Chapter Warnings: some fluffiness
Disclaimer: Primus I want to own them so bad, but it'll never happen. I only own Sage and her crazy side of the family. {Isn't it obvious already?}
I do not own the OC Demonta, she's property of DemontaDark, another author here, WITH PERMISSION! So please ask her if you want her kickass attitude in your stories.
- Until All Are One -
Chapter Ten: Pieces To An Unknown Puzzle
- Until All Are One -
Previously:
"Whoa, wait a minute, you already have nanites? Who donated them to you? Cause no offense, but none of those mechs out there looked like they were Bearers to me!" Demonta's eyes shined briefly in excitement.
"What?" Sage felt so confused. Growling faintly, Demonta leaned closer.
"Your nanites. Who. Gave. Them. To. You?" she asked slowly.
"I don't know…"
- Until All Are One -
Demonta's eye twitched slightly, but she restrained herself at seeing the honest confusion and bewilderment. Tugging at her bangs lightly, she cooled her annoyance down. "Alright, let's try again," she murmured, refocusing. "We are Shard Sparks, organics who are born with a partially formed Spark. I say organics, because humans weren't the only ones I've found," she quickly answered the unspoken question in Sage's eyes. The older girl nodded, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them, her golden eyes fixated on her. "The Cube has been here for a long time, it obviously began affecting the Earth, how could it not? It contained so much raw power…anyway; it affected organic life, so it's reasonable to conclude humans had been affected too. Some humans became more psychically aware, others more intellectually advanced, etc., etc." she paused, contemplating.
Sage listened intently, but couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. The way she kept referencing to the Cube, indicated she thought the artifact was just that, non-sentient. She remembered the voices talking to her, she remembered feeling some stirrings of emotions from the massive artifact, and she remembered being pulled to the Cube in a way similar yet much stronger than Megatron.
"Alright, so Shard Sparks are born," Demonta continued, "what that means for us, is simple. We have a Spark inside us, we get to choose between staying human and letting it dissolve into our organic bodies; going a sort of half-breed, kinda cyborg-like state; or going completely Cybertronian. In order for us to do that however, we need donated nanites, from Bearer Sparks. You do know what a Bearer Spark is, right?" she paused.
"Yeah, Cade's been teaching me about the history of Cybertron, but Ratchet's been teaching me about my Spark, he's referenced a few terms." She giggled faintly, "He won't go into detail about their reproduction though, says I'm too young,"
"Huh, cool," Demonta nodded. "Alright, so Bearer Sparks are the best, or Carrier Sparks I guess but they're so few…they're the best since it is more likely they'll, oh, what's the word? Be compatible, and won't attack our systems. Bearer Sparks usually pass their nanites to their Sparklings, so their nanites are programmed to adapt easier than other nanites. That's why it's so difficult for Mech Bearers, usually their nanites attack the forming Sparkling, at least until they adapt into Bearer Sparks."
"Oh, that makes sense," Sage nodded.
"Yeah, so I'm surprised you have nanites already, and to not know who gave them to you? It isn't something they can slip you without you knowing," Demonta frowned, crossing her arms behind her head. Sage bit her lip, something prodding at the back of her mind. She felt so tired, she just wanted to curl up against any Bot or Con's chassis and sleep… "Oi, focus!" she blinked, looking at her irritated features.
"Sorry," she rubbed at her eyes blearily.
"Anyway, so we go through about five stages, depending on our choice..."
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Sage asked. Demonta paused, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Well, I found out about the Cybertronians when I was about ten," the seventeen year old looked highly uncomfortable. "Met a Decepticon, didn't like him after a while, learned several fighting styles at the tender age of thirteen, hacking at fourteen, weaponry at fourteen, and have pretty much been working odd jobs ever since…"
"But how do you know…"
"I-kinda-might-of-accidentally-hacked-in-to-the-Pentagon's-computer-base-and-found-Sector-Seven's-files-and-found-out-about-you-and-the-Bots-then," Demonta scratched at the back of her neck, laughing nervously. Sage closed her eyes briefly, before they snapped open in shock.
"Wait a moment. You HACKED the Pentagon's computer!"
"And Sector Seven's files," Demonta smirked, not at all embarrassed at that. A stifled snort escaped the brunette, before she covered her mouth and doubled over. Demonta blinked, watching as the fit of laughter turned slightly hysterical. "You alright?" she cautiously leaned forward, poking her head. Sage snorted again, wiping at her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, I think so…You really did hack Sector Seven's files?"
"Yup," she popped the 'p' grinning amusedly. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about this first, which is why me and that old rust bucket were arguing,"
"Ironhide," Sage flinched. Her Links flickered, Orion's and Ratchet's both pulsed reassurance to her, but she couldn't make herself reach out to Ironhide. She felt the Link, waiting for her to acknowledge him, but her Spark was denying it for some reason, telling her it wasn't time. "His name's Ironhide, Optimus Prime is the blue and red semi, um, Blackout is a helicopter, Barricade is a cop car, Bonecrusher is a construction vehicle, Jazz is the silver Pontiac, Sideswipe is the Stingray, Ratchet's the medical Hummer, and Bumblebee's the Camaro. Those are the big Mechs…"
"What about the Volt?" Demonta asked.
"Volt?" she lightly pinged her Link, Orion sent an image of the Bot she vaguely remembered, as well as the name, Jolt. "Oh, he just arrived, his name's Jolt, I think,"
"You think?"
"Last night, err, this morning? Well, that was my first time meeting him," she admitted, blushing, "A nice introduction huh?" she murmured, embarrassed, though Demonta laughed.
"Yeah, nice intro,"
"We've also got eight Younglings," Sage continued, rubbing at her pink cheeks. "Frenzy and Scorponak are the oldest; they came with Barricade and Blackout. The other six were Created during Mission City. Rewire and Surge are twins, Lift is the third oldest, followed by SureShot, Nightshade, and Terabyte." Pausing, she giggled at the stunned look on the younger girl's face.
"How do they keep up?"
"They're actually very well behaved…" Sage trailed off, blinking. Before Demonta could ask, a loud screech sounded outside the room. Sage jumped up, feeling her Link with Nightshade snap open, his aggravation, annoyance, and clear desperate desire making her uneasy. "Nightshade?" Before she could move three steps, the door was suddenly torn free. A low keening was heard, as the Youngling's face peered desperately in. "Nightshade! What's wrong sweetie?" He reached a servo in, scooped her up, and nearly yanked her out of the room. Demonta followed, blinking, to find him cuddling her to his cheek, whining and keening softly. Sage, completely confused, was trying to calm him down, and shushing him softly. The Mechs around them also appeared disturbed and confused.
"He just came tearing through the halls," Ratchet shrugged, "Keening, wanting to see his-"
"Siss-te-err," Everyone went silent, staring at the Youngling in shock. His bright green optics shuttered, cradling her close. "Meh b-big siss-te-err," he crooned. Sage melted, hugging his face tightly, but avoiding her injured arm.
"Aw, Nightshade, you said your first English words!"
"Sissy hurt," he complained, glaring viciously at the older Mechs. They stepped back, as his armor bristled. Chirps, tweets, and whining alerted them to the arrival of the other aggravated Younglings. Demonta looked over the various different styled frames, whistling softly. The twins skated around Nightshade's pedes, whistling in aggravation. Nightshade clicked and hissed, which made them more upset. Ratchet hissed softly, his optics narrowing, scolding them. All but Nightshade calmed, the Youngling stubbornly holding the girl protectively. "Sissy hurt! No good!" he stamped his pede seriously, glaring at the CMO.
"Stop, Nightshade, I'm okay," Sage attempted to calm him down. He clicked something to her, judging by the scowls on the Mechs, and the surprise on the Younglings, it wasn't necessarily a good thing. Prime stepped forward, optics stern, and promptly scolded the Youngling enough that his frame slumped slightly. Demonta and the soldiers watched on, confused, but vaguely understanding the situation.
"That's enough," Prime looked over, to see Barricade and Bonecrusher returning from their 'pet project.' Barricade was eying the Younglings with a careful optic, while Bonecrusher was looking amused.
"We got a Con Youngling," he chuckled darkly. Nightshade hissed and spit something at them, glowering darkly. In response, Barricade moved forward, clicking darkly, and promptly smacked the Youngling's helm. Yelping, Nightshade ducked, rubbing his helm with his free servo, the other carefully putting Sage down and nudging her away. The twins chattered softly, lightly pulling her away from the two tense Cons.
"Barricade!" Prime scolded.
"Don't Prime," Bonecrusher hissed, moving to stand near Barricade.
"He's righ' Prime," Blackout stepped forward, completing a triangle with the two Mature Cons, with Nightshade in the middle. "Da Younglin' gots Con protocols, 'e needs ta know 'is Con standin' not a Bot's,"
"Decepticon and Autobot protocols are different, remember?" Ratchet nodded in agreement, optics understanding. "The few main differences between us, Decepticon protocols are more aggressive, perfect for Guardians and enforcers, while Autobot protocols are more passive, excellent for being Caregivers and teachers."
"So they're going to put him in his place? Like a wolf pack?" Epps asked, leaning forward, looking curious.
"Exactly," Barricade nodded briefly, not looking away from the tense Youngling. "He needs to know, that we are the ones in charge, which he still needs to learn. He needs to understand the hierarchy."
"Positions of authority," Prime nodded, understanding, but still looking wary.
"We won't hurt him," Bonecrusher reassured, "Not much anyway, depends on how independent he's become," He flickered his optics away, slipping his frame into a ready stance. At seeing his attention seemingly drift, Nightshade lunged. He yelped when the larger Con easily spun and flipped him onto his back, pinning him down with a pede planted on his chassis. "That was dull," he commented, looking blankly down at the Youngling. Nightshade snarled something, digging his claws into the panels. The front-liner didn't even flinch, the humans blinked at seeing the armor was only scratched, not at all damaged. Scratching at the armor, only peeling the paint off, Nightshade yowled and hissed, growling as he attempted to squirm out from the firm steady pressure. Bonecrusher looked absolutely bored. Barricade and Blackout were watching, both chuckling faintly.
"Dat 'splains that," Blackout teased, "Ya were a Caretaker b'fore, righ'?"
"Kinda," the front-liner shrugged, "Took down a lot of punk Younglings back in the construction zones, learned how to NOT crush them, and teach 'em the hierarchy." Once the Youngling stopped struggling, merely pouting now, the Con appraised him silently. Clicking and whirring, he sounded cautious but calm, lightly pressing harder on the chest-plates. Nightshade clicked in annoyance, then keened softly, submissively. Hearing the keen, the three relaxed completely; Bonecrusher removing his pede and lightly nudging the prone Youngling. Twisting, he stood upright, getting a slight scruff to the back of his helm by the three, making him whine softly. Slowly, he shuffled over, crouching down to beg attention from his big sister, who quietly reassured him, but also sided with the three Cons.
"Why is he the only one to speak English?" Demonta asked suddenly, reminding them she was still there.
"They are Younglings, their systems are still settling, so their behaviors and personalities are not settled completely. Depending on their maturity, certain programs are active or dormant. Nightshade managed to activate the data packets I gave them, to activate their vocal processors and start speaking the different human languages." Ratchet explained, gently prodding at a deep scratch on the Youngling's chassis. With nothing more than scratches, he deemed the play fight safe, though Bonecrusher was eying his leg panels, and the scratches, with contemplation. "I'm not surprised they're becoming more independent, frankly if they weren't, that's when I would start worrying." He continued.
"Hellfire," Bonecrusher interrupted, "You're repainting my armor,"
"Why?" Sage asked, blinking.
"Your Youngling damaged it," his tone radiated tolerant obviousness, "fix it,"
"Fine," she rolled her eyes, amused.
"Hellfire?" Demonta mused, looking the shorter teen over. "I don't see it,"
"You will, when her Con protocols surface," Barricade waved off, but his optics focused eerily on her. "Who the slag are you?"
"Demonta, who's askin'?"
"Barricade," he leaned down, looking her over. "You're like my Ward," his observation unsettled the others, who shifted and tensed. "You have a NewSpark, no, it isn't a NewSpark…"
"We're Shard Sparks," she piped up, looking fearlessly into the scarlet optics. "We've got part of a Spark, thanks to the Cube,"
"How many of you are there?"
"Not sure, Sage and I are the sanest that I've found though,"
"Sanest?"
"I've met a couple who were psychotic, you know, serial killer-like, but others are completely ignorant to the fact they ARE Shard Sparks. So I'm curious, who donated the nanites to Sage?"
"Donated the nanites?" Ratchet repeated softly. "You are incorrect; she's had nanites her whole life,"
"No friggin' way," Demonta shook her head, "Shard Sparks DON'T have their own nanites, they need a Bearer to donate some,"
"Pa'haps da Allspark gave ha' some?" Jazz suggested, leaning against a wall, Jolt standing stiffly beside him.
"Negative, the Allspark's nanites were far different from Sage's," Ratchet shook his helm, contemplating. His optics flickered for a moment, then looked thoughtfully at Barricade. The Hunter blinked his optics, flicking them between his Ward and the amusedly thoughtful CMO.
"What? Stop looking at me like that!" he stamped his pede aggressively, looking unnerved.
"Sage ingested some of your Energon, when she defended Samuel, correct?" Ratchet scratched his helm thoughtfully.
"I am NOT a Bearer!"
"Never said you were,"
"Oh Primus, I don't want to remember that," Sage grumbled, wincing.
"Wait, you ate some of his Energon?" Demonta scrunched her face up in disgust.
"It sprayed into my face and mouth, I'm sorry I didn't want to spit it out inside Bee, so I swallowed it…"
"And promptly became nauseous, before exhibiting symptoms of sugar-high," Ratchet chuckled softly.
"I don't do drugs very well," she pouted, "Even over-the-counter Tylenol is carefully considered before I take half a dose."
"Yes, we clearly remember you nearly bouncing off all the objects in Samuel's room,"
"Can we get back on topic?" she threw her hands up, rolling her eyes.
"Ah yes," Ratchet zeroed in on the Con, who had attempted to creep out unnoticed. "If you aren't a Bearer, however, then I do not see how you could have donated the nanites."
"Thought you said she's had them her whole life?" Ironhide spoke up darkly. Ratchet winced slightly, shifting slightly.
"True, however they only recently activated,"
"Because of the attack?" Bonecrusher was looking puzzled.
"No," Ratchet shook his helm, his optics flickering to Prime. "Mission," They all froze, contemplating.
"When she activated the Cube?" Will broke the awkward silence. Ratchet nodded faintly.
"But she activated the Cube at Hoover, when the twins were born," Epps countered. Those who didn't know that, shifted slightly, looking at her differently. Sage hunched her shoulders up, grimacing. Rewire and Surge trilled softly, nuzzling her and flanking her protectively.
"Does it really matter who donated the nanites?" Jolt sounded annoyed, looking at the humans sternly.
"Considering they've been inside her for at least fifteen Earth rotations, yes," Ratchet looked worried now, as well as irritated at Jolt. "It means that there are other Cybertronians here, or there were."
- Until All Are One -
After the realization of other Cybertronians being present on Earth, Demonta explained the little she knew about her and Sage being Shard Sparks. She glossed over her illegal adventures in Seven's files, but did claim she found some interesting old archives from the thirties and fifties. During her explanation, Ratchet scooped Sage up, tucking her against his chassis; she was asleep in seconds. While the others pondered the new information, and debated what they were going to do with it, Ratchet slipped back to Medbay and tucked her into a berth before rejoining the arguing Bots and Cons. Frenzy kept a careful watch over the girl, settled in his boom-box alt with Sage curled up tight around him, using him as a replacement to her beloved Hound.
- Until All Are One -
Judy wasn't pleased; finding out her niece had been awake, yet not being informed until after she passed out again. She did take a long look at the teen who had apparently saved her, before giving a sharp nod in thanks, but she clearly didn't warm up to Demonta yet. Being a mother, she trusted her instincts, and her instincts were screaming that something had happened. Seeing the hidden tension in Ironhide, and the reassuring looks of empathy sent to him, she immediately went to him. She stood by him for several minutes, waiting patiently, until he vented loudly and tilted his helm slightly. Following him outside the communal hangar, she reached out and petted his ankle joint as she'd seen Sage do. The action brought a soft vent, and a slow shutter of his optic covers.
"How bad?" she asked gently. The mech shifted, looking at her briefly, before looking away. She caught the hint of shame and internal agony, as well as the self-aggravation.
"I frightened her," he held up one arm, his cannon shifting before resettling. Judy watched thoughtfully, continuing her petting. "She flinched away from me, from ME."
"I'm sorry," he looked at her with surprised and shocked optics. She stared back at him calmly, understanding and a bit of guilt in her own honest face. Reading her features, he knelt, offering his servo.
"I have a feeling, that we're about to have a LONG conversation,"
"And you would be correct," Judy sighed, climbing on and settling herself. Raising her to his optic level, and regaining his standing position, he watched her silently. Judy Witwicky, mother and wife, contemplated how to explain her niece's quirks to the highly advanced sentient mechanical alien before her. "You mustn't take it personally," she started firmly, looking at him with empathy, "It took me two and a half YEARS before Sage started trusting me again, after her parents abandoned her,"
"Her Creators abandoned her?" Ironhide's optics widened, before narrowing nearly to pinpricks, fury making him stiffen and bristle.
"She was about six when her parents left her with her paternal grandmother. It took us three years of fighting to gain custody of her; Ron's mother isn't the nicest woman in the world, but she IS a very good politician, and she has a great deal of money." Judy paused, frowning slightly. "She took more to Ron and Sam, because they were male, but it took me a long time to break through her walls. I've never seen her take so quickly to anyone, like she does to you guys," she smiled faintly, seeing the surprised but pleased look appear on his face, relaxing him a bit. "She has very little self-importance; she believes others should come before her own desires, but she does know her own limits. However," her eyes darkened in sorrow, her lips pursing. "She's frightened of being close to anyone, since most of those who have, hurt her. I'm not surprised she's drawing back from you, she's terrified of trusting others with her inner self." A faint smirk appeared, her eyes looking back at his for a moment. Ironhide blinked, trying to keep up with her different emotions. "I promise, she'll come to you, just let her have a few days. No doubt her guilt will overwhelm her, especially since she loves all you guys. She's like sand," she chuckled at the confused look. "If you try and grasp sand too tightly, it sprinkles through your hands, but if you don't hold it tightly, it all flows out."
"Let her come to me," Ironhide mused, Judy nodded.
"Trust me," a wry grin appeared, but deep love flickered in her eyes. "Don't let her go easily, keep treating her like one of your own. Once she fully trusts and opens to you, you won't be able to get rid of her."
- Until All Are One -
Will knocked briefly on the door, hearing a slight scuffling, before the girl, Demonta, opened the door. Her trench coat was off, as were her boots. He saw her returned weapons were placed on the small dresser. "You settling in alright?" he asked, smiling warmly. The seventeen-year-old nodded, yawning slightly as she stretched. "You need some clothes for today? We'll go pick up some of your stuff later."
"Nah, thanks though, I got some pajamas, already. One of the lady soldiers gave them to me. They'll work for today at least."
"Good, get some rest alright?"
"Yup, thanks again,"
"No problem," he left, hearing the door click shut. She was being temporarily housed in the technician's wing, since her skills at hacking would be beneficial. Will was hoping to transfer her to the barracks soon though, preferably near Sage, since he had the feeling the two would become friends.
- Until All Are One -
Cade slipped into the Medbay easily, his optics locating his Ward easily. Seeing her snuggled up to Frenzy, he chuckled darkly. Settling himself nearby, he lightly picked away the concrete on his claws, scowling and cursing softly at some stubborn flecks. The humans will be thrilled, he idly thought; he and Bonecrusher had repaired every runway, road, parking lot, and air-field on base, and surrounding the base. A bit of compound tweaking from Bonecrusher, had the asphalt setting in less than five minutes, and hardened enough for use in two hours. He was getting tired of listening to the humans complaining about the damages they'd done, despite most of the damage being from their drone vehicles. He only briefly wondered when they would notice.
- Until All Are One -
Sage jolted awake, her eyes flaring open. Tensing, she laid still for a moment, before peeking around. She was laying on a bed, in the Medbay, with Frenzy clutched to her chest. Peering at the boom-box, she determined he was asleep, since she faintly could hear a soft clicking every few moments. Slowly sitting up, she tucked the boom-box into the bed, wrapping the blankets around him, before looking around fully. Cade was settled against the wall, one knee up with an elbow resting on it, the other knee was bent, tucked behind his other pede. His helm hung low, optics dark and shuttered, with a few parts softly re-aligning from time to time. Seeing him asleep, a light ping confirmed it by their Link, she smiled faintly. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the darkened Medbay. Lightly brushing her other Links, she guessed they were all in recharge, except for Jazz, who was guarding the elevators. Feeling him pulse a soft good morning to her, she stretched and stood from the bed. A faint moving shadow caught her attention; her eyes searched for the figure, and saw it beckoning to her. Grabbing her shoes, she tugged them on as she slipped out of the Medbay, following the figure into an office.
"Hello, ShadowFlight,"
-Hello Little One,- The femme's warm ruby optics looked her over sadly. –I am sorry, you always seem to be damaged, or in danger,-
"It's alright," she smiled faintly, but her eyes were troubled.
-What is it Little One? I will assist you as best as I am able,-
"I hurt Ironhide," she whispered, sitting on the desk and bringing her knees up. Broken golden optics looked pleadingly up at the tall femme, "How can I fix this?" The femme looked thoughtful, tilting her helm to the side. Despite her not really being present, Sage saw the ancient glyphs etched into her armor glint beautifully, the language of the Primes.
-You care for him, correct?-
"Of course I do!"
-Then why do you hesitate?- Sage hesitated, looking lost. –Your Spark, what does it tell you?-
"My Spark, says…not yet, I'm not ready,"
-Why?- ShadowFlight was perfectly calm, her optics warm and inviting. –Why does your Spark say it isn't ready?-
"I don't know," she tucked her face into her knees, willing the tears to dissipate.
-What is he to you?- the question was soft, she felt a gentle servo card through her hair. –You must know what he is to you, before you can confirm and acknowledge him,- She still seemed confused, so the femme hummed thoughtfully. –The same as Ratchet, correct?- a slow nod, -How do they make you feel?-
"Safe," the word was muffled and hesitant, but an encouraging croon increased her confidence, "a protector, someone who'll watch over me, protect me, but let me do what I want, let me make minor mistakes, but will help me through major ones…" she tensed slightly, looking up at the Prime in disbelief.
-Now, Little One,- warm ruby optics smiled deeply, -what are they to you?-
"Dads,"
- Until All Are One -
He was soundly in recharge, his Spark mostly soothed by his talk with Judy. His proximity alerts vaguely noted an approaching presence, the soft padding sounds of socked feet barely audible to his audios. His frame barely twitched, but his sensors automatically scanned and identified the Sparkling, even as his door opened welcomingly. Feeling the femme crawl into his cab, a light blanket and her well-loved stuffed dog in her arms, he felt his Spark warm as she curled into his seats. She adjusted the blanket for a moment, then pressed a soft kiss to his leather. He felt her Spark reach out over their Link, connecting to his and making their Link permanent.
"Love you, g'ight, papa," her drowsy words nearly made him stall, but he felt his Spark soar, especially after he Googled the word 'papa.'
- Until All Are One -
To say everyone was amused, and relieved, would be an understatement. When Cade had woken from recharge, he'd nearly gone into panic mode once he realized his Ward had vanished on him, yet again. Frenzy had dove into the vents, scaring the crap out of soldiers and technicians after popping his helm into the various rooms, searching for her. It was only when they bothered to ask the others, did they calm. Ironhide was on cloud nine, as the humans would say, not relinquishing his hold on the still slumbering Sparkling. Their relief was from not seeing the proud Autobot Weapons Specialist, looking Spark-broken anymore. It was… disturbing to them.
With Sage on the mend, again, the base settled again into its normal routines, meaning the Younglings were terrorizing their Caregivers with pranks and immature antics, some soldiers were giving them a wide berth [cough, cough, Jake, cough, cough] while others were far too interested in them, technicians were slowly being acclimated to the antics of both Younglings AND Mature Mechs, and the Bots and Cons once again learned to be wary in the presence of an over-protective Judy with a bat. The only new additions would be Jolt, who kept a distance from the humans and pretty much remained in the Medbay area; and Demonta, who was flitting from the technician communication center, hanging out with Maggie and Glen, pranking with Frenzy, and spending time with Sage and the Younglings.
Maggie and Sage happily accepted their forgotten purchases from their disrupted Girl's Weekend, which Judy and Mikaela had remembered to bring back to base. Maggie had bought several of her favorite coffee flavors, as well as an emergency stash of chocolate and junk food. Sage's purchases were several boxes of hot tea bags, a pair of roller-blades, her toolkit, and a few replacement art supplies, as well as more craft stuff for the Younglings. SureShot trilled in joy, when she showed him how to make his own puppets. He was surprisingly talented at sewing.
"Hot tea?" Sides poked the boxes, looking amused. "Is it like that cough-ee stuff Maggie bought?"
"Kinda, I prefer tea though, not coffee." Sage wrinkled her nose, a grimace appearing on her face. "I like cold coffee drinks, but cannot stand hot coffee," She spotted the calculating, mischievous look in his optics and grabbed her tea boxes protectively. A feral look appeared in her eyes, turning them slightly red. "Do. Not. Mess. With. My. Tea." She warned, deadly serious. "For soldiers, you don't mess with their coffee; for women, don't mess with their chocolate or clothes; for me, don't mess with my tea." Seeing him not at all dissuaded, she desperately tried to remember anything he told her that was similar. Her eyes flickered evilly, once she remembered something. "Messing with my tea is equivalent to messing with your brother's paintjob," he stilled, then blanched. Backing away, he pouted at the laughter the others didn't contain.
- Until All Are One -
Sage slipped into the small room she'd been given in the barracks, holding a large packaging envelope in her arms. Judy had handed it to her just before they left to return to the house, but she'd forgotten about it. Slowly opening the flap, she shook the contents out. Her mother's familiar handwriting made her chest ache in grief, so she was slowly going through the items. To her bemusement, there was only a thick envelope and several flash-drives. Lifting the envelope up, she could faintly smell her mom's favorite perfume. It was slightly thick; when she opened it, several sheets of paper fell out. One was the letter she was expecting; the others were deeds to various properties, a list of names and addresses, and a small crest with a glyph in the center. Picking the crest up, she noted it looked very familiar. Tucking it into a pocket, she picked up the letter. It was in a separate envelope, sealed with wax with a fancy 'H' pressed into the wax seal. Breaking the seal, she pulled the letter out.
"Darkling, if you're reading this, then I'm dead, probably by the hands of the Lord Protector," Sage blinked, confused as to how her mom knew Megatron's title. "-or by one of his followers. I know a great deal about the Cybertronians, you could say I was, personally tutored, by them. I have no doubt that you know about their existence, but there is a great deal more you need to know. They've been here for a very long time, my Darkling.
"There is so much I want to tell you, to share with you, but I must uphold my oath, and Keep their secrets. I have left you clues and people to talk to; however, only if you want to undergo this harsh journey. Only if you want to do this, because once you start, you cannot stop. They will be watching over you, especially now that I cannot protect you. Just know, that you have more family out there, than you realize.
"I'm sorry baby, but I can't help you any further, I love you so much. Trust in Haven, trust yourself, and trust that someone is watching over you, whether it be a divine entity, a Guardian, or your family. XOXO, Mom."
The letter was folded back up, placed back into its envelope, and placed carefully under her pillow. It took several minutes before she completely willed her tears back, once she was composed again, she began looking at the other papers. Folding the list neatly, she placed it in her computer case, so not to lose it. The flash drives were gathered and placed to the side, while she comfortably settled cross-legged on the bed. Picking up the rest of the papers, she slowly went through them. Barely reading through all the legal writing, she determined she now held three deeds in her hands. One was the deed to the house she grew up in, mortgage fully paid for, and property taxes being paid from an off-shore account her dad had. The second was a deed to a house in Arizona, on an Indian reservation, also fully paid for, but the property taxes were being paid by some unknown company. The third was a piece of land that wasn't developed, at least that's what she figured from the legal jargon.
Setting the papers to the side, she opened her laptop and started it up. Picking through the flash drives, she spotted her mom's tell marks. Seemingly ordinary scratches were set in the unusual code her mom was always playing around with. Now that she was older, she wondered what her mom was protecting, teaching her since she was little how to read the codes. Selecting the first drive, she plugged it in and entered her password, opening the folder and looking through the password-protected files. Scanning through the coded names, she softly repeated out loud the code her mom had constantly drilled into her head.
"Three d, four u, six s, two b," Focusing on the file, she clicked on it, not surprised when two passwords were required. Hesitating, she pressed the enter button. Instantly, the error message popped up, with a hint. Reading the hint, she chuckled softly, her mom loved riddles. I am not a greeting. Pondering briefly, she cast her mind around. Instant thought would be a goodbye, but her mom was crazy, so the answer wouldn't be a goodbye either. Remembering her mom working all the time, with her different interests filling up the house, she paused. "Aloha," she smirked, "Aloe," Her mom absolutely loved the desert plants, had them all over the house. Typing in the plant, she unlocked the first password, and promptly typed in aloe backwards, in numbers, 3014. The file unlocked, but before she could congratulate herself, her eyes caught the images rapidly filling her vision. Staring at all the schematics, her eyes flickering from image to image, she froze.
"Oh, shit!"
- Until All Are One -
Bearer Sparks – sparks that had undergone the Budding Process and produced living Sparklings. After the birthing of a Sparkling, the Mature Spark is considered a Bearer Spark. Bearer Sparks become highly receptive to Spark Energies, the percentage of becoming a Bearer again increases. Mech Sparks range from- 20% to 40%. Femme Sparks range from- 40% to 80%.
Carrier Sparks – Sparks that are very rare nowadays, but more common in the early ages of Cybertron. They're Sparks that are naturally Bearer-orientated, but are more prone to adopting Sparklings not Carrying them. Abandoned Sparklings, and that does happen, that are found by Carrier Sparks gain part of their Bearer's and the Carrier's nanites. Carrier Sparks are also adapted to carrying their Sparklings in guarded portions of their frames, so they are normally quite larger than normal mechs. The Carrier Sparks population was also 90 % Mechs, with few Femmes being considered Carriers.
Very few knew about this tiny select group since the early years of the Golden Age, since most were considered obsolete and many preferred a more streamlined frame design. Few kept the protective additions, and fewer admitted to being this select type. Soundwave is one of the only known Carrier Sparks.
- Until All Are One -
Um, sorry about the wait…lots of crap going on in RL. I'm hoping with my fingers crossed, it'll settle back down the second week of October. So yeah…sorry again.
Thanks for reading!
Replies:
Tylerbamafan34: Thanks! Yes, it is someone who is unexpected, not Optimus, I hope ya figured that out, but no, not Megatron either. The Allspark, might've helped a little, but not by much. If you're REALLY dying to know, the answer is in Ch. 2 of Our Haven. Thanks for your awesome reviews!
Itachigirl250: Just PM me if you need any help or ideas, I will reply to them, I promise! Despite my hectic schedule. I can usually read and reply either in the morning or late at night, so any inquiries during the day will be replied then. Hope your story is coming along! Ja ne!
Warriorkat21: I love your reviews, honestly I do, usually you react to the story the way I was hoping people would, with humor and laughter. I am definitely reading your stories, keeping up with them, despite my lack of reviews. Much Love!
Awesomeness: It just hit me, right as I wrote it, that Sage's feelings were still confused about him and Ratch, well, just him since she connected with Ratchet. Plus, I got a bit bored with how slow this story is going, so I sped it up a bit…tee hee. That attitude is purely Demonta, I'm rereading her story to try and keep her attitude right, since I'm not a very confrontational person and don't know how to write someone who is…but she's got it down nicely. Yes, Ironhide was REALLY upset, but it's better now! He's just a giant metal teddy bear!
Demonta: Yay! Dee-chan! –glomps- I'll be sending you parts soon, about how she's going to react to stuff, I'm going to start tearing at the Links, and bring in Galloway, soon. Just fair warning!
Kitsune-miko-witch: Well, does that answer your first question? XD I loved this review, it gave me so many good ideas, which means the second movie is so screwed once we get there…LOL. Actually, they're gonna be kinda laid-back, knowing Orion and Cade are watching over her, as well as Bonecrusher and Sides….I so need a good nickname for Bonecrusher. Maybe just Crusher? Anyway, I died laughing at the mental image, Ratchet looking at a pissed Ironhide and pointing at a Bot/Con, then saying open fire. I DIED! Lol! Oh…that's good! And, yeah, Frenzy is a sneaky little Con. I…am not going to reply to that question, not yet. But I love the idea of Ravage! Can I please, please, please use it! I love Ravage! I love cats, but I love Ravage more! You are so right about the feline superiority. Blackout and Cade aren't really into PDA, so I'm hoping people realized that. Cade was seriously going unstable, which is why Blackout, hee hee BO, was…flirting? Um, expressing his affection in full view. Um, yeah. Anyway, thanks a lot! I feel the same for the Diego Diaries. Such an awesome fic…XD. Much love!
RatchetTheWrenchThrower: Thanks for joining my little harem of reviewers! Muahahahaha! Just kidding, I am glad you decided to review. No, I haven't read the book, what's it called and the author? I wanna read it now, I didn't know there was a book…I feel sad now…
Much love to all my readers and reviewers! I love ya'll!