The world again was a hazy place as I began to egress toward the waking world. Everything was muted and dull even the feelings in my body. The only thing in sharp focus was the emotions that surrounded me in the bonds. The blue light that encompassed my being was enough to fill the cracks in my spark that had tried to splinter at some point in time recently. Time was fuzzy too, a muzzy thing that moved quickly and then slowed when I wasn't looking. I didn't know how long I'd been conscious enough to think about waking up but I finally decided my optics were closed long enough and opened them as the blinked on with a flare of blue light.

My father had his hand around my small body I realized as my other senses came back to me along with my vision. My mother's hand was on top of his and I could feel the warmth of their sparks close to me also. Somewhere I heard a beeping off to the right even though it was low. That was the first intrusive sound I heard until I focused and heard the intakes of my father and mother both. Those noises were comforting. Next, my fathers voice followed asking me the question he always asked me every morning but this time out loud he called to me, "Are you ready to face a new day sparkling?" Though the question was safe and part of our routine a part of me gave the query some serious thought.

Did I really want to face a new day? Others in the recent past had been fraught with pain I had thought long behind me. But here my parents were comforting me and still here. I had forgiven them long ago for shutting me out. There was no other choice to protect me they had to shut me out. The notion sent my brain reeling but my adult brain knew what it meant and I trusted that sense of duty and love that rolled off of them in and almost tangible essence. Protect was the word my sparkling programming latched on to and the smaller version of me that had been locked away so long echoed the attachment. She and the babybot had become one in the same.

"Ya," I rasped. My voice box was scratchy which seemed really weird knowing that I had a voice box and not vocal cords. A smaller hand petted my head as I heard my mothers voice.

"Your cry injured you voice box slightly little one," she supplied. That made sense I remembered pooling everything that had happened from so long ago to the recent shut out into one point within myself that narrowed to that well inside me and had made it possible to project that feeling into my cries for my parents. I hadn't known that crying for them might endanger them. The fear for their well being mixed in with the myriad of other feelings.

"We are operational sparkling," my father reassured me. "Your cry brought every Cybertronian to their knees my spark." I opened my optics wider and looked up into his face.

"Did?"

"Yes, Steel. You are the daughter of a Prime and in your time of need you used the Call of the Lost to summon us."

"What's sat?" I asked frustrated by my slurring of my words. They were in English.

"A power given to sparklings of the Prime lineage long ago by the original 13. There have only been 5 recorded instances of it being used." He stopped to let that sink in. I was floored. I had a power? NO way. I couldn't have that. They must be mistaking what I did with someone else. There is no way in pit I would have a power. "Why do you doubt you ability to have such a gift daughter?" I knew I was deep in the bonds with both parents when they could ask questions of me based on my thoughts.

"Can't," I shrugged. There were no words to describe to them why I didn't have such a power. I just knew it wasn't me. It never was. Those fairytales were meant for other people who deserved those happy endings. I knew my place in the world. I could deal with what life threw at me in fact I'd already done just that. This new chapter was just another lump to add to the collection. But even as I thought it, the whole idea lost its bite. My parents were still here with me swaddling me in their love and protection that existed within me and out. If they wanted to think I had a power that was ok with me if it made them happy.

I heard a both my parents chuckle. "Steel," my mother called to me. I turned my optics to hers. "You do command the Call of the Lost. It can only be used by sparklings in times of great need in danger of fracturing." I did recall the fact that my chest felt as though it might be ripping apart. My spark was strained so taught between my programming, my younger me and my adult mind and the fact that all my bonds were basically severed it was a wondered it didn't shatter.

A look crossed Optimus's face that was like a dark cloud that passed in front of the sun. "The soldier that was sent to watch you during the surprise attack was supposed to give you your Energon and stay with you till we were able to return." I remembered the whispered argument between Lennox and the other man vaguely.

"Didn't know" I chirped at him reverting to my sparkling language finally more myself. Optimus didn't look appeased in the slightest but he seemed to shake off the dark thoughts and mood when he looked at me and hugged me closer.

"I know sweetspark," he said with a sigh letting the last visages of his anger subside. "But he did disobey orders to 'Watch the machine' from what the surveillance video's tell us. The other soldier that didn't tell him what you were has been found also." That feeling of rolling thunder flowed across the bonds again as quick as a clap would growl in the sky and was then gone. I think he was shoving it away to make sure our bond was clear of negative emotions. Come to think about it my spark still hurt slightly but not much. But the pieces that had come apart or almost come apart felt very fragile. I shuttered.

"It's alright sweetspark," he told me curling me closer. "Your spark is whole and we will make sure it stays that way." He ran a finger around my helm and then my cheek. I looked up to him and smiled a little and then laid my head on his chest to look at my mom. I sat there and looked at her for a long time letting my processor get lost. I thought back on my human mother. She was strong. She provided for us. She was both mother and father when the need arose because my human father was a nut. But having to do everything made her hard. It was like sidling up to a iceberg sometimes. She had a stone mask that we felt more than her insides and it hurt sometimes to know that the calm presence is all we would get. Anything deeper was hidden away.

Then two blue optics came into focus so like my mothers blue eyes but not for they Elita's were more telling. With the bond I could tell she loved me but I could see the small changes in her eyes, the color and the focus when she looked at me it deepened just a little. I loved to watch her optics because they were blue like warm ocean water and her feelings had a sweet closeness to them that could turn into a raging sun if she wasn't careful, but she was. So careful to make sure that her glow didn't consume me but could be counted on to burn everything that threatened HER sparkling to a crisp. The fire directed outward was a welcome change. Even if she got a little loud sometimes. I smiled.

"Your thoughts are turbulent daughter," she whispered to me running a finger over my cheek. I smiled wider.

"Ya n No," I answered her not so forward query. Her optics were warm but clouded slightly with worry, worry for me. My fathers were also when I looked up to his. My spark ached a little less watching them a moment. I laid my head back on my Cybertronian dad's chest. "I love you mommy and daddy," the longest sentence I'd uttered made their intakes shutter for only a second and then their stilled actions that had stopped midway continued. They shared a look and then smiled.

"We could feel it so Steel, but it is the first time you have vocalized it. IT makes us very happy," he said his voice suspiciously watery for an Autobot not having the parts to do that. I snuggled into him.

"Daddy head hurts," I told him. I was pretty comfortable but some things were making themselves known finally. Without a word Ratchet came over and replaced my dad's hand on my back and the sudden intrusion of our family bond time made me squeak. He continued to pick me up.

"Relax child," he clicked at me. "I am just going to scan you for a moment then I will return you to your creators." I clicked back at him nonsense but I was kinda miffed. Apparently when sparklings were angry they dissolved into frustrated clicks and chirps that didn't really translate into anything. They were just angry babble. Ratchet just laughed as he scanned me. It was a 'isn't that cute' laugh but I wasn't impressed. Still grumbling, I was put back on top of my father's chest where he quickly returned his hand on top of my prone form. Sitting up had been hard. "Lie still sparkling," he warned gently. "Your trip through the base damaged several of your components including your hip joint, knee joint, several servo joints and some cranial pieces. Your vocal processor was damaged slightly too but it is healing. Your internal healing systems are taking care of that part but the others I had to fix. And there is the matter of your spark," the bright yellow hummer was stopped by a look over my head from my father. Suddenly Ratchet literally bowed his head which looked like in deference to Prime and turned around to see to something else.

Well that was weird. I'd never seen him do that before. The shock from my spark made Optimus' chest shake with a deep laughter. "He does listen little one," he uttered deeply still with a smile in his voice. I looked up at him questioningly and he then sighed along with my mother next to him.

"Steel," my mother started. "Your spark almost fractured." I looked to her and my father I didn't know what that meant.

"Steel," my dad tried, "if your spark had actually fractured you would have gone back to the well of sparks, my sweet one. We could feel you teetering. Bu we are glad you stayed and we still want ALL of you," he emphasized the word all and I was so grateful because while he had been talking I was becoming nervous but that one word made it all disappear like fog running from the sun. There was really nothing else to say now it could all be felt through the bonds and I was content to heal there on his chest my mother beside me.

XXX

I think they went easy on me after that for quite a while. I would ask for something and I would get it immediately. I hardly had to ask for anything really since both parents seemed to know what I wanted or needed before I even did at times. There were times I felt I was taking up to much of Optimus's time but he found time for the most important work he had to do usually during my extended sleep periods which were still longer than a usual cybertronian. I also had naps which irked me but I let the babybot programming lead my eating habits and sleeping habits. I knew that my new brain needed different things from my human one and recharge seemed to make me feel better upon wakening in the afternoon. I was told by my father that eventually those periods of napping would become less and less but it would be a while. I was content as long as it allowed him the time he needed and it helped restore my energy and processing afterward.

Ratchet was not concerned about how much recharge I seemed to need saying there were acceptable variants in different bots to account for it. He did puzzle over my affinity for human mannerisms. Yawning for one which served no purpose for Cybertronians and was even questionable in the human species. The yellow hummer also questioned me a time or two about my knowing English so well, but my dad always sidetracked him with another quirk that wasn't so obviously human or with an injury that was bothering him. I think he endured Ratchet's tender mercies for my sake several times. I loved him all the more for it. Ratchet though I liked. He was kind to me and always explained everything before he started doing it whether it be a scan or what have you. His spark felt tired at times and I wondered if anyone else felt it.

After once such visit to Ratchet after a particularly vigorous try at walking resulting in a scratched knee plate, I asked the Prime about it. "Daddy, you feel Ratch too?"

He looked down at me momentarily while walking then looked back up. "How do you feel him?" I put my hand on my chest. Optimus nodded. "I see. I don't feel him the same as you sparkling. Knowing is apart of being a sparkling and bonding with those in your pod. The need fades as you grow older and do not need the feel of you kin to guide you." I nodded but pouted. I didn't want to loose this feeling. I liked knowing how people felt. It was far more reliable than what they said and Autobots especially just felt and lived intimately with each other from such a young age. They were in each others heads, spoke, loved, and did many things internally. This sense of them helped guide that. "Don't worry my spark, it will not leave you until you are ready. It's a the knowing of the spark that also determines when those ties to pod are not as needed. They will not abandon you." I smiled at his words. He knew just what to say.