Title: Unnatural
Author: BlueLunacy7
Chapter Warnings: Violence, character deaths
Pairings: Sam/Bee
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the any quotes or lyrics, or song titles in anyway, shape, or form.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Chapter 10: De Anima
To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. -Samuel Butler
What is a soul? Patience asked calmly as if she didn't just drop a bombshell.
'I don't know…that which gives us life?' Sam guessed, surprised by the sudden question, 'What makes us, us, I guess.'
What is a Spark?
'Ummm….what powers the Cybertronians?' Sam tried again, confused by the line of questioning, 'That which gives them life? Why are you asking me this?'
Soul, Spirit, Essence, Psyche, Anima, Breath Of Life, Elan Vital, Genius, Pneuma, Quintessence, Life Force, Secret Self, Recesses Of Heart, Spark, and the list goes on and on. Patience stated, A thousand and one words, all describing the same thing, that which makes us live, move, change, do, feel, think, and simply be.
It flows, liquid and moving, shifting. Like water, it changes form. In humans it is like a fine mist, so fine it cannot be seen, you cannot hold it but it can be felt as it leaves its finger prints upon all that it touches. She explain gently, A Spark is like Ice, it can be seen, it can be felt, you can hold it in you hand and break off pieces. But in the end, they are merely water changing states.
'So the Cube changed the mist of my soul to the Ice of a Spark?' Sam said slowly, trying to understand, 'That doesn't explain what you are.'
Water no matter what its form, carries an echo of what it once was-
'Stop speaking in riddles and tell me!' Sam snapped.
I am you, a version of you. I am a creation of the fragments of memory and personality that you recovered with the Cube was used on you. Patience said quietly, Your human mind couldn't handle the memories of being a female Cybertronian no more than a male Cybertronian mind could handle memories of being a female organic. So I was created to hold those memories and guild you.
'I was…a girl?'
Yes, you were female, Patience chuckled gently, once upon a time, on a world far, far away you were made of metal rather that flesh.
As Patience spoke fragments of the dream went through his head.
….a metallic world filled with large towers and spiked spires….
But then the war started…..
…..metal body parts littering every surface, explosions of light, huge smoking craters, unimaginable destruction, and total devastation as far as the eye could see…..
You were some of the first casualties …..
…..hum of weapons, the sound of metal on metal blows…. a clamor of voices screaming in rage, in agony, in anguish and unholy joy….He ran, searching for a safe place for him and-
'Bumblebee...'
That is why you trusted him so completely. You are connected to one another, two halves of the same whole. Patience explained, when he was reborn as Bumblebee, he was the last Sparkling born on Cybertron. The Cube was launched into space before you could be reborn as a Cybertronian. So you were born as a human instead.
'Is that the reason I'm not like the other subjects?' Sam asked, slowly making the connections.
Because of me, because I hold those memories, Patience said, the Cube helped shaped me because it needed you alive and sane.
'Why me?' Foreboding curled through Sam, 'Why not one of the others?'
They were unacceptable. Even with connection to Megatron, you were the most suitable choice, not only because of your connection to Bumblebee. The Cube knows there's a chance it will be destroyed, Patience said, it does not want the Cybertronian race to be extinguished. So as a precaution, it hid within you knowledge that was seen as obsolete and purged from their processors: how to create Sparklings, children in other words, without the Cube. You must give this information to one of the older ones. Not Bumblebee, for he is too young.
'Why didn't you tell me this before?' Sam whispered.
You were not ready.
'What happens if the cube is destroyed and I die without giving them this information?'
Their race faces a slow death.
Sam curled deeper into the seat, trying no to shiver as the full weight of what was happening slumped his shoulders. As Megatron began to thaw, Captain Lennox suggested that they take the Cube to Mission City, where they could contact and rendezvous with military airlift to take it to safety. With the Cube in the back seat and military escort, they raced towards Mission City.
And passed the Autobots going in the opposite direction.
Sam heard the squeal of breaks being applied and blast of a horn as the Autobots did a u-turn and joined the odd convoy. Unfortunately, the convoy had attracted some unwanted attention. A tank, a familiar police car and a military something was following them.
"What is that thing?" Sam murmured as he looked out the back window at the military something or other.
The military whatever-it-was suddenly changed into a grotesque robot who proceed to tear through a bus before slamming into Optimus Prime just after he had gotten through transforming.
"Will he be okay?" Sam asked as Bumblebee jerked forward with a burst of speed.
"….Better, Faster, Stronger…." Bumblebee answered, calming Sam's fear as they lost the unwanted tag alongs.
Thirty minutes they were all in Mission city minus Optimus Prime. It was chaos. From what Sam could tell, there was a communication black-out and people were freaking, which made clearing the streets harder. Sam climbed out of Bumblebee as a jet flew over head.
"Raptor, Raptor, do you copy? We have your visual." A man Sam learned was called Epps said into an old radio Captain Lennox had gotten from somewhere, "Green smoke is the mark, provide air cover and vector Black Hawks for extraction."
The jet turned around and headed back, but gave no answer. Goosebumps broke out on Sam's skin, something was wrong.
"Please tell me you copy..."
"It's Starscream!" Ironhide transformed, bellowing, "Back up, take cover! Bumblebee...!"
Bumblebee transformed and helped Ironhide grab a truck and use it as a shield as the jet came closer. "Back up! Back up! Incoming!"
"Oh no, no, no, no, MOVE!" Lennox shouted, "Retreat, fall back!"
The world became an explosion of color, sound and smoke, flinging Sam backwards hard. Sam sat up on the ground, covered in dirt, shaking his head to try to clear his ringing ears as he coughed trying to clear the smoke and dust from his lungs, the sound of Lennox and Epps snapping at each other came first as the ringing faded.
"What the hell was that?" Lennox yelled.
"What are you talking about?" Epps shouted back.
"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" Lennox barked, "They shot at us!"
"That's alien!" Epps snapped back, "That ain't friendly!"
Sam got up his feet, nearly falling as pain radiated up his legs. Had they been hurt in some way? As the smoke and dust cleared the damage inflicted by Starscream was revealed. Sam felt a scream bubble up in his throat.
Bumblebee was crawling, his legs were gone.
"No, no, no, no, no, no," Sam repeated as ignoring the ache in his legs as ran over to Bumblebee, "Ratchet! Where are you?!"
To make matters worse, the tank from before was firing into the street. As the Autobots moved to intercept it, the tank transformed and the fight really began. Pulling himself along the pavement, Bumblebee picked up the Cube which had been laying in the middle of the road.
'Oh God Bumblebee, we have to get you help,' Sam thought, he couldn't heal this, there was too much damage. He looked around. There had to be some way to move Bumblebee. His racing thoughts came to a shrieking halt when Bumblebee held out the Cube to him.
Without thinking, Sam took it, shocked by the trust Bumblebee had in him. Power hummed beneath Sam's fingers. Licking his lips, he suddenly had an idea. Sam placed the Cube on one of the torn stumps of Bumblebee legs.
"Help him, please help him." Sam begged the Cube. Sam felt a hum of power and there was dancing bright lights for a few moments and tiny shrieks of metal before Bumblebee's legs were fully restored, "Thank you." Sam whispered the Cube, "Now, we have to get out of here."
"It will be a few moments before they work," A slightly strained tenor stated, "You should find a safe place to hide."
Sam's head jerk towards Bumblebee, "You can talk now?" Sam asked surprised, frowning when what Bumblebee had said finally penetrated, "I'm not leaving you."
Before impending argument could deepen, Lennox ran up to them, "Sam, you got the Cube?"
"Yes-"
"All right, I can't leave my guys back here, so here, take this flare." Lennox said, turning him around and point at a building. "Okay, see that tall white building with statues on top? Go to the rooftop, set the flare. Signal the chopper, and set the flare..."
Sam's mouth when dry at the thought, he almost said, 'I can't do this,' but he looked over at Bumblebee. He didn't have a choice, if nothing having the Cube so close would make Bumblebee a target. So instead he asked, "What about the way I look? What about Bumblebee? He can't move yet."
"Listen, don't worry about it, we'll take care of your friend, All right? I need you get the Cube into military hands while we hold them off, or a lot of people are gonna die." He turned to Epps, "Get those Black hawks down here! That building, okay!"
Epps nodded, "Army Black Hawk, requesting immediate evac for civilian boy with precious cargo, headed to rooftop marked by flair."
"Sam, I will protect you." Ironhide reassured him.
"Okay," Sam nodded, he turned back to Bumblebee. Rather then voice it out loud, Sam found the link between them and flood it with his feelings for Bumblebee. An I love you in the simplest of terms. He smiled when he felt Bumblebee echo his sentiments.
Sam took off towards to building, running as fast as he could. Sam was fast, faster than any human but the people panicking people and the debris made it slow going, even with Ironhide running with him.
Sam felt him arrive before he heard the roar of a familiar voice, "DECEPTICONS ATTACK!" But Sam didn't stop, didn't looked back, he ran, ran from the battle and chaos. He had almost made it to the building, when Ironhide was blasted of his feet.
Sam staggered when the ground beneath his feet shook, looking over shoulder, seeing Megatron coming towards them. Sam race over to where Ironhide lay, "Are you okay?" He touched the black metal, 'Do it!' Sam told Patience. He felt her put the knowledge given to him by the Cube into Ironhide, who never even felt it and he wouldn't know it was there until it was time. As armed as he was, Ironhide had the best chance of survival in Sam's mind.
"Takes more than that to do me in," Ironhide growled getting up, "Get to the building, Sam! Move!"
Sam ran into the building and raced up the first set of stairs he saw as fast as he could. He almost screamed when he heard Megatron slam into the building, destroying the wall, taunting "I SMELL YOU, BOY!!!"
Fear kept him moving. It had felt like forever as Sam pounded up the stairs, but he made it to the top, aching and sweating but he made it. With hands shaking so bad he nearly dropped it, Sam ignited the flare. Sam couldn't help but smile as a Black Hawk helicopter appeared.
Sam ran to hovering helicopter at the edge of the building. He leaned forward as far as he could, not looking down as the solider inside the aircraft reached for the cube. It was out of the corner of his eye that Sam saw a robot, one that looked like he'd once been a helicopter, land onto of another building and take aim.
"Look out!" Sam screamed pulling the Cube back and falling on the roof top as a missile hit the helicopter in front of him. He curled up with Cube to protect himself as the helicopter exploded. As Sam looked around and tried to decide what to do next, Megatron came through the roof.
Sam scrambled up and ran to the edge of the roof, muttering, "Where do I go? Where do I go?" Seeing no place to go he turned and faced Megatron, who was now fully on the roof top. Sam could understand how Megatron had rallied troops to his cause. He was an awesome sight, each move he made screamed of power and supremacy.
"Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshling?" Megatron chuckled darkly, "Ah but no longer just flesh. Give me the AllSpark, child and you will live to be my pet. I promise to be gentle."
Sam pulled himself onto the ledge of the building, clinging to a statue, "No!"
"Oh, so unwise..." Megatron purred and reached for him. Holding the Cube close, Sam made a decision. He closed his eyes and prayed.
He threw himself backwards off the edge of the building before Megatron could grab him.
It was the worst thing that Sam had ever done in his life.
Sam screamed as he fell, wind rushing by him, terror taking over as he prepared to hit the ground and die. He hit something sooner than expected and it wasn't the ground, he didn't die but he would have a spectacular bruise on his back. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into Optimus Prime's blue eyes as he was cradled against a metal chest, "I got you." Optimus Prime said as he leaped down from the building he was hanging onto, "Hold on to the Cube!" Megatron was close behind; all three tumbled of them down into the street.
Optimus Prime uncurled his hand and stared at Sam, "Sam, you risked your life to protect the Cube?" Sam could only nod. "If I cannot defeat Megatron, you must push the Cube into my chest. I will sacrifice myself to destroy it."
Sam swallowed thickly as Optimus Prime told him to get behind him, swearing as he ran for cover that he wouldn't let Optimus Prime sacrifice himself.
"At the end of this day, one shall stand... one shall fall!" Optimus Prime said as he stood and faced his enemy, his brother.
"You still fight for the weak! That is why you lose!" Megatron roared as he slammed into his brother. "JOIN THEM IN EXTINCTION!!"
The Titans tumbled together, crashing into buildings and slamming into each other as Sam watched as the fight for earth raged on. Jets above unloaded their missiles onto Megatron, narrowly missing Optimus Prime. One jet in particular Sam could swear looked familiar…
In the craze and chaos, both robots had ended up on the ground and Sam somehow was front of Megatron with Optimus Prime too far away to help. Megatron reached for Sam bellowing, "I'll kill you...! Mine! AllSpark!" As he moved, Sam saw a hole in the armor over where he knew Megatron's Spark lay. If he could hit, it would killed Megatron. But he needed a weapon he didn't have.
Light danced over one of his arm from the Cube. Sam watched as his metallic flesh twisted into another shape.
It was cannon.
Sam didn't think about it, he took aim the best he could and fired. The recoil threw him backwards into a car hard enough to dent the metal. He looked up, exhausted, praying that he'd hit the mark, feeling his arm change back to normal.
Megatron grabbed at his chest with one hand in obvious surprise, reaching his other hand towards Sam before the light in his red eyes went out and he fell forward, dead. There was quiet for the moment as both Optimus Prime and Sam stared at each other in surprise. The moment was broken when Sam heard footsteps coming up behind him.
He peered around the car. It was Bumblebee walking towards them scuffed and dented but otherwise whole. The sight of a whole and uninjured Bumblebee filled Sam with such happiness that he got up and ran towards Bumblebee, still carrying the Cube. He could feel Bumblebee's happiness and relief that Sam was safe and sound.
Neither one of them saw the black and white police car until it was too late and it had already transformed. Sam heard Bumblebee cry out a warning but it was too late; he only got a fleeting expression of sharp metal fingers, searing pain and darkness.
Sam was dead before both halves of his body hit the ground.
Bumblebee tried desperately to hold on to Sam's Spark through their connection but it slipped through his fingers like water when greater power wrenched Sam away and Bumblebee was alone again, so very, very alone and so very, very empty.
A sound erupted from Bumblebee's vocalizer that cut through the air. A howl of pure misery, wail of heartbreaking despair, a heartrending sound that drove both human and Cybertronian to their knees as it engraved itself into both soul and Spark as their worst, most agonizing memories rushed to the forefront of their minds.
On and on it went as Bumblebee threw himself at Barricade, blasting and fighting like a mech possessed, heedless of the little ones created when the Cube was dropped from Sam's lifeless fingers. On and on it went even after Barricade was reduce to a lifeless heap, only ending when Bumblebee united the Cube with the Spark in his chest, destroying them both.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Author notes:
Songs in this chapter:
Daft Punk: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
(Author peers around corner, waving a white flag) Okay so I'm in trouble right? I know I'm going to get a lot of reviews for some very upset people. But before you grab your pitchforks and light your torches, in my defense I did warn you at the very beginning of the chapter that someone was going to die. this isn't the last chapter, by the way. Have a little faith.
Now on to my wonderful reviewers:
kit572: thanks for your review. Patience is a combination of Sam's personality (in a past life) and a creation of his mind. So in a sense, she is Sam.
Dvana: Thank you for review. Unnatural is my first attempt at fanfiction, so I'm still working out the kinks in my writing. At first, the fluctuation of Sam's character wasn't intentional. But as I got deeper into the story, I realized that if I wanted to include lines from the movie, it would change his character.
So what I tried to do was portray a character on sort of 'emotional quicksand' so to speak. He isn't the sheltered boy in the movie but that boy is still within him. As Subject 2501, he is beaten but not broken, gentler that his fellow subjects but in the end just as vicious when pushed. He is no longer human with a connection to beings from an entirely different planet and species (Megatron and Bumblebee) as well as a female voice that claims to be him. What I wanted was a strange, changing character who is trying to find his niche, so to speak.
Thank you for your well thought out review and kind review. I'm pleased that you've enjoyed my fic.
Lizard13:Thank you.
black dragon: Thank you for your review. It always sucks when you lose your internet service.
Tori-chan: thank you. Patience likes to drop bomdshells doesn't she? She is a combination of Sam's personality (in a past life) and a creation of his mind.
empath89 : thank you. I like Simmons, I really do. He's one those characters I love to hate; through I made him more of a bastard here than he's in the movie.
Mask of Lies : thank you for your review.
Spoon10488: Thank you. I was trying to garner sympathy for Megatron, making his hatred of humans more understandable. Sorry but I need him to die, the whole David and Goliath death scene, you know? I'm glad you like Sam /Bee
Thanks to all the people who have read, reviewed and save this story to there favorites. You make me smile.
-BlueLunacy7