Chapter 50: Life, The Universe and Everything in-between.
Soundwave was stood on the very edge of a cliff of metal, his gaze lost as he looked up at the stars, peering over millions of miles to a distant planet.
Arcee had seen him a while ago, while on her patrol but seeing him on her way back, almost a full solar cycle later and seeing that he hadn't moved made her curiosity grow and she chose to approach him. "Soundwave?" She said timidly.
The former 'Con, made famous in the war for his silence, turned to look at her. "I would appreciate to be left alone right now, Arcee."
"You've been out here for a while. What's wrong?"
He blinked and looked back to the stars. "Do you ever think about Earth?"
"Sometimes. It's been a while since I was last there."
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long has it been since we left Earth?"
Arcee thought for a moment then looked away. "I don't know. A few years I guess. A while anyway."
Soundwave gave a sad little chuckle. "A few years? Try pushing 70."
Arcee physically paled at the news. "What?"
"It's been 70 years Arcee."
The motorcyclist scoffed a little. "Yikes. Jack is going to kick my ass when I see him. I should arrange some time off."
"No point." The officer replied, lifting up something in his hand. "They are dead."
She stepped back at that. "What?!"
"Jack, Raf, Miko… they are all dead."
"What killed them?"
"Time." He said, activating the data pad in his hands. "Jackson Darby, age 78, died peacefully in his bed of natural causes. Rafeal Esquivel, age 82, suffered a heart attack and died on route to hospital. Miko Nakadai, age 75, died peacefully in her bed." His grip tightened on the pad suddenly. "Eleanor Sarah Tripson-Wave, age 92, died peacefully in her sleep at a nursing home."
Feeling her eyes swell with tears, Arcee took the pad from his hands and scanned it for himself. All four of them had left the cybertronians something in their wills but no one knew how to contact them.
"I picked up the data on this very spot. I was just had a sudden want to call her, to hear her voice, to see how she was, tell her I miss her and couldn't wait to see her again. But… I'm too late. I'll never see her again. She spent the last 70 years alone." He gave a small scoff of a laugh. "She even took my name."
Arcee looked up from the message to the man. He wasn't like her. Jack, Raf and Miko had been friends, comrades and vital to the war. And she would never say she wasn't going to miss them.
But Soundwave was different. He was the only one of their kind to mate with someone from another species. Everyone knew he loved the human more than life itself.
"You gonna be alright?" She asked timidly.
"I should have been there." Was all he said before turning and walking away.
Arcee thought for a moment about following him but decided against it. He needed to be alone with his memories for now. And besides, she didn't really feel like cheering someone up right then.
~#~
It had taken him a long time to work it all out but finally Knockout had made his way back to his home city and from there to his old home. Of course it was all rubble and destroyed by the war but he hoped it would one day be reborn.
He sighed to himself, feeling his spark flutter sadly. Soundwave had shared the news with him of Eleanor's death and now he was feeling the regret of not being there for her. He had taken that little human from the road side and thrown her into a world of danger and death, promising to always be there to protect her, to care for her as if she was his very own. He took that vow very seriously during the war and yet he had an abandoned it, and her, when it was over.
His gaze shifted over the rubble. He had always planned on showing her his home, creating a special 'human friendly' building and letting her come to visit, staying over with him and showing her Cybertron. But that was not going to happen now.
His spark trembled with sadness once again and he sat down on some rusting metal, sighing with memories.
His optics closed and he thought for a while until suddenly he looked up and frowned. "What the…" He said to himself, looking up at the sky for the cause of the strange noise he was hearing.
The more he listened the more he realised it was coming from under him, not above and moved to lift the metal, turning it over to look underneath.
His gaze soon fell on the cause, a small metal box just lying under the rubble, perfectly preserved but with a faint glow coming from within it. "A… a false spark chamber?" He whispered, reaching out and carefully lifting the container. It was warm, alive but fluttering, a sign of its weakness.
Dropping the metal, Knockout turned and began to run, holding the box as tight as he dared.
"Ratchet! Ratchet!" He screamed in getting close to the Autobot's medic base.
Shockwave was there as well, the two in a deep conversation when the red medic came charging in. "Knockout, what is the meaning of this?"
Knockout ran right past, heading for an important machine, one used of keeping a spark alive. "Ratchet, I need your help." He asked, plugging the box into place and opening it to look at the orb inside.
The spark faded irregularly, losing its glow temporarily in the process but as the machine began to work, it settled down and grew bright and stable again. Sighing with relief Knockout leant away. "That was close."
Ratchet just stared at the strange disembodied spark. "Where did you find it?"
"Under some rubble. I have no idea where it came from or how long it's been there but…"
Shockwave was also looking into the box. "The spark is very young. It cannot have been present for very long without a source of energy."
"Do you think it may be something to do with the revival of Cybertron?"
"Logical."
"Umm, hello!" Knockout quipped. "We have a natural spark here! Perhaps the first one in a few million years! We need to make it a body! Shockwave, you know how to do that right?"
The two stared at him, both feeling stupid for not realising what they had.
Shockwave snapped out of it first and began an analysis of the container and spark, listing his discoveries as he came across them.
The spark itself was very young, as well as it being a femme's spark, less than a cycle old but the container was from the last days of Cybertron.
Having extracted the needed data from the sparkling, Shockwave went to his trade of synthetically creating the proto-form, a slow and delicate process that Knockout kept well out of but Ratchet was fascinated by.
Medical mumbo-jumbo flooded from the two but all Knockout wanted to do was work out where that sparkling had come from and what would happen to it next. Part of him wanted to look after it, take it in as his own but he knew the first sparkling of their planet would lead a very glamorous life. Something he could not provide it with.
His attention turned to the pair. Ratchet would be a far more suitable creator than he ever could be.
After all, he had abandoned his adopted sparkling.
Suddenly the young spark glowed brighter than normal, making all in the room flinch in shock.
Jumping up, Knockout covered his optics to protect them from the light. "What's going on?!"
"I have no idea."
"It is… reacting to something."
"But what?"
"I can find no logical explanation for it."
After a few seconds, spark dimmed back to normality.
The group shared their confusion before Shockwave stepped over to examine it again. Even with only one eye, his confusion was clear. "It… it's grown."
"What?"
He ran the test again. "The spark is… older."
"Well naturally." Ratchet began, arms crossed. "As time passes, everything grows older."
"You do not understand me." Shockwave clarified. "The spark is now cycles older. Before it had the age of approximately a new-born while now, it has the age of a young proto-form."
The two fell silent before Knockout stood and stepped to their side. "Well then… I guess we should make it a body quickly." For some reason, he wasn't as excited about the news as the other two were.
Neither noticed. "I shall begin the procedure at once. Allons-y!"
~#~
News of the sparkling had spread very quickly and soon everyone came to see the developing proto-form as it grew in a cylindrical tube filled with a dark yellow liquid, the frame growing gradually over time inside it.
They were all amazed by its progress, watching it grow and mature before their optics. The spark appeared to have settled and was happily waiting for her body, ignorant of the fame it appeared to be collecting.
As news of the end of the war and renewal of their home spread, the many scattered cybertronians gradually began to come back, filling the planet with life and sparks, many of them spending their days starting to repair the damage years of war had caused.
It was a depressing time so a chance to see the new life was a brightness to everyone's day.
The only one who didn't come to see the new life was Soundwave. But then, he hadn't been seen by anyone since he had discovered the fate of his love.
Time was near impossible to tell on Cybertron but it felt painfully slow for all of the former 'cons, 'bots and even the neutrals who had never thought or cared for the war as they dipped in the lab irregularly to see the new form, only to be shooed out by one of the two scientists in charge of its development. Shockwave and Ratchet were very serious about their work but Knockout appeared to have lost interest in the sparkling.
Still, when Ratchet was in recharge and Shockwave was out seeing to other business, the red haired medic snuck into the lab and stood looking at the youngling. For some reason, it felt as if he should be there, near her. As if she'd called to him.
Impossible but looking at her now, he had to confess, it was a pretty little thing.
In human terms, it was about the age of a young child; ten years old at most with long hair that came almost down to her toes that had wrapped around like a blanket. It just floated in the middle of the tube, curled on itself, fast asleep, waiting. He'd heard at the site he was supervising that the body was almost the age of the spark and soon the two would be joined, giving a new life to the world.
Placing a hand on the glass, he smiled at it. "You sure are something special, aren't you sweet spark?"
The body twitched, a common sign in development, but to Knockout, it almost looked like the thing was nodding. He smiled and stepped closer, looking though the yellow embryotic liquid at its face.
For some reason, he felt saddened by it. He didn't know why, but it looked… familiar.
"Scrap."
He turned suddenly to see Ratchet stood behind him. "What?" He said dumbly, afraid he would be thrown out like anyone else caught near the form.
But the old medic just stepped over and looked at the youngling. "She looks like her, like your Scrap. A younger version I'll admit but still… it's her."
Frowning, Knockout looked back and saw the similarities. "Primus has a sick sense of humour."
"Perhaps." Ratchet replied in a deep tone, rubbing a hand back in his hair. "Or perhaps not."
"What you talking about?"
Looking away, Ratchet didn't answer, just went to get on with his work. "Tell me… what are you going to do when it is awakened?"
"Do?" Knockout grumbled. "This sparkling is far too important for someone like me to be involved in its life."
This time Ratchet said nothing as the sparkling in her tube suddenly began to kick and thrash, her face screwed up in pain while at the same time, the spark at its side began to glow brighter than normal.
"Ah! Not again!" Ratchet moaned, covering his optics with a hand from the bright light.
Just like before, the spark eventually went back to normality and the proto-form relaxed. Ratchet was soon running scans on both spark and body before grumbling. "Oh for frag's sake!"
"What is it?"
"It's grown again!" He moaned as if it was a minor inconvenience to his day to day life. "It's almost doubled in age again! Now we are gonna have to wait for the proto-form to catch up!"
Knockout looked at the body a little closer and wondered how much older it would have to be before the pair could be united. "Is there something wrong with it?" He asked. "Could the spark just… not want to be in a body?"
"Slag if I know." The older white haired medic mumbled. "There has been no record of anything like this happening before."
Biting his tongue, Knockout looked up at the form before deciding he'd had enough of this strange creature and left.
~#~
Finally it was ready.
The proto-form was the age of the spark, an almost fully grown cybertronian and the spark was ready. The body was placed on a medical berth while the spark was sat in a small container by its side, humming happily at the process. Knockout was there, stood towards the back while Shockwave and Ratchet were busy seeing to anything they might need to help complete the task at hand.
Knockout just huffed at the display. "So, which of us is going to look after her?"
"I believe it should be you." Ratchet nodded thoughtfully towards the red 'con. "Knockout."
"Me?" Knockout said, pointing to himself. "You can't be serious. You want me to take responsibility for her?"
Ratchet didn't meet his gaze, looking down as he stared at the femme. "I do not believe it is a coincidence that she looks like Scrap, Knockout. Nor that you were the one to find that spark."
Shockwave nodded as he completed his side as well. "And the times when it went through sudden growths, you were present."
"Pure chance!"
"Illogical. The possibility of this happening by chance is minuscule. The only logical reasoning is that an external force has been influencing events."
Ratchet quirked a brow, hearing Shockwave defend an external presence with logic but then turned his attention back to Knockout. "We are both in agreement, Knockout. You should be this sparkling's Creator."
Stumped at the possibility, the mech looked at the frame as it lay there on the table, dressed in a long white gown while her hair hung over the side of the table. A memory filled his mind of Scrap's first Christmas with him and the way she had looked in that beautiful silver angel costume.
He could no longer deny that this proto-form was identical to Scrap in almost every way, pardon one major one; this was a cybertronian.
Was it cruelty to give him such a chance or an act of kindness?
Letting out a deep breath, he stepped over to her, looking down on her peaceful resting face. There were the odd differences between her and his memories. Things like her eyes; they all knew that her eyes were blue, not green and her skin looked even paler than before but until the spark was united with it, it would.
His fingers reached out and brushed some hair off her forehead. "Alright." He decided. "I'll take care of her."
The others paused, as if giving him a chance to take his offer back but he didn't, gazing happily at the proto-form. Sensing they were no longer of use, the pair slowly turned and left the room to observe from behind a window.
Staying by her side, Knockout let out a deep breath before nodding and looking at the spark. "You ready little one?"
The spark didn't change, just stood by his side, waiting for its body.
Knockout felt his own spark tremble a little in fear; he was a trained medic but bringing something to life was a skill he had never done before. "Now or never." He decided and looked at the body. Shockwave had already made the incision, opening up the chest and the spark chamber. All he had to do was get the spark inside, seal it and give the form an infusion of his own energon.
In theory.
None of them had done this before. None of them had any idea on what to do.
They did know that all of them had energon of another inside them, of their creators so that was clearly part of the process.
The spark was easily, quickly and steadily placed inside the chamber and sealed up, the actions simple and well-rehearsed to Knockout and he soon had the chest closed up with an invisible scar.
Stepping back, he looked over it, waiting for something.
But nothing happened.
The machines registered that the spark was stable and energon was flowing around the body making it grow a little darker in colour but there was no sign of 'life'.
Looking up to the window, Knockout shrugged. "What now?"
"Try giving her the infusion." Ratchet guessed from behind the glass. "Into the major chronic artery."
With a nod, Knockout picked up a small syringe from the side and pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to the elbow. The needle went in easily and soon filled with a bright glowing energon, Knockout staring at it for a moment before taking it to the proto-form and injecting it into her.
He stood, waiting, watching the machines and the body for any signs.
Shrugging he turned to look at the mirror. "What now?"
The body lurched upright, eyes wide and taking a huge sudden intake of breath before taking several faster shorter ones and leaning forwards, her hands coming up to cover her forehead, giving a loud sudden groan of pain.
Knockout frowned as he ran over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Easy, easy!"
The sparkling groaned under her grip, pushing slightly away from him before it stopped and she leant back, lifting her head to look up at him.
The medic had always known her optics were blue but seeing them was… strangely disturbing. Her face was just like hers but her eyes were wrong. He was so used to seeing them as green, it depressed him.
Her eyes stared at him for a moment, wide and childlike before suddenly breaking away and cowering slightly, hand covering her head again. "Ahhhh!" She screamed. "What's… happening to me… Knockout?"
Knockout staggered back away from the table, hardly hearing the others come running in. "What?"
While Shockwave checked the machines, Ratchet stood on the other side to Knockout, reaching out to hold her arms and steady her. "Easy now, young one."
Still holding her head, the femme screamed again and began to shake all over, trembling and curling up on herself on the table. "It hurts!" She managed after a moment. "Knockout! Help me!" Her voice was filled with pain as she screamed once more.
The red haired medic had backed away but now he hurried over and glared at Ratchet, pushing him roughly off the sparkling and wrapping her in his arms. "It's alright, I'm here. Shush now, it's alright."
The new born shuddered for a moment but at least her screaming had stopped and gradually, as Knockout's hands stroked the back of her hair, she settled and sighed into him. "I feel funny." She mumbled, childlike and slow.
"It's alright, you'll get used to it." He kept brushing her hair back and rocking her back and forth before pushing her away a little to see if anything would happen and brushed her hair off her face. "How do you feel now?"
"Like I've been drinking energon again." She said with a little chuckle, rubbing her optic with the palm of her hand.
As off handed as the femme had said it, it caught the three in shock. Ratchet hurried around the table to her side. "Why do you say that?"
Rubbing the other optic now, the femme sighed. "Long story Ratchet."
Instantly the old medic stiffened. "How do you know my name?"
"What are you talking about?" She said, lowering her hand and looking at him.
Instantly all of them stepped back in shock.
The femme smiled. "It's me." She blinked her now dark glistening green optics. "Scrap."
Next Week: Some bonds can't be broken
A/N: Now a few of you will know what this means. And if you don't, lets just say, I set a loophole a few chapters back.
But Primus, only two chapters left. I can't beleive it. The story is... it's almost over. A whole year of publishing a chapter every week.
It's not over yet...
