Plot Bunny: Woke up dead.

Waking Up

He'd been dead. He knew that he had been but where ever he was now wasn't the place he had died in. His last memory was of a city not Cybertronian but human. There had been a fight for the AllSpark and a human whose name wouldn't quite come to him. He'd told the human... Sam! The humans name had been Sam. He'd told Sam to put the cube into his chest and that was it. After that there was nothing so he had to assume that Sam had listened and done his job. But if that were true then why was he online again? Maybe he wasn't and this was the Matrix. But then why was he surrounded by pale darkness and not a bright light?

The sound of soft footsteps caught Optimus Primes attention from where he lay on a cold metal floor. Something was off. Where ever he was he wasn't alone. Whither that was good or bad was yet to be seen. Should he dare open his optics and let whoever was in the room with him know that he was indeed online. What if it was an enemy? He didn't think he do to well in a fight especially in his current condition. But if it was a friend then what? Should he let them know? If it was a friend then they'd understand why he hadn't revealed his current status sooner. For now he'd lie still and silent and listen to the small creature that was making the footsteps.

They could only belong to something small or at least smaller than him. They were far to quiet to belong to anything very big. Now he found himself wondering if the little being moving around him was robotic or organic. Either one was quite possible. Something was working its way toward the wires near his spark chamber Optimus realized a moment later. At least now he could tell that the small being was robotic. Little fingers worked their way past thick armor to the wires underneath. Tugging gently at each one as if checking to be sure none of them were in danger of coming loose. Apparently they all passed the test for before long the little hand had moved on to the wires that he could reach in the mechs hands. This little thing had to be a friend or at least a being with good intentions. He wasn't in any danger from this little thing. That was a comforting thought as he slipped into a quiet recharge.

Optimus awoke joors later not bothering to keep his optics closed this time. Every sensor he possessed was telling him that he was completely alone. There was nothing in the room with him. Bright blue optics took in the room around him only to realize that the room was filled with others off his kind. All of the off line. Cables and gears strained as Optimus pushed himself up off of the floor the wall next to him supplying some much needed support. Looking himself up and down Optimus realized that he was in much better shape than he should have been. The little bot that had been fixing him did good work apparently. There were a few places that looked like something had tried to take a bite out of him but still all in all he could have been much worse. He had been much worse. The sound of those soft footsteps rang loud in his audios and caused the Prime to turn his head in the direction that the noise was coming from. He didn't think that there was a reason to keep his current online status to himself anymore and if the little bot had been the one to fix him then it already knew of his current state of being.

Needless to say the little thing that entered his sights not long after the footsteps filled his audios wasn't quite what he had envisioned the little bot to be. He was small yes that was to be expected but it was the condition of the small creature that seemed to surprise him the most. This poor little thing didn't even have any armor to cover the silver skeleton that was his body. Even then if he looked like something had tried to take a bite out of him then something had chewed this little bot up and spit him back out again. He could easily see the scars that covered the little bots frame and there were several places where wires were visible.

The only things that stood out about this little creature were its white optics and a thin chain that hung around its neck. There was something dangling on the end of the chain but he couldn't tell what it was but there was a faint energy being radiated by the object. Optimus wondered if he should make the first move or not. It didn't seem like the little bot was going to do anything other than stare at him. So Optimus decided that he'd keep his greeting simple and wait to see what the little mech said back.

"My name is Optimus Prime. Whats yours?" The little mech simply looked at him optics shuttering every few seconds as if he were confused. Did he not understand? Or was it possible that he simply wasn't able to answer? Either way Optimus waited a few more seconds before asking another question.

"Can you speak?" The little mech tilted his head to the side as if he had a question he wanted to ask but couldn't. Optimus hadn't been expecting the reply he received.

"English." The mech's voice was very quiet. He seemed to speak in a whisper as if he was afraid that some one would hear him.

"You speak English?" Optimus asked. It would make sense as for why his questions hadn't been answered before. He'd been speaking in Cybertronian before.

"Speak English? Yes." The little bots words were slightly broken as if he kept forgetting what he wanted to say and then would only remember half.

"What's your name?" Optimus tried again now that he knew he'd be understood. The little mech tilted his head to the side again before answering.

"Don't know. Had... name once but... gone now."

"You can't remember your name." The little mech shook his head in sorrow.

"We'll have to think of one for you then. "Where are we?" White optics stared into his for a few moments before the little mech turned and began to run in the direction that it had come from. Optimus hesitated for a moment before he began to follow the small mech. It didn't take him very long to catch up. Having really long legs had its advantages at times.

It took three or four breems for them to navigate through the interior of whatever form of building they seemed to be in. The sight that greeted Optimus' optics when they made it outside wasn't very spark lifting. Wasteland. The landscape in front of them was nothing but rock and dirt. There was no plant life or water or any other kind of life at all. Turning around to see what he had just come out of Optimus was quite shocked to realize that it was a grounded Decepticon ship. The size of the vessel suggested that it had been a warship. Turning to look at his companion Optimus knew that he was going to have to ask about what had happened. Both to the ship and to the little mech.

"Little one?" the little mech looked up at Optimus. "Can you tell me what happened to the ship? Or how we came to be here?" The little mech nodded before it sat down.

"Long time ago. Don't remember much but can tell what I remember."

"Anything you can tell me will work."

"Was different once. Different creature not metal but something else. Warriors came to my home looking for something and great battle was fought." The little mech stopped for a moment fingers running over the object that hung around its neck on the end of the chain. "Was caught in the middle and did something bad. Should have done different but didn't. Everyone paid. Many with lives. Was taken as pet and they thought they could change me. Worked in way. Messed with memory. Why I speak this way too. All broken in head so spoken broken. Never gave me armor. Didn't need it was pet not warrior."

Optimus listened to broken sentences in fascination and disbelief. He had an idea about what this little mech's name was but some part of him didn't want to think about how possible it was that that had happened. That his brother had actually kept Sam as a pet. The little mech, no Sam, was staring at him. He knew that Optimus wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying at the moment. Blue optics shuttered before they returned their focus onto Sam's small form.

"Go on."

"Other came and they fought. I hid both for fear and shame. They wouldn't take as was. To damaged. Doubt they would know who I was. Hid in room full of dead and found you and the shard. Could feel the power. Thought maybe if done right could bring you back. Took long time but worked. Ship crashed here and others fled. Didn't care if alive or not. Only wanted away from others." Sam stopped speaking and looked down at his hands waiting for Optimus' answer. Optimus was in a mild state of shock.

Though most of it had to do with Sam's broken story and the fact that the Decepticons had had a fragment of the All Spark and not known it. He knew there was more too Sam's story but he wasn't going to push too hard. Not yet at least seeing how there was a chance that most of the boys memories had vanished over the years or during the process of having been turned into a mech.

"Thank you for telling me what you could little one." Sam nodded clearly happy with himself. He was quite easy to make happy it seemed but there was still one pressing matter that needed to be handled. He couldn't go around calling Sam little one for the rest of their lives. "I think I know your name." White optics shuttered.

"Know name? Old or new?"

"Your old name. I remember what you were like when I first met you and I remember your name very well."

"What name?" Sam asked.

"Your name is Sam."

"Sam." The little bot muttered as if trying the name out for himself to see if it fit. Optimus waited a second for more of a reply. "Sam works. Name is name. Not matter what called so long as not pet."

Optimus chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be called a pet either. I doubt there are many that would." Sam looked down at his arms for a moment.

"Need armor. Not warrior but still need armor." Optimus nodded.

"Yes you do. It's not safe for all the wires and gears to be exposed to the elements like that. Unfortunately I'm not the type of mech or femmie that knows how to forge armor. We'll have to see if we can find our friends."

That idea didn't seem to sit well with Sam who pulled away as if he'd just been stung. Shaking his head back and forth the whole time. It was quite obvious that he had no desire to go and find the others.

"Do you not want to find our friends Sam?" Optimus asked his tone gentle. Sam shook his head again. "Why not?"

"Shame. Treated different. Coward." He didn't want to face Bumblebee and the others if they were still online. He didn't want to see the pity filled looks that would be sent his way or hear the whispered comments about how he'd become what he was know. That and this form shamed him. Compared to their kind he was nothing but a little freak. He didn't even have any armor and even if he did he knew it wouldn't be the same as theirs. It wouldn't seem as grand. His last reason was simple. He was a coward. He didn't want to find the other Autobots because with them came the Decepticons and Megatron. He didn't want others to know of why he had been changed the way he had and he never wanted to see Megatron again so long as he could help it. He'd rather stay on the dead planet they were on know than face any others.

Optimus looked down at the bare little form in front of him. Sam was worried and apparently ashamed of what others would think of him and of what he was when he had no reason to be.

"Don't worry little one. No one has to know who you are other than me and a few others. I won't tell anyone who doesn't have to know. As for shame, well that's something that will have to be taken care of in time and as for being a coward." Optimus chuckled. "I don't think you know how brave you are or were. You've shone nothing but courage when in my presence and that's all that matters."

Sam nodded in silent understanding. He didn't want to leave and Optimus wasn't willing to leave him behind or abandon his troops it wasn't in the Prime's programming. He'd have to go or he'd be left on this dead planet all by himself. Sam nodded in grim understanding.

"I can't leave them or you behind Sam. Everything will be all right you'll see."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Optimus would have smiled if he could have. There was a trust between them. A trust that Sam would do what was right and he would do what was needed. It was frail as most new things are but it was still there and it would grow as the years went by and their newly formed bond grew stronger many things would come to light about them both. Many victories would be won and many battles would be lost but never would their trust in one another fade or break.

Authors Note's for 14

I probably could have made that one a whole lot longer and a whole lot more detailed but between the headache that I have building and a puppy that wants to play I could really care less at the moment.