Now's The Time.
Chapter Nine.
A/N: Just lots of talking and questions answered here. Thanks to KDZeal for pointing out salient facts regarding Megatron.
Two Hours Later, the Autobot Base.
"So, even knowing who he is, you don't mind taking him on as long as the Government sort everything you need to make him legally yours?" asked Ratchet. "As far as we can tell, no other Decepticons apart from the Seekers know the truth of what happened to Megatron, and they have sworn not to tell."
Sarah Lennox smiled fondly at the sleeping child, now diapered and dressed in clean, white, newborn clothes she held, and Major Lennox nodded in reply.
"From what you've told me, he'll be completely unaware of his origins up until the moment of his death," he said. "Annabelle needs a brother or sister, he needs a family. It works well enough for us both. But I have to ask: what happens when, as you say, he is about to die and is given access to his memories and the chance to become himself or be sent back for another human life? How does that work?"
Sam saw the Major look up at him and dropped into a crouch so neither he nor the humans would need to shout to have a conversation.
"The AllSpark told me it will monitor him, and will keep him as healthy as it can until he reaches a good age for a human," Sam explained to the pair. "Once this human body wears out and ages, he will be told who and what he is just before the body dies and I think he'll be offered a chance to return, but only if he's learned not to be so aggressive." Sam blinked, showing his nervousness at suddenly being seen to have all the answers. "The AllSpark will know if he's changed, even if he lies and says he's ready. If he is ready, he can be given back his old body and memories." He paused, briefly checking with the AllSpark that he was explaining correctly. Both Lennoxes were nodding, so Sam chose to assume they understood. "If not, he will be given another human body to inhabit."
"You - that is, the AllSpark - would not kill a child to ensure he has a body, would it?" Sarah asked haltingly. "I would hate that, that one should die to let him relive."
Sam shook his head.
"Um, I don't think so Mrs Lennox." he said. Although now almost eight times bigger than her, Sam had been taught by his parents to address those older than he was respectfully. "The AllSpark prefers to create rather than destroy," he continued. "A woman with space will get two babies instead of one. The AllSpark says it can create matter, even human organic matter now. No baby will lose its life to allow this one to live again, if need be."
"Then that's fine by me," she said, looking up at her husband, who nodded.
"If the Government can produce the relevant paperwork, we can tell Annabelle she has an adopted baby brother to help look after," Major Lennox said. He peered at Sam again. "That's one thing I can't understand. You said the AllSpark couldn't repair your bodies, yet it made Megatron an entire new human body. How does that work?"
"I have a theory about that," Ratchet said. He nodded to Sam. "May I?"
"Sure," Sam said, rather relieved to let Ratchet answer the questions. He knew the AllSpark would give him the answers if he asked, but he was getting a bit tired of it all.
"My theory is that when the AllSpark worked on Sam, it had no knowledge of human form or genetics. Time was limited, so it repaired him by giving him a new body, one that could also defend itself against Barricade, but copied his DNA pattern into its memory. Knowing Barricade, even if it had repaired Sam as a human, Barricade would have just kept breaking him again, and human tissue has its limits."
Lennox nodded. "That makes sense, but what about Mikaela?"
"Time again, and genetics," Ratchet replied. "First of all, Mikaela was dying, it didn't have time to study her DNA, plus Sam, as a male, had differences, differences it did not have time to study and learn about. Also, Sam was directing it this time, and he chose to make her a Seeker."
"You keep mentioning genetics, that it doesn't understand them." Lennox said. "So how did it give Megatron a new body when it doesn't understand us strange organics?"
"It didn't understand them, but I'm assuming that it had studied the genetic blueprints of both Sam and Mikaela between changing them, and changing Megatron." He indicated the sleeping baby. "My scans indicate that the child is not a clone of Sam, but that it's genome is unique, and composed of a combination of genes from both Sam and Mikaela."
There was a brief silence, broken when Sam said "You mean that genetically, Megatron's our son? My Mum and Dad are grandparents to the biggest tyrant to threaten the Universe?" He put his metal palm to his forehead with a theatrical clang. "Wonder how they're gonna take that?"
Lennox was trying to hide a smirk and failing.
"Well, at least you and Mikaela have managed to contribute to the next generation in some form," he said.
Starscream wandered over, for he and his wingbrothers, fearing reprisals from the other Decepticons for their part in Megatron's 'disappearance', had requested neutral status, and then asylum, under the terms of the Treaty of Iacon. The three Seekers had refuelled, and were now taking turns in watching over Mikaela as she was recharging.
"Can you be absolutely certain, once Megatron comes back as he was, whenever that may be, that he won't get persuaded back to his original plans?" Starscream asked. He nodded towards Sarah. "I think he'll be a bit too big for you to smack his bottom, assuming you're still around."
"When he returns I think the AllSpark can do something about limiting that possibility." Sam paused to listen. "It says that any mech he has contact with once he returns, even via orders to another, is linked to him," Sam replied. "If they, or anyone they are involved with, dies as a result of orders he has given, he will feel it in his Spark." He paused, recalling the memories the AllSpark gave him, and winced. "The pain caused by one such occurrence should deter him from any more."
Starscream nodded, looking over at where Thundercracker was watching over the recharging Mikaela.
"What about sparklings? Will you - that is, the AllSpark in you - take that duty back on?"
Sam also looked back over at Mikaela, a smile forming on his face.
"I will provide if there is need, after all she is currently the only femme on Earth, but I do believe more are on their way. You might find mech-femme Sparkmerge to be enjoyable enough to make my need for involvement minimal, but I will assist if you want."
"Sam, if, as Ratchet surmises, the AllSpark now knows your DNA, couldn't it change you back? Mikaela too?" Lennox asked. "You could go back to College, not have to worry about telling your folks what's happened, and have more human children. Sarah and I can keep this one's genetic parentage a secret, so you wouldn't even have to tell Ron and Judy about him if you don't want to."
Sam had to give this a bit of thought. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he might be able to return to being human and resume his normal life, and it was tempting. He queried the AllSpark, which told him it was entirely possible, but he already knew what his answer would be when he turned back to the Lennoxes.
"I could, you're right, but I don't think I will." he said. "It would seem kinda ungrateful, after everything the AllSpark and Dynasty have done for me, plus, as disconcerting as being able to find the answers to almost any question asked is sometimes, I think getting used to not being able to do that after having that ability, well I think that'd be really hard." He looked over at where the Command Trine were all clustered around Mikaela's recharge unit, helping her out as she got up.
"I can't and wouldn't presume to speak for Mikaela of course, I didn't have a chance to ask permission, and she may be happier as a human, but I think I'll stay as I am."
By this time Mikaela was walking towards him.
"Speak for me about what?" she asked.
"About the idea that I could change you back to a human," Sam said. "After all, you -"
At that point, Mikaela cut him off.
"Don't you dare, Sam!" she cried. "I find what fun it is to fly now I can, and you want to change me back to what I was? No thanks!"
"Well, I guess that settles that," Sam said to Major Lennox.
"What about your parents, Sam?" asked Sarah. "This is going to be a shock to them, for them it might be like losing you."
"Yeah, that does worry me too," he said. "If it's too hard on them I'll reconsider, after all I don't think changing back has a time limit. Also, I may be able to offer them the best of both worlds, as it is, maybe they can become robots too, though I'll suggest we wait until they're not as physically active and let them live the rest of their human lives."
"I guess that's a thought," Ratchet said. "What about you, Mikaela, you have a Creator too don't you?"
"Yeah, two actually, but Mom took off when Dad got arrested, I think she's happy now. And Dad?" She grinned. "He'll just want a poke around in your internals for curiosity's sake, and he'll love being able to fly in me!"
Ratchet grimaced.
"Before he tales 'a poke' in ANYONE's internals - assuming anyone is generous enough to allow it, and I'm assuming Optimus Prime might be foolish enough - I'll give him a basic medic-mechanic course so he doesn't accidentally offline someone while scratching an itch or something!"
"Oh, he'll be happy to do that," Mikaela said. "And he has a knack with mechanicals."
"If he meets my standards, I might ask if he'd like to assist me," Ratchet said. Sam shutter-winked at Mikaela, for Ratchet was always complaining he didn't have any help, and now groused that he still needed more help even though Jolt had landed and the two seemed to be able to keep the Base's mechs healthy between them.
A strange grunt from the sleeping baby drew all their attentions to him. Megatron shifted, his face screwed up in a look of intense concentration for a few seconds, and then his face relaxed.
"What was that about? He is asleep, right?" asked Ratchet, who then sniffed loudly twice. "And what in Pit is that atrocious smell?"
Sarah giggled, she'd recognised the look on Megatron's face and knew what it was about.
"One of the messier facets of keeping a human sparkling, Ratchet," she said. "Humans do not digest their food as efficiently as you digest your fuel. You got any more diapers? I think he needs changing."
