How it Is
Chapter Seven: Connections

By: Nightelfcrawler
Disclaimer: Obviously Transformers is not my own, and is property of Hasbro. Be gentle.

The evening passed by strangely. They made camp, with Mikaela and Lennox being brought up to speed once they finally woke up. The sonic shockwave had more lasting affects on the fragile human mind. Sam had yet another example of why he was less and less human now. The three of them decided to cook dinner while the Autobots caught up on news. Bumblebee retold the battle of Mission City and it's precursor to the event. Sam sat quietly apart from the other humans, deep in thought barely touching his food, as he listened to Bumblebee's tale, told in rapid Cybertronian as the newcomers listened intently to his every beep. Sam was beginning to pick up subtle tones and fluctuations, hear the emotion expressed within their voices. It was curious how he could distinguish between them. Bumblebee spoke fast, flighty, true to his name, Wheeljack very distinctly proper and formal like a scientist, Cliffjumper casual and relaxed, and Hound had a slight slur to his tones, like he was using slang. Sam still had no clue how he could have somehow transmitted it to the others, as the language was too complex for him to even try and form a thought in it. Sure he could decipher it, but he couldn't THINK in it. So he just had to mull over how he'd managed to broadcast the cry for help earlier.

Several times he heard Wheeljack commenting to Bumblebee how he wanted to go over and examine the 'unique' human. Luckily, Bumblebee had a firm grasp on the fact that Sam was quite enough overwhelmed without being turned into a guinea pig. Sam knew instantly that Ratchet and Wheeljack would get along. They both would want to poke and prod him.

Sometime around the middle of the evening, Sam heard Mikaela sit down next to him. "Hey." She said quietly, pulling her coat closer as the chill of the desert evening set in. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah." Sam said, honestly. He felt much better, though tired and drained.

"Catchin' a cold maybe." She suggested, though her eyes bore into him hard saying she didn't believe that.

"Maybe." He agreed quietly. Her eyes narrowed. "Look, Mikaela…" He sighed, glancing up to stare at her. "Don't push it ok? I'm… I'm going through some things right now that I really can't deal with right now, and I don't need grief over it."

"I know." She said, surprising him enough for him to blink, meeting her blue eyes. "Oh come on Sam, I'm not blind." She said softly. "You may have tried to keep us out of it, but Bee's worried, and the Captain and I both saw what happened back there, though we don't know the details." She looked away. "Besides, I've watched you struggle with stuff all month. Trust me, I've deal with crap too. I know how tough it is, but it's got to be way worse for you. I just wish you'd talk to me. But I understand if you don't want to yet. Still I'm not giving up on you, I'm here if you need support." She smiled lightly, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Sorry." He said with a sigh feeling suddenly grateful that she was so understanding, then looked up to the stars. He had so much to think about and his mind was beginning to panic over this change. He could feel his chest pressing in on him, his breathing strained but not from physical stress. How was he going to face the others? It was one thing having a freaky destructo-bot know your secret, even if he didn't know it anymore for the time being, and another to have his best friend know...but what would Mikaela say if she knew the truth, what would his parents say, and what would Optimus and the others say? Tears stung his eyes at the thought. He should be happy right? Wasn't it cool he was now connected to the transforming aliens in a way? Wouldn't everyone give their right arm to have this opportunity? Sure they would, but at the same time, it changed who he was.

Wait a minute... didn't this make him a super-hero now?

The thought caused him to momentarily forget his gloom and snicker silently, earning a raised eyebrow from Mikaela. "Sorry." He said, still grinning a bit. "I just got a weird image in my head." He leaned back against the small boulder he was using for support, staring up at the stars. Ok, change the topic, cheer up. "So did you manage to talk to Ratchet before we left?"

"Yeah, I talked it over with him." She said, joining him as she pulled up closer, sharing their body warmth in the cooling air. "He was more than happy to accept me as an intern. So I guess once school's over with, I'll be living with them permanently, for now anyway."

"Not a bad gig." Sam admitted, secretly a bit jealous. "My folks wouldn't ever go for it."

"You know… I don't think you give them enough credit." Mikaela said smirking a bit. "Well your Mom's nice, but I don't know if she could handle it, but your Dad… he seems pretty together. Why don't you just let them in on it?"

"You honestly think my mom could handle that her son's riding around in an alien that can turn into a car?" He snorted. "She already makes up conspiracy theories that'd make great stories for like the X-files or something. The government wanted to let them in on the NDA thingy, you know that paper we had to sign? I told them that it'd be wayyy better if they just left them in the dark."

"They're going to find out about Bee sometime. How are you going to explain that suddenly your old 76 Camaro became a brand new unreleased model?"

"Yeah well." Sam smiled. "I don't think they'd buy the 'government gave it to me' excuse that the Captain suggested. They're too suspicious for that."

"Maybe." Mikaela said quietly. "Well, you won't have to worry about it too soon I guess. You know what you're doing after High School?"

"No." Sam sighed. "I have no clue. But I know that anything I do, I want to be near them, helping them. Cause… well there's nothing this COOL in college."

She laughed and smacked his arm lightly. "Yeah, I guess you can't major in Extra-terrestrial studies."

They lay there in silence, listening to the empty quiet still of the desert interrupted by small bouts of whistles and chirps from the Cybertronians having their conversation. Lennox was sitting reading a book, not seeming to mind being on his own the least. Sam glanced around briefly, wondering where the crazy 'con had gone to, and spotted his bulk sitting away from the rest, staring at nothing in particular. "You know… There's a lot more to the Decepticons than I thought." Sam mused.

"What?" Mikaela stared at him as if he'd just started spouting gibberish. "Tell me you're joking."

"No, I'm serious." Sam propped himself up on his elbow, staring at her through the dim light. Her face was beautiful lit by the moon… "I mean, it's not so cut and dry, Bad guys Versus Good Guys. He's got a story… Sure I'm not debating he's a twisted evil masochist, but still…" He glanced over at the 'con. "It makes me wonder why the rest of them do what they do, what their story is. Why do they fight the Autobots? I mean he's not evil right now, right? His memory's blocked and he's calm, and even NICE. I can't figure out what makes the Decepticons so evil, and why the have to fight so brutally against the others."

"Wasn't it for the Allspark?" Mikaela asked rather confused.

Sam winced. Barricade HAD told him flat out that the Allspark was the only reason he was tailing them. But somehow, he just didn't buy it. The 'con could have snagged him, bagged him and taken him away where no one could find him, he didn't need to surrender and become a psudo prisoner. "If it were just that, why would Prime and the others be worried about more coming?" Sam pointed out. "The Allspark is gone." Well… that was exactly the truth, but he wasn't about to admit that to her just yet.

Mikaela looked thoughtful and then grudgingly nodded. "You have a point. I never thought about it. I never asked them either, I just thought that this war started because of that thing, and they hated each other."

"Yeah." Sam agreed quietly. "But there's more to it than that, I know it. I mean… they like killing so I guess that separates them out, the 'cons don't care much about us 'squishies'. They don't see us as equals I guess."

"Well when you're a big giant alien robot that could literally crush one with your foot, I could see why." Mikaela drawled. "Really, I don't need to psycho analyze a bunch of power hungry megalomaniacs. They cause trouble, nearly destroyed our city, and us. What more is there?"

"I dunno." Sam sighed. "I just thought, wouldn't it be nice if they could stop fighting and we wouldn't have to worry about their war anymore."

"Yeah, well good luck. We haven't even figured out how to do that with our own people yet." She sighed. "I'm going to go get some rest, kay?" She leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, much to his embarrassment as his face heated up like a sauna. "Night, soldier."

He watched as she slid off back to the campsite, his eyes straying to places they probably shouldn't have before he smacked his head to get himself to stop. An amused voice interrupted him. "Your reaction to that female is very fascinating."

He jumped, and glanced up to see the Cybertronians had broken up their little pow-wow, and Wheeljack was standing nearly on top of him. How he'd snuck up without him noticing he couldn't fathom, though he admitted silently that he HAD been distracted at the time. The mech knelt down to be closer, glowing optics blinking curiously at him. "Are all human males capable of behaving this way around females?"

"Erm…" Sam flushed. Boy this was NOT the first social behavior conversation he wanted to have with the mech. Definitely up Ratchet's ally. "Kinda… I mean, it all just depends."

"Despite researching the subject through your internet, I still can't fathom these courtship rituals you seemed so attached to." He tilted his head towards him. "If you like her, why do you not mate with her?"

"Ugh…" Sam choked, and glanced over to Bumblebee who had approached and was standing behind them. "Bee, a little help?" Bumblebee tilted his head then began speaking in rapid tones and pulses. From what Sam got of the conversation, he explained that human courtship rituals dated back centuries, rooted deeply in culture and were taught to the young early on, and it was hard to break from the cycle, however it seemed an integral part of coupling in their species. Sam's cheeks burned as he glared at his guardian, trying to silently remind him that he DID understand what was being said. Bee ignored him, and continued explaining to him what references might be a good place to research, fiction books, classic works, dating websites. Wheeljack listened intently and then nodded his agreement, promising to look into it. Sam rubbed his head. Great…

"Sam, Bumblebee mentioned that there was an accident shortly before you encountered the Decepticon." Wheeljack was saying. The human nodded. "Would you permit me to do a thorough scan of your biology before I go and examine Barricade?"

"Yeah, sure go ahead." Sam said shrugging. By now he was beginning to get used to the tingly sensation of being probed.

A bright beam of blue surrounded him as the mech initiated his scanners, and the colors shifted a bit going from blue to green to orange and finally yellow before they shut off about a minute later. "I do not understand. How were you able to scan him, Bumblebee? I am met with interference." Wheeljack commented, turning to Bumblebee with a puzzled expression.

Bumblebee blinked, and glanced down at Sam, who rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. Geeze, I don't think you gotta ask anymore, wastes time."

The scout sighed, but initiated his own scans, though not the multi-colored versions Wheeljack had performed. When he finished, he tilted his head and sent a small chirp. Data was exchanged, and Wheeljack mused. "Curious. Why are you able to perform scans through the interference when I cannot. Hey, Hound!" He waved an arm. "Come here for a moment."

Sam let his head fall into his folded arms over his knees. This was going to be a long night.

"Sam, how are you feeling?" Bumblebee inquired as he moved to sit beside the human, a hint of worry in his processors. Now that Wheeljack was occupied with Barricade, they had the chance to finally talk.

"Oh fine." Sam said quietly, glad that Bumblebee was still thinking of his 'situation'. "I feel a lot better now. I think the food helped a bit, but I'm almost back to normal. I think after I sleep it'll be better."

"The energy field around you has nearly regenerated to it's previous strength." Bumblebee agreed quietly, as not to allow Mikaela and Will to overhear. "My guess is, your systems must recharge like ours do."

"Well humans recharge in their own ways too, ya know." He sighed. "Were you and Wheeljack able to figure out why you could scan and he couldn't?"

"Yes, I believe so." Bumblebee replied confidently. "His analysis based on the inability of Hound, himself and Cliffjumper to perform the scans led him to conclude it could be possible I am able to penetrate the interference due to my ability to connect with the Allspark. It could be that because it is compatible with me, it permits my scan probes and not others. Of course we cannot prove this theory until we return and have Optimus do the same thing."

"Oh, well that makes more sense then." He yawned, stretching out and laying back on the rock, staring up at the stars. So many things were running through his head right now, from his parents and Mikaela, to the Autobots and how he could be of use to them. An idea occurred to him. He felt a sudden thrill of something that could have been fear or excitement, possibly both. Was it possible? Did he dare? The Allspark was supposed to have great power, and he'd already tapped into a small bit of it by accident. What would happen if he TRIED to access it? "Hey… Bee?"

"Yes, Sam?"

"Got any dents or anything on you?"

His guardian's optics flickered and a hand came down, rotating to reveal a small dent near his elbow. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, his tone suspicious. "If you are considering attempting to access the power residing within you, I must insist you do not, Sam. Not until we know more about it. Without proper knowledge and training, you could possibly do harm instead of help."

Sam sighed, and nodded faintly. He should have known he'd say that. Bumblebee was always looking out for his well-being. It felt good having a friend so concerned for him, at the same time a little stifling to think he couldn't do anything without the big yellow mech worrying about him. "Yeah, guess you're right. It was a silly idea." Plus, he didn't want to accidentally wipe HIS memory.

"Sam…" Bumblebee said gently, his tone warm. "I am not saying that you should not experiment, but it would not be wise to do so here with no medic available, unless you trust your life to Wheeljack, which I do not." Sam snorted. "Until we know just what happened to Barricade, we cannot risk it. Also, I do not know the inner workings of the Allspark, I only briefly glimpsed it. I cannot begin to estimate what kind of abilities, side-effects or powers it might discharge if you attempt to use it. We are not even sure that you have any control over this. It could simply be leftover energy…" He didn't sound that certain, however, Sam thought.

"If that's the case, why is it emptying, then recharging back to full strength?" Sam asked quietly.

"I do not know." Bumblebee admitted quietly. "Optimus Prime was the Allspark's guardian, perhaps he will be able to shed some light upon this situation."

Sam blinked, as something occurred to him. "Hey, wait… you knew how to manipulate the thing, right?" He glanced up into his guardian's blue optics. "I wonder…" he mused. "…would you still be able to… 'talk' to it?" Maybe ask it to leave my body alone? He silently thought.

Bumblebee seemed to consider that, his optics studying Sam closely. "I have not felt any presence from your contact with me yet, Sam." He said finally. "I was able to remotely detect it's power before but, I would be uncertain that attempting any kind of connection would be wise." Yet, Sam could hear the hesitation and almost curiosity lining his guardian's voice. He wanted to try it, he could tell. But his soldier's training told him to be cautious.

"Yeah…" Sam said quietly. "But… maybe you could figure out just what it's doing, what kind of effect it left on me or something. I mean…you talked to it once, maybe you could do it again?"

"I do not know, Sam…" Bumblebee said slowly. "But…" Sam lifted his head hopefully. "Perhaps if we attempt something one step at a time, we might uncover answers."

"Right." Sam agreed, sitting up. "Take it slow… I mean, I'll just let you do whatever… I won't step in or anything, even if I knew how."

"Definitely not." Bumblebee replied firmly. "If I sense any irregularities in your systems, we are to immediately terminate contact. I will inform Wheeljack to assist." He suggested.

"Good idea. Just don't tell him why, kay? I have a feeling he'd be all over us, asking all kinds of questions, jotting down notes, wanting to dissect me…" He winced. "He's like, a robot scientist isn't he?"

"Yes, Wheeljack was a known inventor, I believe." Bumblebee replied. "I had never met him, however…" The mech hesitated, and when next he spoke, Sam definitely heard the amusement in his voice. "…his reputation precedes him."

"Really? Why?"

"Things have a habit of exploding around him."

"Oh, wonderful."

"Now one moment." Bumblebee was silent as he communicated to Wheeljack, and soon the mech was tromping over, optics bright with eager excitement.

"Ok… so you ARE going to tell me what you are doing right?" The scientist asked curiously, side-panels flashing bright in the night dusk. "You cannot just say 'if anything strange happens, separate our connecting contact."

"If this succeeds, it is up to Sam to determine if he wishes to share the information." Bumblebee said firmly. "We simply need you here for any emergency."

"Fine, fine. But I get to record it." He pushed a finger to the side of his head, and optics flickered brighter. "Ok, go for it kid."

Sam took a deep breath, and glanced up at his guardian, who nodded once to him. He slowly put his hand down on top of Bee's massive palm, and waited.

Nothing. Not even a flicker.

Sam scowled. Well he hadn't expected it to be just simple, and in a way he was glad. No accidental bumps would hurt Bee, he hoped. His guardian continued to watch him, optics making small minute movements every few seconds. They stood there for some time, before suddenly, Sam felt a strange tingle in the back of his mind.

It came to him almost instantly, right there at his fingertips, a surge of power, of awareness that almost overwhelmed him. It was unimaginable, so incredible that he couldn't even begin to put any recognition to it. He just knew it was big, powerful, and not under his control. He gasped and almost pulled his hand off, when suddenly something else pushed back at the force, a gentle but firm pressure that backed it away, just out of reach. Sam slowly breathed again, a bit shaken. Ok… lets not try that again.

That would be a very good idea, Sam. A quiet thought told him.

Sam paused, a bit startled. Bee? Is that you?

Yes, Sam. I can hear you. Came the reply, and this time, Sam could feel the emotion, the thoughts, the connection. It was strange to him, and he knew immediately it was a foreign presence not his own mind playing tricks on him, because he could feel the calm collected presence of his guardian there beside him. It was a commanding firm force, strong and powerful, like a soldier protecting a child from stepping on a land-mine.

He didn't dare open his eyes, but focused in the calm quiet of his mind, feeling the presence of the Autobot there, like someone watching him. Wow…this is very weird.

I concur. Bumblebee replied. I have not communicated through private comm. with a mind so scatterbrained before.

Scatterbrained?! Sam thought incredulously. Wait, internal comm.? Is that what this is?

Yes. It is the same method Autobots use to message each other without vocalization. It is far more direct and private. Thoughts can be relayed quicker. Bee explained patiently. It does require a certain amount of discipline not to broadcast all your processing thoughts at once, however. You do not have such discipline yet, Sam. I understand now how you were able to send a transmission to the others. It appears the Allspark has reformatted your processors to be able to accept our communications and transmit in certain circumstances. You do not appear to have conscious control over it yet, however.

Thanks… He thought wryly. So that was you stopping…IT.

Yes. I felt the Allspark's energy surging within you, and asked it to stop… it responded to my command. He could hear Bee's bemusement and wonder. It seems that the Allspark did indeed imprint itself into you…and it is regenerating.

A cold sensation washed through him at that. Regenerating? What does that mean?

It means, it seems to be integrating with your systems, Sam. Bumblebee replied, and he could sense the sudden strong surge of concern, worry and fear transmitting through his guardian's link. The Allspark is a very rare sort of item, even for our kind. It is the only known mass shifter. This means that not only can it change it's shape, but it also can compact it's mass ignoring the normal rules of the universe. It can become smaller, and weigh less, but still contain the same amount of power within it. You saw me manipulate it's mass in the Hoover Dam. By my estimate, this means that it was able to transmit a great deal of it's energy into your body before allowing the rest of itself to be destroyed to stop Megatron. It is now attempting to regain it's full mass and power, and has not yet reached it's full regenerative level. Still, I do not know what this will mean for you.

Great. Sam thought quietly to himself, not sure if Bee could hear it or not. So I've been infected by a giant alien cube that's slowly taking over my body. Wonderful. Breathe Witwicky, don't panic yet, wait till you're alone in your tent. Ok so… we can talk mentally like this… what else can you do? He wondered, hoping that Bee might be able to stop any further 'accidents' by like shutting the thing off or something.

Let me attempt something. Bee transmitted. There was a pause, before Sam felt a tickle in the back of his head, like a message trying to come to him. He opened his mind, and before his very eyes, suddenly he found himself standing in a completely alien environment.

It was like being in a 3-D movie theater. The landscape around him was a glowing soft cyan blue, the same color as the Autobot's optic illumination. Everywhere around him, tall spires of buildings, catwalks and bridges ran criss-crossing above and below him. He stood on the edge of one such bridge, staring at the city around him. It took him a moment to realize suddenly, that the sky was clear and star-lit, no sun warmed the sky, and there were strange stars streaking across the sky in low orbits. It was a city. A massive city more vast than anything he'd ever seen before. It struck him abruptly. Cybertron. He thought out loud, in wonder and rapture. It was beautiful in that mechanical kind of way. The complexity of the architecture was far beyond anything he'd seen before. It was smooth, elegant and sturdy… and he was seeing it through Bumblebee's eyes. So this is what it looks like…?

Looked like. Bee corrected quietly, as the image rippled and dissolved again. It is there no longer.

I'm sorry, Bee. Sam thought back, torn. But maybe he could repay the little image with one of his own. Here… maybe this will cheer you up.

And he focused, pulling up a particular memory he was fond of. His first ride with Bee. He could feel his guardian chuckling at the memory, as it played forward, and he grinned too. Now that it had happened, it was amusing to look back on his reaction to a sentient car. Thank you for sharing that with me, Sam. The quiet thought came. Sam found himself liking his guardian's mental voice. It wasn't broken and crackling like his vocal processors still were. They were, after all, still healing. It was smooth, more human-like to his mind. It still seemed strangely devoid of what he would have deemed emotion, but he was learning to pick up small fluctuations in the scout's pattern of speech that told him how he was feeling. It appears data transfers are also possible.

So we're like…telepathically linked now. Sam thought. How cool is this? But I gotta keep touching you to keep it going, right? I can't like, transmit wirelessly?

Not yet, but it may become possible. I believe you have inherited the properties the Allspark had, it was also not able to transmit on it's own, it required a 'user' to interface with it. It is very possible that through integrating with you it has indeed gained a permanent 'user' It still must format itself to accept you.. Bumblebee answered, and Sam could feel the smile in his voice. It is quite an achievement. It seems the Allspark has linked you to our own biology in it's unique way. You are a non-mechanical life-form, able to communicate with me on the same frequency. I do believe Ratchet will ah… 'flip out', as you say.

No kidding. He thought with a snort. He wondered what else this little link could do, but was reluctant to push it. So far, he'd learned much more than he'd thought he would. Luckily Bee had experience with the Allspark's power, and knew how to manipulate it for him. So can you tell what's going on inside of me? And…do you think you can teach me how to use it so I won't hurt anyone else?

There was a long silence. After a nanosecond, his guardian replied. I believe I could help you, but I would not like to attempt to do such a thing until we are back at the headquarters with the others. Optimus is a more likely candidate to attempt teaching you to use and control this power within you.

I know. Sam sighed. But…I dunno, I'd rather have you teach me.

He could feel a sudden strong surge of emotion from the bot, warmth and gratitude. The emotion of a friend. Thank you Sam. I am honored by your request. Nonetheless, I must insist.

Yeah I know you'd say that. He sighed, then slowly took his hand off of Bee's, and opened his eyes. Abruptly he was slightly disoriented, and felt a sudden sense of emptiness and loss. He couldn't feel Bee's presence anymore, and as he looked up, he saw his guardian shaking his head slightly, clearly in the same situation.

Wheeljack looked bored. "Well?" He demanded.