe said with feeling.
Ronnie used Sam's laptop to make notes, and sent it to Optimus for approval. Sam noticed that Optimus seemed troubled, and he had to wonder why. At this point, the matter was settled, wasn't it? Swoop and the fanatics were banished, he was fine, and all the injured bots would heal. What bothered Sam was Sludge joining in an actual physical fight. When he could manage it, he went to see the huge bot.
"I felt like I had to," Sludge said. "You were helpless, and that-that- " Sludge could simply not bring itself to curse. Sam reflected that it really was like a nun, an observation of Oscar's that made the humans near him laugh until they hurt. "-monster was standing there on the other side of the shield- and I didn't know what Swoop did to you but I know what he planned-"
"Calm down, you sound like Bluestreak," Sam advised. "Whatever Swoop planned, it didn't work out the way it hoped. The opposite, I think." He told Sludge what he had heard. Sludge was stunned. Looking over at Grimlock and Snarl, he saw that they were equally stunned. "What?"
"You wouldn't know," Grimlock said. "Sam, you're on Earth, right? And you still hold the All-Spark, the power in you is stronger than ever." Sam nodded. "The All-Spark banished Swoop and the others from its presence, Sam. All of Swoop's authority came from being a judge and a priest of the All-Spark. Judges could direct All-Spark energy. That's gone now. At the same time, if you go into space and you need help, they have to help you, they have no choice."
"You said you'd never go into space because that's where Megatron's power base is, right?" Snarl said. "So Swoop, who was high in the priesthood, is now no longer a priest, and banished from the All-Spark unless you go into space, because there you will be in danger. Sam, let me tell you, Swoop probably wishes he had off-lined permanently with the others Starscream killed." About half of the bots who came to Swoop's summons were found permanently off-lined.
Sam considered. "So the All-Spark handed Swoop the harshest sentence it could," he qualified. They all nodded. "I'm sorry if I sound vindictive, but Swoop deserved that," Sam said. "He would have killed me, and Megatron was waiting there to take the new Cube from it. Megatron and Starscream would have killed every single one of them and ripped me to pieces for the fun of it. " He stood up from where he was sitting again Sludge. "Now comes the really fun part, where I have to go to Ratchet and listen to him crow about how well his device worked."
Sam was better within a few days and back to work. However, in a couple of weeks, he was restless. Coming close to dying has a habit of changing perspectives, he reflected. He told Annabelle she needed to hire people to manage the voids he was filling. "I want to work on a couple of projects," he said. "Bert and I have been kicking around an idea about getting solar power in space for those new colonies the UN wants to establish. Minnie finally got the Australian company to admit that they're trying to put together better power sources for those. He wondered if we could morph that into producing energon, too. I think there might be a design."
"Go for it," Annabelle said. "I think I have someone on tap for my assistant, if you'll still help out where we're stretched until I get her trained. Minnie has an idea for her help, too, but he might take some persuading."
"Whatever. I'm not talking about tomorrow, Annabelle, but I need to work on something new."
She said what he was thinking, "The company need to learn not to need you, Sam. Don't get me wrong, we'll always want you, but I want to wean myself and Minnie off leaning on you." She leaned back. When he asked to talk to her privately, she bargained for lunch at his add-on. Sam laughed and agreed. All the cooking lessons shaped him into a decent cook, and the add-on was private from humans. "Where is everyone? Usually there's quite a bit of noise around here." The bots tended to make noise during the day.
That turned Sam serious. "Something's going on, and I don't like it. Since I got back, there's been a lot of hostility toward Slag. Ratchet's here and the other bots are still at your ranch, and I heard that Ratchet refused to tend them, that he sent First Aid because of that, and I've seen First since then."
"There's a lot of bad feeling," Annabelle said, uncomfortable. "They don't like that Swoop was a traitor." Annabelle had heard a lot more than that. The bots were keeping their feelings from Sam, because they knew he did not hold any kind of blame against the remaining dinobots. Specifically, Sam came down on Bumblebee pretty sharply when the former guardian expressed its opinion, and when Sam got that way with his best friend, the rest of the bots knew they better back off. But Annabelle knew from Minnie that Prowl was investigating something, and that the bots were still upset over the incident.
"I'm afraid of it getting to witch-hunt status. I've said something to Optimus about it, and the Prime wouldn't discuss it, said it was internal." When Optimus said the matter was internal, Sam backed off, knowing to push would only get him stonewalled and irritate the Prime.
Suddenly he went still. His eye went blank, as if his attention was internal. Then he got up and left. Annabelle followed him, into the bot area that was empty, into the infirmary that was just as empty, and then into a room with an object that was cubical. The door shut behind him, and she could only look through the window in it. Sam lay down in the comfortable chair that was by the cube, and put his hand on it.
Above him, there was a haze, then a blinding light, and then there was nothing. She watched, alarmed, but Sam's chest rose regularly. His eyes stared, and then closed. He looked asleep. Annabelle ran for Sheena.
In the meadow a hearing was underway, and in Optimus' opinion, it was not going well at all.
They had managed to keep the investigation from Sam. The dinobots had fought for and with his family, and they had fought for him. As all of them knew, Sam was fiercely loyal to those he saw as friends. At the same time, the feeling from the other bots was running far too strongly to allow the situation to continue, and the Prime ordered an investigation.
Unfortunately, the evidence was damning. The dinobots were from the same temple as Swoop the High Judge; they admitted to coming for and to carrying out the investigation into the All-Spark going into Sam, and they had not informed Optimus or any of the others. There was no proof but their own statements that they had tried to stop the trial, or in Slag's case did not know about it. There was no real proof that they had not attended, except that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker found them temporarily off-lined.
Restrained, the dinobots knew what was about to happen. Optimus prayed that the right judgment was being done as the hearing went on, but it could not put the ending off any longer. The Prime rose to speak. "In the name of Primus and the All-Spark-"and then stopped at the feeling of power that began.
A haze appeared before the dinobots. That sent murmuring around the assembled bots. The haze gathered light, and then became a strong glow. Megatron would have recognized it.
It seems I have not finished my judgment.
The murmurs stopped dead as each of them realized what this must be. Sludge whispered,"Sam," which were its first words since its testimony.
My host is safe.
Many were strongly relieved, Optimus among them. "I do not understand," the Prime said.
I was called by one of my priests in a ritual that removes traces of my presence from one who tried to take my power for personal reasons. In such a trial, the one who holds the power is judged, and if innocent, the ones who called are judged. I need not defend my host here, but these were involved, and I did not judge them.
"No," Optimus agreed. "We have come together to investigate these four for their part in that trial. "
When I was called before, I did not judge these, and I must do so.
"I defer to your judgment," Optimus said, with real relief. No one would protest the result now.
A haze appeared over all the dinobots, one at a time. As the haze left each of them, the restraints on them fell off, and they were completely healed. There was total silence. Then a hole appeared in the glow, and a hologram played, showing the arguments Sludge made for Sam to Swoop and the off-lining of the three minor priests. Then one appeared that seemed to be from Sam's point of view, where Swoop told him what was happening. Following was the trial from the time the All-Spark was called, and that judgment. It was clear to anyone watching that the four were not involved in the trial, and the three there had tried to prevent it.
My faithful ones, I absolve you of blame, and I release you from service. There is no need. Prime, I commend these to your service. They have kept their oaths, to me and to your cause. If you wish further contact with me, please speak to my host. There is no one who can summon me now.
And it was gone.
At the base Sam woke up and levered himself upright. He came out of the room to find Jeremy and Minnie camped at the door, waiting. When they saw he could barely stay upright, they helped him to his add-on. "I'm just tired," he assured them, and let Jeremy check him over so they would feel better. "We're going to have a pile of bots back here in a few minutes, and a lot of them will be ashamed of themselves," he predicted.
As if to underscore what he said, there was the sound of heavy feet and the squeal and rush of the sparklings. Sam pushed up and went out. Jeremy helped the more awkward Minnie get up and followed.
The sight was heartwarming. All of the sparklings were gathered around Slag, clicking and squealing. Sam could see the other dinobots and Optimus behind them.
"What are they saying?" Minnie asked Sam. They did not see Sludge glance over, and Optimus turn to see why.
"They got into the obstacle course again, sounds like." Just then the blue one came over and claimed Sam, drawing him over to their teacher while telling him about the changes they had made in the obstacle course. When he reached Slag, the teacher called them into a kind of order.
"Time to be heading back," it said with authority. The little bots raced ahead. "Thanks for saving us. Are you all right?" Slag asked quietly.
"I didn't save you, the presence did. I'm a little tired," Sam admitted. Looking behind him, he saw Optimus and the other dinobots. "The presence got me to the prototype before it answered the summons. Right in the middle of my lunch, too."
"I need to get to the little ones, before Ironhide does. See you later." Slag went after the sparklings.
"I didn't know you spoke Cybertronian," Sludge said.
"I don't," Sam said. "A human mouth can't, and some of the words are out of our hearing." He thought he'd danced around that pretty neatly. He looked over at Minnie and Jeremy. Minnie looked puzzled and Jeremy was grinning. When Minnie looked like she was going to say something, Jeremy murmured in her ear and she grinned.
"It's true that no human will ever speak our language," Optimus agreed, and Sam nodded, hiding his relief. "But when were you going to tell me that you understood it, Sam?"
Behind him, he heard Minnie say, "Oops."
"Busted," Sam said.
The tension around everyone exploded then in a wash of heartfelt laughter.
