Dying Embers 11

Cookies

A Transformers Prime FanFiction

"Care package!" Fowler called out gleefully as the elevator doors rolled open.

As he expected, the agent was immediately mobbed by Miko. One girl can count as a mob, he mused, as he danced out of her way, keeping the biohazard box out just out of her reach.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" she demanded imperiously.

"Nope!" the agent grinned as he side stepped the living dynamo and headed for the quarantine room. "For Mrs. Darby's eyes only. Bulk!"

At the agent's shout the green mech ambled over and scooped up the girl.

"Easy there Miko," he said with a chuckle. "Nothing in there but boring medical stuff."

The slim Asian huffed and plopped down on the mech's wide shoulder.

"You know, this bites," she complained, kicking her heels against Bulkhead's plating. "It's no fun without Jack out here. Yeah, I really said that."

"Wanna watch TV?" the mech suggested as her strolled over to the human's living area.

Miko let out a groan in response.

"Man, I can't wait until Jack can bring Stormy out here to play. There is so much I want to teach her."

"Mrs. Darby says you've taught her quite enough all ready," Bulk pointed out.

Fowler watched them go with a sad smile. Apparently none of the bots had found it in their sparks to tell the younger two children the full truth yet. He didn't think Optimus would have let their ignorance persist like that, but the Prime had his servos full with a steady stream of Decepticon attacks. The agent shook his head and continued on to the airlock Ratchet had improvised. He handed up the impossible slim pipette of the newest secretion from the mystery source to the medibot. June still hadn't revealed where the stuff came from, a fact that infuriated the medic. Only Optimus backing her decision had kept peace in the base.

The agent placed the package on the wooden trolley and rolled it through the airlock. Once his side was sealed again, the blurry form of Mrs. Darby stepped through the other side to retrieve it. She waved at him through the thick plastic and hauled the trolley into the quarantine chamber. The man took a moment to watch her move. Even through the thick plastic and wearing military surplus clothing that woman had a walk; he found his tired brain thinking. The agent shook his head firmly at the unworthy thought.

"Bad William, bad!" he muttered, turning to go.

O

O

"What a care package Daddy?" Skyfire asked from his perch on Jack's shoulder.

"Well it's when someone who cares about you sends you a package full of good things," the young man explained as he pried Stormbreaker off the trolley with a yawn.

"There are good things in the box?" she asked eagerly, running her optics over the red and white container.

"Yes Stormy," June said with a smile as she transferred it to a higher table, hopefully out of the little fem's reach.

"Who cares for us?" asked a soft windy voice from above.

Both humans started. Though he gladly joined in the snuggling and listened to story time avidly Cometflare spoke rarely; preferring to watch silently as he cruised above their heads on the strong air currents Ratchet had programmed into the chamber's ventilation system. It was always a pleasant surprise when he did choose to interact.

"Do you kids remember Zech and Sal?" Jack asked.

"Who?" Skyfire asked scrunching his olfactory sensors up curiously as June opened the box.

"When we were coming here in the big truck," the human explained, Ratchet had told them the sparklings should be able to remember everything.

"Yes!" Stormbreaker declared as she tried to wriggle towards the enticing package. "One human like Daddy with a nice lap, and then the one who always played hide and seek in the vents."

The other two sparklings chirped their agreement.

"The one like Daddy was Zech," Jack said. "The other one was Sal."

"Are they our uncles too?" Sky asked.

"Well, if I'm your Dad by way of impression, and you spent a good part of your first few days with them then Uncle makes sense," the young man mused, "so yes."

"So we got a big big family now," Stormbreaker said happily. "There's Grandma June, Daddy, me, Sky, Comet, Uncle Raf, Aunty Miko, Uncle Zech, and Uncle Sal. Does Uncle Sal tell stories?"

"I'm sure he can," Jack said as he sat down and bounced her on his knee. "But you forgot some family." He had to stop bouncing the little fem for a moment to rub his chest.

Stormy frowned and counted carefully on her fingers.

"Aunty Arcee," the human prompted softly.

Immediately a look of terror flashed across the faces of the sparklings. Cometflare let out a chirp and dove for the comfort of Jack's lap.

"Arcee scary!" Stormbreaker shuddered, losing her vocabulary in her fear.

"Maybe she is a little," the young man said gently stroking his trembling children. "But she loves you very much. She would never hurt you and she wants to be a part of your lives. So do Uncle Bee and Uncle Bulk and Uncle Ratchet."

"Grandpa Optimus too?" Skyfire asked shyly.

"Especially Grandpa Optimus," June assured him.

The sparklings had bestowed the title Grandpa on the deep voice whose face they had never seen themselves, despite refusing to even acknowledge the other bots. Jack wasn't even sure where they'd heard the term but Ratchet pointed out it was part of the vocabulary they had downloaded.

"Okay," Stormbreaker whispered, quaking. "Aunty Arcee," she bravely held up one little servo, "Uncle Bumbee," another popped up, "Uncle Bulkhead," "Uncle Ratchet," the thumb joined the rest, "and Grandpa Optimus Prime."

The little one was trembling hard by this time and Jack hurried to reassure her that she was a brave girl. He was vaguely aware that his mother had abandoned the conversation a few moments before to start an earnest discussion with Ratchet. Suddenly she appeared by his side and handed him a hard brown circle.

"You are a very brave girl Stormy," June was saying, "Would you like a cookie?"

The question registered in Jack's mind just as he bit down on the piece of chocolate and peppermint flavored wood.

"I can have a cookie?" the sparkling asked eagerly, "Just like Daddy?"

All fear was forgotten in the wonder of the moment.

"Yes just like the one your Daddy is chewing. On. Right. Now!" the mother fixed her son with a pleasant but commanding look.

Taking the hint the young man began to work his teeth gingerly over the smooth surface of the wood. It actually wasn't that bad, except for that odd metallic tang that was making his mouth water like a hydrant.

"Thank you Grandma!" Stormbreaker squealed. "Can Comet and Sky have one too? They brave!"

"I think that would be fine," June said with a smile, "if it's okay with your father."

Jack nodded around his 'cookie', and his mother carefully handed them each one of the wooden treats. The sparklings all scooted around holding their cookies until they formed a triangle in front of their father. Now that they actually had permission to eat something they were a bit hesitant. Finally Stormy delicately nibbled on hers. The chemical sensors on the roof of her mouth detected the peppermint oil the hickory wood was soaked in and extended to investigate. When the delicate fibers reached the surface of the cookie a wave of pleasure coursed through the little one. The surface was impregnated with gold particles and the little fem began eagerly chewing the hard wood to get at them.

Their father kept up the pretense of 'eating' his cookie until he saw that they were completely engrossed in the treats. Still maintaining his smile the human stood up and slipped his back into the box. It looked like there were several dozen packets, each containing three cookies, and several different flavors.

"Ratchet okayed these?" Jack asked.

"Yes," his mother replied. "There is nothing in them that could hurt the sparklings and it should help quiet some of the cravings."

"Like Binky?" The young man asked causally, looking at the happy children.

June gaped at the back of his head for a moment in utter astonishment, then let a wide grin split her face. It had been years since Jack had even admitted his pacifier habit that had worried her for some time, let alone acknowledged his favorite one by name. She still had Binky, stored away in a shoebox on a closet shelf at home. The woman had intended to pull it out and share a few fond memories of sleepless night when Jack had children of his own. She let her eyes rest on the trilling sparklings for a moment. She would have to show it to him… A sword of pain pierced her heart as it occurred to her what would be the likely event that would release them from this chamber. That was one conversation that would have to wait for more healing to occur.

"Like Binky," she agreed quietly, and turned to begin preparing the sparklings' injections for the day.

"Hey, personal letters," Jack said suddenly, picking up the one bearing his name. He opened the seal and took a moment to admire the beautiful handwriting. He unfolded the letter and blinked in surprise. There were two distinct hands. Both were clean and even, showing an amazing level of skill and alternating down the page. His eyes blurred for a second as he tried to read and the human absently rubbed them. He was so tired.

O

To Whom it Matters, (yeah my side of the mutual acquaintance is being snarky too)

I'm delighted to hear that the children are feeling better. Yes, we suspected, but held out hope that science and research might find a way so didn't say anything. We've sent along a few treats that we thought the kiddos might like. Cookies and what not, sort of, all organic, all natural, non-GMO. I hope they help with the cravings. They were all my brother's idea

Here the handwriting changed.

Don't listen to him! He helped as much as me in designing the goodies! But if they do like them I take full credit! Tell the little ankle biters that I miss them. Do they remember me? A lot of species babies can't recall anything from before they can talk. But yours seemed especially sharp so maybe.

The two brothers wrote on. There were vague details about the new batch of compound with a promise that Dr. Green's letter was far more detailed and scientific. Good wishes and prayers were sent from Ma Franklin and Zech's sisters.

but don't worry. We only told them that a friend had some ill children…

Sal reassured him. Jack smiled. There was something incredibly painful in the letter. He got the feeling that they didn't accept the inventible. Perhaps Zech just still had faith in the vaunted advanced alien tech. There were personal messages for each of the sparklings. The young man broke into a laugh as he read the amusing salutations. The affections of both truckers gleamed through the humorous words. The human glanced over at his children. They were still utterly engrossed in the cookies, passing them around and sharing the different tastes.

Jack sat down on the bed again, the letter dangling from his fingers, eyes unfocused. One hard lesson he'd learned was that Cybertronians didn't sleep. They would occasionally rest and be still to let heat sensitive parts cool but unlike humans they did not require spending a large fraction of their day comatose. Normally sparklings required literally twenty-four/seven care. June tried to spell her son but the infants had bonded to him, not her. It seemed impossible for them to leave him alone for more than twenty minutes at a time. For the past few days he'd been running on tea. His mother was feeding him a constant diet of liquid nutrients and enzymes to support his stressed system.

The only reason he was getting any sleep at all was the virus. The sparklings' weakened processors would simply shut down for a few hours as the repairing systems drained energy from their young sparks. When this happened to one, usually Comet, the others would soon gather around him chirping softly and enter the dormant phase as well. What the humans had taken for normal sleep cycles Ratchet had explained was the last remaining obvious symptom of the disease, their tired little bodies shutting down all nonessential systems while repairs were made.

With each injection of mineral infused energon Jack gave them their sparks grew stronger, more capable of supporting the repairs and growth needed. With every ounce of mass they added their sparks grew closer to the power level that would overwhelm and breech their irreversibly damaged spark chambers.

Jack closed his eyes and looked at them the way Zech had taught him to. They were even more beautiful that way if it was possible. Their sparks burned like stars, the delicate lace of their energon veins moving around the core light like the arms of a galaxy. Cometflare especially gleamed, long tail looking even more like his namesake. But he could also see the damage, the weaknesses expressed as interruptions and eddied in the flow. There was a shadow over the little stars.

With a sigh Jack reluctantly opened his eyes and let the vision fade. His heart was pounding again. The young man rubbed his chest and glanced nervously at his mom. She was reluctant to let him use as much caffeine as he already did. But every moment the sparklings lay still was a cruel reminder of how few they had left. More often than not now he would lay awake during those few hours and simply listen to the hum of their life force, struggling to breath around the lump in his throat. The noise was too faint for his ears to pick up, but he was beginning to understand that this 'sixth sense' functioned as an extension of all five of his other senses. Hearing could be augmented as well as sight.

Suddenly Skyire fumbled and the cookie dropped and rolled across the floor. Stormbreaker dove after it but wasn't fast enough. The littlest one watched it disappear under a computer bank and gave a whimper. Cometflare leaned over, handed his cookie to Sky and stroked his shoulder soothingly. Skyfire smiled thankfully up at his brother. Jack was admiring the display of brotherly love when Stormy growled from where she was still trying to retrieve the escaped cookie.

"It's okay Stormy," the young man called out. "We'll just get another one."

"Scrap no!" the sparking trilled in agitation. "I'm gonna get that one. It's Sky's."

Jack and his mother stared in shock at the little fem. She must have felt the sudden tension in the room because she glanced back at them curiously.

"What did you say?" her father asked tightly. Jack was furious, not at the sparkling, but someone was going to face his wrath. His heart started that odd weak pounding again. He glanced over and was shocked to realize his mom was fighting back laughter. This was serious!

"I said, 'scrap no'," the sparkling repeated in confusion.

June spun around and clutched at her stomach, resisting the urge to break out in spasms of laughter. The look on Jack's face had been priceless. He shot her a resentful look and turned to his child.

"Sweetspark, we don't use words like that," he began awkwardly.

"Words like what?" she asked abandoning the cookie.

"Words like," the father hesitated, "well, 'scrap'."

"Uncle Bulkhead does," Stormbreaker pointed out.

"And how do you know that?" Jack asked.

"Aunty Miko says so."

Jack took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves.

"Stormy, don't ever use that word again. Bulkhead is a warrior bot. He needs those kind of words for fighting. Sparklings don't need them."

"Okay," the little fem had lost interest in the discussion. She clamped her own cookie in her mouth and scampered over to play with the blocks

O

O

June sat on the floor with the sparklings rolling a rubber ball back and forth. It was made of old fashioned Indian tree rubber and had been one of the presents in the care package. The little ones loved it and catch had become their new favorite game, allowing Grandma to distract them from their father for a short time. She had sent Jack to bed with a cup of herbal tea.

She was beginning to worry about her son. The fatigue could be due to the lack of sleep, but there was something nagging at the back of her mind. Her nurse's instincts were flaring up now every time she looked at him. The way he had lashed out at Miko over the 'scrap' incident had only served to worry her more. She had never seen her son so unreasonable. From the look on Optimus's face plates he had been concerned as well. He had turned to her and his blue optics asked a silent question. The woman had nodded in response. She was planning to give her son a through exam once he had caught up on a little sleep; no sense in letting extreme fatigue cloud the results.

"Nurse Darby," Ratchet's voice called softly from the comm.

June started and glanced at her wrist where her watch should be. She smiled and shook her head at the reflex. It must be time for their daily update. The woman carefully stood and left the sparklings to their game. The doctor and nurse were well into their discussion of the latest batch of compound when she felt a tug on her leg. The grandmother smiled down at Sky's worried face. A quick glance confirmed that Comet was gliding the currents and Stormy was chasing the ball around the far corner of the chamber.

"What's the matter Sky?"

"Daddy," the little one whispered.

"Daddy is sleeping. You need to leave him be," June said, surprised the sparkling had asked for permission.

"Sorry," the smallest sibling seemed to shrink even more. "But Daddy no wake up. I try."

June felt an odd little twist in her heart. She shoved it down and strode over to where Jack lay. The nurse touched her fingers to his carotid artery. His pulse was fast and thready. She rested her hand on his shoulder and her fingers brushed against something hard, like metal fragments under the skin. Frowning she gave the young man a gentle shake.

"Jack," she called out firmly, to no response, "Jack!"