Chapter 52: Size Matters
Cliffjumper stared at the screen as Preceptor droned on about the results of this meeting's tests and the birth process. When it was ready, the sparkling would detach itself from his spark, allowing a doctor to remove it from his spark and implant it into a protoform. it was pretty straightforward but Preceptor had been going on about it for the past several meetings, so Cliff didn't feel too bad about not paying attention to the microscope in favor of looking at the screen with the image of his spark. It probably looked like any other spark, bright blue and pulsing with energy, but unlike any other bot, his had a very light blue light clutching the ends of his spark, firmly curled in a corner of his chamber. The sparkling was so much bigger now, even from the last scan.
"The sparkling is progressing at a normal rate, though it is much larger than previously estimated." Preceptor intoned, voicing Cliffjumper's thoughts and pulling his optics away from the image. "Have you been feeling any pressure on your spark or against your chamber?" he asked.
"Some mornings my chassis feels heavy and my spark feels swollen." Cliffjumper replied simply. He had been confused about it at first but figured it was probably normal as it occurred more and more often. I mean, having something growing in your chassis wasn't NOT going to do anything.
"How often?"
"It used to be only once or twice a mega-cycle, now it's basically every other day." Cliffjumper grumbled, rubbing at his chassis.
"It is to be expected with the sparkling's increased size. Considering it's lineage it can only be assumed that the sparkling will grow considerably larger, both during its gestation period and once it has a physical body." Perceptor replied, noting the information down on Cliffjumper's medical pad.
"It's going to get bigger?!" Cliffjumper asked in shock, looking back to the screen. The sparkling was already pushing up against his chamber! Much more and the sparkling would be smothering his spark against his own chamber walls! The sparkling sent him a jolt, like it was angry for his panic.
"Yes." Perceptor answered simply. He'd known this was going to happen after all.
"And this isn't—oh I don't know—A PROBLEM!?" Cliffjumper shouted. He did not appreciate Perceptor's aloofness when his spark and the sparkling were on the line. It was times like this he really missed the old nervous, fidgety and shy preceptor.
"I could become one, yes." Perceptor answered, working some math out on a datapad. He looked up to find Cliffjumper glaring at him. "Ah. I've concerned you. My apologies" he said in that flat monotone voice of his that really made Cliffjumper want to hit him. "By my calculations, the sparkling will grow by another third in the remaining time of your gestation period. Your spark should be elastic enough to provide the space, but we may remove him earlier then that if it cannot, to prevent any hazard to your spark."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Cliffjumper asked, watching the little spark on the screen flitter around his spark. It used to do it so much more freely before. Now it stuck to a small space at the bottom corner of his chamber. Now that he thought about it, the occasional flutters of excitement and burst of energy when it was mad were much more solid now, but he didn't know if that was enough. Would it endanger the sparkling to try and take it out before it's time? Or after for that matter when you thought about its actual conception date. What if it didn't take to the protoform correctly? Would it just…blink out?
"We have a buffer zone of about a mega-cycle or so." Preceptor explained, interrupting Cliffjumper's thoughts. "We may remove it a mega-cycle early, or, if size demands, provide an extra mega-cycle of gestation. It depends completely on the sparkling. The gestation period is set to end in 1.5 deca-cycles; we shall have everything ready for the procedure before then."
Cliffjumper could hardly believe it. It really seemed as though the time just flew by. He tried to picture his spark without the sparkling. It felt weird. He'd gotten so used to it after all, to the sweet fluttering and the light hugs, to the locked joints and the sweet energon. He could barely remember what it felt like not to be carrying, to have only one spark inside him. It was going to be weird to adjust to that again, but he had to admit. He was pretty excited about the sparkling coming out.
"This will be the most difficult period, Cliffjumper" Perceptor cautioned. "The sparkling's new size will place a lot of strain on your systems and body. Do not push yourself. Do you understand?"
Cliffjumper nodded absentmindedly, trying to imagine how big the sparkling would get.
End chapter 52
