This chapter's almost entirely devoted to June! But with a surprise toward the end…
June entered the Protihex Medical Mechanics University's Registrar Building.
"Welcome!" said the Registrar Bot. "Step up to my desk so I can scan your Spark." She scanned her Spark. "Good to see you, June! Since this is your first time here, once we're done you need to go down the hall to be fitted with your learning mods."
"Learning mods?"
"Yes. In addition to providing you with an email account and the necessary online protocols and accesses to the university databases, the mods will equip you with an online avatar to guide you in your curriculum and student life, and a virtual mobile computer to use for your classes."
"Wow, very advanced!"
"Thank you! We here at Protihex strive to use the latest Cybertronian instructional technologies."
The registrar console beeped. "That's it, June! You're all registered! Good luck!"
"Thanks!" And June walked down the hall and entered the door marked "New Students." She got in line behind a few other first-year students. One, a small red and black fembot was in front of her. She turned around and holding up her servo, introduced herself. "Hi there! I'm Quicksync!"
"Nice to meet you, I'm June!" she replied, shaking servos. "New student also."
"I'm so excited! It was a long journey from Omnitron. We don't have a space bridge yet. I got here a decacycle ago."
"I've been anxious to get started. How about you?"
June smiled. "I've been looking forward to it, too! I came up from Earth on their space bridge, but I'm actually from another dimension, where there's an alternate Cybertron," she smiled.
"Wow! When we're done here, you've gotta tell me all about it!"
They watched a student who had been ahead of them leave the fitting room. He was a Micromaster. Walking past them, he looked up at the two and joked "You two guzzlers oughta take a picture; it'll last longer, eh?" Then walked out of the room. June and Quicksync shrugged their shoulders and gave each other a "What was that all about?" look, when the bot inside called out "Quicksync? You're next." She entered the inner room.
Afterwards, Quicksync and June were sitting outside in the large outdoor atrium, trying out their new mods.
"This thing's great!" said Quicksync, pulling up the tactile virtual mobile computer. It floated in front of her chassis like a moveable workstation, allowing her to type on a keyboard and pull information up on a large touch-screen monitor angled perfectly for her optics.
"It's got everything here! My own email account, searchable databases, all our textbooks, curriculum, classes…"
"I like this avatar," said June, calling 'him' up. Instantly, a small translucent virtual bot appeared in her vision, floating to her right, near her helm. "Yes, June? How may I help you?"
"Where is my dorm room?" she asked. Since the avatar was only present to her, she communicated to him privately in her processor. This guaranteed confidentiality.
"You are assigned room AXX53C, which is on level 4 in the VectorPrime Dormitory."
"Thank you," she replied.
"My pleasure, June," said the avatar, and disappeared.
"He says I'm in room AXX53C in the VectorPrime Dormitory."
"Hey! That's my room!" said Quicksync.
"We're dorm mates? That's terrific!" said June. "Let's head on up there now."
"Great!"
"Hey! Not a bad dorm room for first-year students!" remarked Quicksync. Indeed, although modest, it was large enough, with Autobot-sized beds, desks, and plenty of space for personal items.
"Which side would you like, June?"
"Right's fine with me."
"That works!" and Quicksync took a few personal items out of her chassis' personal storage compartment and set them down on the left. One was a photo of a mech.
June admired the picture. "Good looking bot! What's his name?"
"Offshoot. We're good friends. Not Sparkmates yet, but...maybe someday," she smiled.
June did the same from her personal storage. The first was a photo of her and Jack, in his Autobot "bot" mode. Quicksync looked at it.
"Sparkmate?"
June laughed. "No, no! He's my son, actually."
Her dorm mate made a queer face. "Your...what?"
June chuckled. "Have a seat, and I'll tell you my story."
Quicksync was amazed at June's story! "Wow, June! That's incredible! First a human, then a Decepticon Cyborg, and now an Autobot; and having been a human nurse, you've got the organic medical knowledge! That's got to be to your advantage when you graduate, knowing both!"
"Thanks! Although I've heard that there are some professors here that are anti-organic," June replied.
"Yeah, we've got a few of those on Omnitron too," she sighed. "I don't understand bots who judge others before they get to know them. I ran across one over on Iacon shortly after I arrived! As soon as he found out I was an Omnicon, he started talking down to me as if I had a slow processor or something; acted surprised that I wasn't starting my sentences with 'CRZ' or 'ZRT'!"
June had a sneaking suspicion. "Hmm. What did this bot look like?"
"Tall, blue, with a BIG chin."
June moaned and pinched her noseplate. "By any chance, was his name Sentinel Prime?"
"That's him!"
She sighed. "I'm sorry, Quicksync, I've had run-ins with him as well. He doesn't take too kindly to former organics - or Omnicons, apparently."
Quicksync shook her helm and chuckled. "Well, June, we've got something in common, eh? We both had run-ins with Sentinel Prime!" They both laughed.
Just then, June got a beep in her processor. An alert came to her. "Message from your avatar; accept?" She accepted. The avatar popped up. "Forgive the interruption, June, but the University just received a communication addressed to you from a Professor Isaac Sumdac; shall I forward it to your email inbox?"
"Yes, please," she responded.
"Very good. Putting it there now. If you like, I can forward any future emails from Professor Sumdac to your email inbox."
"Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you."
"My pleasure, June." And the avatar disappeared. Then, a pleasant tone came to her, announcing an incoming email. She pulled up her virtual mobile computer, and opened her email. It was from Isaac, forwarded by her avatar. It said:
"Dear June: Hope things are going well! I received this communiqué from Ratchet in your dimension, and am forwarding it to you. Warmest regards, Isaac"
June: Just received some happy news from Jazz! Sari has completed her Cyber-Ninja training, and will be inducted into the Cyber-Ninja Corps. You are busy of course, but I knew you wanted to know about this. Many of us, Jack included, are planning to journey to the Dojo for her ceremony.
Take care, and study hard! Regards, Ratchet
"Well, isn't that wonderful!"
"What is it?"
"One of our team members just completed her Cyber-Ninja training and will be inducted into the Cyber-Ninja Corps. Good for her!"
"A femme Cyber-Ninja? Well, it's about time!" Quicksync remarked.
"Not only that, she's a Technorganic, like Jack!"
"I'm looking forward to meeting Jack. We don't have any Technorganics on Omnicon, but I read about them in our archives. They're about the size of that one mech we saw in the mod room, aren't they?"
"Yes, and as a matter of fact, that's the size I was when I was a human," June smiled. And Quicksync and June spent the rest of their first day getting settled in.
That night, June sent off a couple of emails from her new virtual desktop. She emailed them to Isaac, to forward to her dimension:
Letter to Jack
Dear Jack,
Well, things are off to a great start! I've gotten settled in here at the University, and am sharing a dorm with another first stellar-cycle student, named Quicksync. She was protoformed on Omnitron, which is a planet colonized by the Autobots. Over time, the inhabitants evolved into a slightly different type of Cybertronian, called Omnicons.
At 6 meters tall, Quicksync, like all Omnicons, is smaller than the average Cybertronian, but she possesses a very interesting ability! She can handle and process raw Energon! Among other things, Omnicons have the ability to process it into something called Energon Stars, which can be used for short-lived power booster cells. Very interesting! When you come visit, I'll let Quicksync explain it to you.
She's a very nice bot, and we get along great! She was fascinated about my life, and how I started out as an organic human, then a Decepticon Cyborg, finally ending up as an Autobot. She also looks forward to meeting my "son" (you should have seen her face when I told her what you are!). But tell Arcee not to worry, Quicksync has a mech friend at home! :-)
Another really fascinating thing here is the special university mods they give the students. Each of us has a virtual workstation, which we can call up at will. It floats right in front of our chassis, with a touchable keyboard and monitor! All of our textbooks are accessed from it, as well as our school databases and applications; I'm using it right now to compose this email. Oh, with this email, Professor Sumdac will have my University email address, so if you send your email to him, he can forward it to me.
There's another mod called a virtual avatar - almost like a genie; he pops up and floats in front of my helm (only I can see and talk to him). He is like a personal university concierge; I can ask him questions, and he'll get the answer for me, if he doesn't already know (FYI: they won't let me use him during exams - ha ha). I can also use him for an alarm clock.
Anyway, my classes start tomorrow. Looking at the curriculum, the schedule is very interesting. They go by the decacycle here, so rather than five days of classes with a two-day weekend, we have class for seven days, followed by a three-day "rest time". We've already gotten emails from the professors, and they have explained that the rest time is for group sessions and study - some "rest", huh? ;-) But one professor, Flashpoint (search-and-rescue instructor), assures us that the third day is guaranteed for rest; maybe after a decacycle or so, you and Arcee can come to visit for a day - I'd love to see you!
That's it for now; will write the next chance I get. Give my best to everyone!
Love, Mom
Letter to Sari
Sari!
I got Ratchet's communiqué! Congratulations - I'm so happy for you! I know how long and hard you've been working towards this goal, and now you've reached it! Brava! Brava! [clapping servos]
I'm sorry I won't be able to be there at your induction ceremony, but I'll be a bit busy. ;-) Things are going great here at Protihex, and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to learn about Cybertronian medical technology. There's so much to know!
Wherever you go from this point on, I know the Autobots and humans will be safe, thanks to you. When I return to Team Prime as Ratchet's Nurse, I hope you'll be there so I can give you my best wishes in person!
Sincerely Yours,
June
June and Quicksync sat next to each other in the first row, waiting for their class to start.
"Did they teach Search-and-Rescue when you were in Nursing School?" Quicksync asked June.
"No, that was a specialization that others in my field went into, called Emergency Medical Services. They're called Paramedics, and Search-and-rescue is one of their specialties. I'm looking forward to this class; I've always wanted to learn more about it."
The professor entered the classroom. She was a maroon and grey bot, with a large helm that covered her optics. The helm sported white ear-fins, and the top of her helm reminded June of the traditional nurse's cap, only much larger. Large, skirt-like coverings surrounded her hips on both sides, with her Autobot insignia encased in an "EMT" shield on both.
Her blue optics shone through the chevron-shaped shield, and with a smile, she addressed the class. "Welcome to 'Search-And-Rescue', class! I am your instructor, Flashpoint."
She walked around to the front of the instructor's desk and sat on the edge. "I'm not interested in giving boring lectures. I like interacting with my students. Let's get started. Can anyone give me a definition of Search-And-Rescue?"
June raised her servo.
"Yes! What's your name?"
"June."
"OK, June. What's your definition?"
"I would say, the search for and provision of aid to bots that are in distress or imminent danger."
"Excellent! That's a good answer! It's a very important part of being a medic. Whether in battle, or even in walking around downtown Iacon."
"Downtown Iacon?" The Micromaster student was skeptical.
"Sure!" Flashpoint responded. "What's your name?"
"Buildup."
"From Micro?"
"Yes."
"Ok. Beautiful planet by the way! I've been there with Star Saber. So instead of Iacon, let's say walking around Zone Base. There might be a building explosion. There could be dozens of Micromasters buried under the rubble. That's where your Search-And-Rescue skills would come into play - so for example, on Micro, you could be working with Holi and the Rescue Patrol Team - and we're going to cover these topics this course."
"Got it! Thanks!"
"My pleasure, Buildup!"
And so their first course's lecture proceeded with Flashpoint. She led them through an introduction of the various types of Search-And-Rescue sub-fields which they will be studying, determined by the terrain or region of space: asteroid; deep space; ground; urban; combat; air-sea/liquid; and multi-chemical. June found it all deeply fascinating, and was excited about the things she would be learning!
When class was over, she and Quicksync went to introduce themselves to Buildup. "Hi! I'm June. We met, in a way, at the mod fit-up room." She held out her servo.
"And I'm Quicksync," she said, waving.
Buildup shook servos and waved. "Hi. Was just joking about the 'guzzler' remark. To tell you the truth, we Micromasters tend to be a little wary of coming to Cybertron, or any place where there's majority full-sized Autobots."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" She asked.
He gave her an "are you serious?" look. "Because of your size! The last thing we want is for you all to step on us!"
"Hey, look at me! I'm hardly what you'd call a 'full-sized' Autobot. Omnicons are little more than half their size."
"Well, you're still a lot bigger than a Micromaster," he replied.
June sighed. "Buildup, I would never step on you!" She smiled, and whispered down to him, "I have a son the same size as you, and I have yet to step on him."
"You have a WHAT?!"
"Come on by, sometime and I'll give you the whole story," she grinned, "You'll find it quite interesting."
Quicksync nodded. "Really cool story."
Their next class was not as pleasant, at least for June. And she had been looking forward to it! The Cybertronian Anatomy and Physiology professor was an Autobot named Fixit. As leader of the Rescue Patrol, he worked with Flashpoint, so June had thought that perhaps their teaching styles might be similar. That, however, was not the case at all. Fixit was not only a tough lecturer; he was also one of those "anti-organic" professors that Minerva had warned about. He seemed to have a tendency in his lecture to make comparisons between Cybertronian anatomy and the "inferior" organic anatomy.
To make matters worse, at the beginning of the class Fixit had asked each student to say a little bit about themselves, and when June went into her personal story, Fixit took particular interest in the fact that June had been an "organic". He looked skeptically at her, and asked if she was sure whether someone of her "background" had the ability to learn such complex concepts as the intricate components of the Cybertronian body.
At class end, June walked out with head and shoulders down. Quicksync came up and put an arm around her. "Well, he was a ray of sunshine, wasn't he?"
"This class sure won't be an easy one," June sighed.
Buildup heard that and came up. "Hey! Don't let him get you down! The heck with his attitude! We'll all work together and help each other, OK? You'll do fine, June!"
Touched by his remarks, June looked down and smiled. "You don't mind working with a 'guzzler'?"
"Nope! Certainly not someone with as interesting a background as you have, June!" he quipped.
"Hey! What about me?" asked Quicksync.
Buildup winked. "Well…you're a half-guzzler. You'll do," he joked.
"Buildup…" said June, chuckling.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding…" he said, raising his servos. "We'll make a good trio, right?"
"It's a deal!" Said June.
"Trio!" Said Quicksync.
"Good deal! Now, tell me about this…son."
"When classes are over," June smiled. Let's see how Cybertronian Chemistry goes." And they headed on down to that classroom.
This one was very interesting! Their professor, Pharma, is a visiting lecturer from Messatine, where he is the chief medical officer at Delphi, an Autobot infirmary located on the planet. He is acknowledged as an excellent Autobot physician. With her nursing background, June really got into the subject matter, and although the class looked to be extremely difficult, she had hopes that her prior knowledge would be an asset.
"Oh, gee, this one's going to be tough!" groaned Buildup.
"We'll work on it as a team," said June. "I studied organic chemistry as a human nurse, and it doesn't look all that different."
"Glad you're with us," smiled Quicksync.
Back over at Iacon after Sari's induction, TFA Ratchet and Arcee were chatting with Jack and T:Prime Arcee at the reception following Sari's Cyber-Ninja ceremony.
"So, you two are gettin' one terrific girl, there," said Ratchet. "You're very lucky."
"We'll miss Sari very much!" Said TFA Arcee, "but knowing she'll be building a Cyber-Ninja Corps in your dimension makes it all worthwhile," she smiled.
"And she's starting with Jack!" said T:Prime Arcee. "He'll be her first Gakusei."
"You're kidding! Congratulations, Jack!" said Ratchet.
"Thanks! I'm excited about starting the training and having Sari as my Sensei. It'll be a lot of work."
"That it will, Jack. I remember when Sari got started with Jazz," said Ratchet. "She spent a great deal of time doing not much else besides training. It's very intense! Be ready!" he advised.
"Won't be too much time for Jack and me to go on missions together," said Arcee. "We're partners."
"Oh, well that is true. I don't think there will be sufficient time for missions, certainly not in the early stellar cycles of Jack's Cyber-Ninja training," said TFA Arcee.
I'll sure miss being with Arcee," Jack sighed. "You see, we're not just partners, we're Sparkmates.
"Oh! I understand. Arcee and I are as well. Have been for thousands of stellar cycles," he said, patting her on the arm.
"I had a feeling about that, when I saw you both at Autobot Central," smiled Jack. "May I ask you both a question?"
"Certainly, Jack," said Arcee.
"I know you two are away from each other for long periods of time. Arcee, you go on missions with Optimus, and Ratchet, you stay at Autobot Central. How do you handle it? Forgive me if I'm prying."
"Oh, no problem at all, Jack," said Ratchet. "Have you two ever heard of a Spark Bond?"
Jack and Arcee looked at each other. "No," they both answered.
"What is that?" asked Arcee.
"Tell you what. After the reception, come on back to Autobot Central. Arcee and I will explain it in detail." And the foursome agreed to get together later.
Back at Autobot Central, they met in Ratchet's clinic. He began.
"Now a Spark Bond is a way for Cybertronians who have been together as Sparkmates for a period of time, and want to keep themselves connected physically and mentally. It's done by joining the two Sparks together - not completely of course, but partially, to the point where they merge and send a jolt to each other."
T:Prime Arcee looked confused. "Joining Sparks together? How?"
TFA Arcee explained. "The two of you would find a very secluded location, where you can be alone. You would face each other, open your Spark Chambers, and touch chests, allowing your Sparks to come in contact."
Jack's optics opened wide! "Whoa! What happens after that?"
"There would be a sudden, powerful jolt that both of you would experience, as your Sparks merge," said Ratchet. "Once you release, you would then be together forever, even while physically separate."
"That's incredible!" Said Arcee.
"There's more," said TFA Arcee. "From that point forward, you will be able to mentally communicate without your comms; you will share each other's feelings and pains. And this is very important to keep in mind: you would be sharing your memories with one another, including your most secretive ones."
Jack and Arcee looked at each other. Would they be able to take this step?
"Please keep this in mind, most of all," said Ratchet, "this is the most serious part. If one of you were to die, the other would slowly begin to suffer. His, or her life expectancy would be removed, for an early death."
"It's an absolute commitment," said Arcee, holding Ratchet's servo in hers, "but it's one that we treasure."
Back at Outpost Omega One, Jack and Arcee consulted with Optimus.
"Yes, I read about it when I was an archivist. It is a very serious commitment, but one that enables two bots to be linked in a very special, very intimate way. Who told you about it?"
"Ratchet and Arcee in the other dimension," said Arcee. "They are Spark Bonded."
A rare, Spark-warming smile crossed the Prime's face. "I had a feeling about those two."
"Did they tell you about the effects? The linking of your most intimate memories, your thoughts? And most importantly, what happens if one of you dies?"
"Yes, they shared all of that," Jack replied.
"Well, then, if you two are seriously considering taking this step, you must discuss it with your Sensei, Jack."
"She is the next one we are going to talk to."
"Are you two really?"
"Yes, Sensei. I love Arcee very much."
"And I love him," said Arcee.
"It's a wonderful thing! And I will share something with you both: Bumblebee and I are also Spark Bonded."
"Are you? Wow, that's beautiful!" said Jack. "When did you two do it - if I may ask?"
"No, of course, I'm glad to share," she smiled. It was shortly after Raf and my Dad re-established the dimensional link, and we re-united. After Kālī was defeated, Bumblebee and I found a remote spot out in the high desert, and Spark Bonded."
"Did you and Bumblebee discuss it with Jazz beforehand?" Asked Arcee.
"Yes, we did. And he approved."
"It's a powerful, beautiful experience! But I will tell both of you one thing as a cautionary note."
"What's that?" They asked.
"The bond does not transcend dimensions. While we are separated like this, he in our dimension and me here, we both experience a constant, painful emptiness. It's a terrible longing that's hard to explain. Do you remember when we all went to Outpost Omega One, and you saw me jump into his arms?"
"Yes! I saw you two chatting together!" said Arcee. "You looked so happy, Sari!"
"That's because we both missed each other so! It was a beautiful, joyful reunion," she smiled. "So, if you do go ahead with this, and one of you happens to journey to the other dimension, be prepared! The moment your other disappears into the bridge, your Spark will feel it. It hurts, and the pain doesn't go away until you reunite."
"You feel it now, Sensei?"
"Yes, I do," she replied, with a slightly sad look. "But, I deal with it, knowing he's there, I'm here, and we will eventually be together again in one dimension."
"If Jack and I decide to go ahead, how do you feel?"
"Oh, yes, you certainly have my approval!" She smiled. "However, I have one bit of advice for the two of you, before you proceed."
"What is that?" asked Jack.
"This comes from my human side. After you two are Spark bonded, you are, in a sense, family. And I think, in the human world, that would be coming close to the equivalent of being married. Now, before you make that commitment, I think you should get someone's blessing," she smiled.
A realization came to Jack's optics. "My Mom," he replied.
Sari put her servo on Jack's shoulder, and her other held Arcee's servo. She looked at the two of them. "June's your family, Jack, and once Spark bonded to Jack, Arcee, you'll be a part of June's family, too."
A warm smile crossed Arcee's face. "I'll be part of a family," she said.
"We need to visit her," said Jack.
"Are you sure? I don't want to disturb her studies, Jack."
"Well, I just got a letter from her, and she said that her "rest days" are a good time to visit. I'll contact her and see if we can stop by before the beginning of one of the class decacycles."
"We'll arrange our training accordingly," Sari smiled.
A few solar cycles later, June was studying in her dorm when a pleasant chime came in her processor, indicating an incoming email. She asked her avatar, "who is it from?"
"It's an email from Professor Sumdac," he replied, "an email he's forwarding from the other dimension. This one's from Jack."
"Oh!" She set aside her work and opened up her email application. "Thank you, avatar."
"My pleasure, June." And he disappeared. June opened up Jack's email:
Dear Mom:
Hope I'm not interrupting your studies! Everyone here's doing great! I've got some terrific news to share with you. I've decided to become Sari's Gakusei and learn to become a Cyber-Ninja. That's right, I now call her "Sensei". :-)
She's started training me on Cyber-Ninja techniques – it's a full-time job, so for the time being, Arcee and I will not be partners, but that's OK, because our Cybertron needs to start building our own Cyber-Ninja Corps. I'm going to be the first! Arcee actually encouraged me in this.
Another important thing: Arcee and I would like to come visit you during one of your rest times. There's a special thing she and I would like to do called SparkBonding, but we won't want to do it without talking to you first. Sari told us that should we go forward with this, it would be the equivalent of Arcee becoming a member of our family (you and me), so we will not do this without your blessing.
Maybe there's information in the University's database about SparkBonding, and you can read up on it. Arcee and I have discussed it with Optimus as well as Sari, and with Ratchet and Arcee in the other dimension (the one you're in now). Interestingly enough, Ratchet and Arcee are SparkBonded, as well as Sari and her Bumblebee.
Anyway, would it be possible for Arcee and me to come see you? We would very much like to talk with you about this.
Love,
Jack
June sat back and composed a quick reply:
Dear Jack:
I'd love to have you and Arcee come visit! I'm in the third solar cycle of my first decacycle, so if you want to make plans, arrive on the 7th day from today, or on the 10th day of the decacycle after that. As for the SparkBonding, let me check the University databases and learn about it so I can understand what it's all about. Sounds like, if you've already discussed it with Optimus and Sari (or should I say, your Sensei? [smile] ) then it sounds like a good thing!
I'm so happy for you that you're undertaking the Cyber-Ninja training! I'm so very proud of you, Jack! Write back, and let me know your plans.
Love,
Mom
She sat back and smiled.
"Good news from home?" asked her dorm mate.
"Exciting things!" June replied. "With any luck, you'll soon get a chance to meet Jack, and his Sparkmate, Arcee."
So June's begun her University experience, and met some fellow bot students. As expected, there are a variety of professors, and there's hard work ahead.
Jack and Arcee have an important decision to make, and they need to discuss this with June! What does this "SparkBond" entail? If they go ahead, what will the experience for them be like? We'll see!
Thanks for reading. Please review.
Hat tip to LuisJM for the "SparkBond" idea, and for ensuring that June gets involved! You'll see what it's like in the next chapter!