She really could not believe that the air vents here were big enough for her to fit in. Granted, not by much as it was a tight fit, but still. She had gotten the idea from Frenzy in the movie and figured if he could fit in it, regardless of the fact he was just a spindly little thing, she could as well.
She grumbled slightly as the army crawling she was doing pulled on her wounds uncomfortably. Not that anything could be done comfortably, especially since she should be resting. But she was determined.
She didn't know how long Jazz had, so she had to move fast. She probably wasted enough time cleaning up and getting her wounds checked out.
"Stop squirming, youngling! My repairs are going to take long if you don't stop!" She could hear the grouchy voice of Ratchet. Huh, how convenient. Fern hummed and began squirming her way towards the voices.
It took two wrong turns before she finally found the room the bots had put themselves in while they waited for the President's verdict. She contemplated just busting the vent open but figured she'd probably just startle them into shooting her, with the same problem being present in zapping in.
So she went the tried and true method. Knocking.
All of the Autobots froze before Ironhide turned and looked up at the vent she was in. She was a little impressed he was able to pinpoint exactly where the sound came from since it kind of reverberated.
"Hiya! The name is Fern!" She greeted with a shining smile.
The Autobot weapons specialist narrowed his optics at her, "If you're here to gape at us like some zoo animals, then I suggest you get lost before I show you my cannons." He snapped.
"Ironhide!" Optimus scolded.
"Ha! No, that is not why I am here. I have some things you might be interested in. Two things as a matter of fact. Could you open the vent?" Fern explained, tapping said grate.
Their optics dimmed for a moment before Ratchet stood up and his fingers seemed to split into mini-tools and he opened the grate, before moving back to Bumblebee and Optimus took his place. Likely because the medic had Energon on his hands. Servos.
Fern wiggled her way out and fell into the boss bots servo with a grunt before quickly turning back to the vent and pulling out her bag.
She grinned at Optimus and opened the flap to her bag and pulled out the now spherical Allspark. It kind of looked like one of those puzzle spheres that was missing half of its pieces.
Optimus intakes sharply, Ironhide cursed, and Bumblebee whirled. This caused Ratchet to turn to see what the commotion was about and he just stared at it.
"How?"
"Er. Both myself and Salem are technically escaped lab experiments of a lab I'm relatively sure was a rogue section of Sector Seven cause I overheard Simmons telling one of the soldiers that they didn't do human experiments." Fern shrugged a little, fiddling with the Sphere.
"Anyway, the lab had a shard in it, which I took when Salem and I escaped and blew the place up. Which is how I met Lennox's team.
That's getting off track, though. I discovered what the Allspark did, and then Sam told me what his plan was, I figured that maybe I could act as a sort of cable, I guess, for whatever power remained could funnel itself through me and into the shard and maybe save the Allspark?" She smiled at them awkwardly.
"Why did you not tell the humans?" Optimus asked.
Fern turned to him with a mischievous grin, "Well, I figured that if they don't know you have it, they can't try and take it." She held out the Sphere for him, which he did. It resized to fit his hand.
"Why can't we sense it?" Ratchet asked.
Fern shrugged, "Maybe cause it knows that I am pretty sensitive to it?"
"Sensitive-? You said you had two things for us. I'm assuming the Allspark was one. What is the other?" Ironhide was the one to ask.
She grinned at them and pulled out the Jacket that Jazz's spark still resided in, before peeling it back.
The Autobots gave it a wide optic look. "Is that?" Optimus breathed.
"The Allspark is your life-giver, right? So I figured that maybe it could also prolong it? If that makes sense. Before I retrieved his heart -?- he told me that it could live outside of the body for two breems. I don't know how long that is but I asked if he'd be willing to risk it and he agreed. I don't know if the Allspark would prolong his heart forever, so I had to get it here as soon as I could." She said, looking at them with unsure eyes as she brought the spark back to her chest.
"It seems your theory was corrected. Two breems is about 18 Earth minutes." Ratchet says, standing up from Bumblebee, giving the yellow bot a firm, "Take it easy." Before making his way over to her.
"May I?" He asked, holding out his servo. Fern hesitated briefly, feeling oddly protective of the soul before handing it over.
Ratchet gave her an understanding smile, before pulling back the folds of the jacket to examine the spark. Before he turned to her, "Do you know what exactly was done to you?"
"Not exactly. I have the hard drives though. I haven't had a chance to go through them though." She replied, patting her bag.
"May I see them? I wish to check something." Ratchet asked. She shrugged and pulled them out.
"I don't know which one holds what information." She told him he nodded and lowered his unoccupied hand down and extended a cord which he then connected to one of the hard drives.
"You said there was another you escaped with?" Optimus asked.
"Yeah. A Maine Coon cat that was raised there. He has genius-level human intelligence done from the experiments. He's currently recovering though, cause he got in a fight with a mini-con while with the analyst. He's also looking after the Little Bot. Which I probably should have brought with me to be examined."
"Little Bot?"
"Yeah, Simmons was showing us what the Allspark did and the Little Bot was created. I left the little one behind with Salem."
Bumblebee let out an excited squeal and beeped at her, "~So I'm not the among the youngest alive?~"
Fern blinked at him in surprise. He hadn't used the radio and she understood what he said. Well, damn.
She decided to give the young bot a shrug. Because while it was a common theory in the fandom that Bumblebee had been among the last sparked, she didn't know if that was true. Though he just confirmed it.
"It was the Allspark that granted your cat's intelligence. And he seems to have somehow survived constant injections of Energon. It is rather odd, the Allspark granted sentience to a non-robotic organism. It is probably because of his constant exposure to the Allspark that granted him immunity. Though because of the injections, he'll need to drink some Energon occasionally or he may suffer through horrific withdrawals he might not survive. If I can get at least a scan, I can see if there was anything those scientists might have missed." Ratchet suddenly rambled off as he pulled the cord from that specific hard drive and connected it to another.
Fern guessed that one had Salem's information as she slipped it back into her bag, careful not to jostle the one Ratchet was connected to.
"How did you even end up in a lab? You said Salem was raised in it, but you didn't include yourself." Bumblebee asked.
"That's cause I wasn't. I just appeared in it. Don't know how though, just that I was in my home one moment and the next I was in a white hall with soldiers and scientists. Also, I'm from Thirteen years into the future. Not that I told them that. They'd probably try and pry what I knew out of me as they did more experiments." She shrugs.
"And you tell us?" Ironhide grunts.
Fern just points at Optimus, and Ironhide nods in understanding, "And Optimus wouldn't force you to tell us anything."
"I had my phone on me when it happened, but I destroyed it before they could get their hands on it." She adds before Ratchet suddenly withdrew his cord from the hard drive.
"Whatever caused you to appear left residue energy on you, combining that with a very small sliver of the Allspark they chipped off the original shard and Energon they injected into you, it gives you the ability to teleport. It is also extending your life tremendously. This also applies to the cat Salem. Your survival isn't dependent on the intake of Energon since your body hasn't become addicted to it, but drinking it will increase your durability, how many times you can teleport, and how long you can stay up without sleep." Ratchet tells her.
"Teleport? Oh yeah! You grabbed Sam and Mikaela and teleported away before Starscream's missile hit." Bumblebee chirped, looking at her with wide blue optics that made her heart melt a little.
She grinned a little at him, "Yeah, They seemed important so I grabbed them. Though now that I am thinking about it, I'm relatively certain I'm from a parallel universe or dimension or whatever."
"What do you mean?" Optimus was the one to question.
"I'm also relatively certain that there wasn't a Mission City back home. Or if there was, it was never attacked or a 'gas explosion' went off. Something like that would have made the news, especially if it was a 'big' incident." Fern explained. "Then again, I was born in 2001, so I was six at the time. And I don't have very many clear memories of my childhood. But I figured it would have at least been mentioned in history class." They didn't need to know that she knew what she said was a fact.
"Yes, I can see that." Ratchet nodded, "But I hadn't finished. With the Energon and sliver of the Allspark in you, it allowed you to bond with Jazz's spark. Not a sparkmate one, for he already has one, but it wasn't a Guardian one either. It is also likely you hold one with Salem, likely a host and symbiote one which is probably why despite being sentient and able to make his own decisions, he followed your orders to stay and watch the sparkling."
"Is the sliver why I am empathic to you guys?" Fern asked, tilting her head.
"Empathic?"
"Yeah. When the agents first showed the bucket head to us, I could feel his anger and hatred. I felt the Little Bots fear and confusion. And Bumblebee's and Jazz's pain."
"That is interesting. And likely is because of the Allspark. Could you fetch your cat and the 'Little Bot' and bring them here. I'd like to scan all three of you." Ratchet requested.
"Yeah, sure. Though it may take a bit. Lennox would have no doubt noticed me missing." Fern replied.
"Take all the time you need. You should be resting anyway, correct?" Ratchet rose a brow ridge at her and she grinned sheepishly.
"Fern! There you are!" Lennox called out as Fern dragged her feet into the chamber that was designated as the mess hall. "Yeah, sorry. I had to do something." She shrugged and made her way over to the Qatar Soldiers table and slid into it.
"Visiting Salem and the Little Bot?" Lennox asked knowingly.
"Yeah." And it wasn't even a lie, she had stopped by their designated room to make sure no one was bothering them. Particularly the Sector Seven scientist. Though she had also used the chance to clean off her uniform of any dust or cobwebs from crawling around in the vents.
"Come on. You are no doubt hungry. They've got pizza."
Fern grin, she hadn't had pizza since she got here. She missed the greasy goodness. Though she'd probably have to be careful with eating it, she wouldn't wish to upset her stomach and get sick.
Fern was surprised they let her in with the other 'heads.' She was technically a civilian after all. So here she was, sitting at a table with the U.S President on screen and sitting between Simmons and Optimus' holoform with Lennox on the other side of Simmons and The Secretary of Defense beside him and Maggie standing behind the Secretary.
"It has been decided that Sector Seven will be disbanded, and in its place a new group will rise with an alliance with your kind." The President announced.
"Of course in exchange for offering you sanctuary on Earth, we will require something in return. Especially if you being here attracts other species." The President continued. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was asking for.
So Fern spoke up before Optimus, "Excuse my interruption, but I have some suggestions if you are willing to hear me out."
Everyone turned to her and though the President looked a tad annoyed, he motioned her to continue.
"What about prosthetics? Or vehicles? I doubt humanity is ready for heavy duty weaponry, so that is out. But what about things that help defend? Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. And if you are willing to take some advice," She turned to Optimus, "Maybe talk with other countries and not just America. Though we are diverse, we still have some problems. Plus we are young. And maybe giving them land in international waters. Less likely to reveal them to the public before either are ready."
There was silence before Keller slowly nodded, "Yes, that seems to be a good idea. Is it possible, Mr. Prime?"
Optimus stared at Fern for another moment before nodding, "Yes. I am unsure about the prosthetics, but I can ask my CMO for his opinion. The defense is a good idea in place for weapons. Perhaps I can include medical advancements in that? We have come across other organic planets before."
Fern sighed and leaned back in her chair as the others began to hammer out details. It was decided that at the next UN meeting that the Autobots would reveal themselves and hopefully from there be given an island or bases scattered across the world.
Then after the confirmation about it being possible to do prosthetics, it was decided they would wait until they got permission to send a signal for any stray Autobots wondering the stars.
"Ms. Fern," The young woman turned from where she was dragging her nails through Salem's fur and Little Bot was tumbling around them to see an unfamiliar man with a lab coat.
She looked at the man in confusion before she noticed the Autobot symbol on his chest. "Oh, Ratchet. Hello. And just Fern is alright. I'm no 'Ms.'"
"Alright, then. Fern. Might I have a moment of your time? As well as Salems and the sparklings?" He requested. Though Fern could tell it was more of an order so she stood up, "Yeah, of course."
So the medic led them down through the halls to where his actual body was and his holoform disappeared in a flurry of blue sparks.
Fern almost gagged in surprise when she felt a weird tingle go through her, "Hey!"
He then proceeded to scan Salem who hissed and Little Bot who chittered.
Ratchet ignored them and looked at a screen Fern had just realized was on his wrist. "Hm. It seems I was right. You hold a host and symbiote bond with Salem and you developed a Creator's bond with the little Femme."
Fern raised a brow in surprise, "The Little Bot is female?" She was pretty sure Femme's were rare in the Cybertronian race.
Something Ratchet confirmed when he said, "Indeed. Which is rather surprising considering they are so rare."
"Well, at least it helps me choose a name for her." Fern hummed, looking at the Little Bot resting in her hand.
"So what kinda name do you want? A name like theirs, or a more human name? Or is there something you found you'd like to be called?" She asked her.
Little Bot chittered and turned around to show her back, which was the phone's screen, to her. A blue star appeared on it.
"Ah. Bluestar, then. That is a pretty name. Wonderful choice." She praised her while smoothing the little antennas on her helm.
"Indeed it is. You have been eating, right? And not that junk the other humans seem to be eating?" Ratchet agreed.
"After the first time with the pizza? I've been careful. I've mostly kept to salads and making my food when I can. I don't wanna risk getting sick again. It might take my body a while to adapt to that kind of food again anyway. How is Jazz coming along?" She wanted to know if everything was going well.
"It is going well. It wasn't actually all that bad. Though he ripped in half, it was rather clean so all I need to do is weld the pieces together." Ratchet explained, motioning to the still body behind him. "Plus an Energon transfusion, but thankfully Sector Seven has a decent supply of it. Even if they didn't exactly know what it was."
Fern breathed a sigh of relief. She honestly couldn't wait to meet him. He'd always been one of her favorite Autobots.
"That's good. I can't wait to officially meet him." She grinned lightly.
"I am sure he feels the same." Ratchet replied. "In any case, both Bluestar and Salem are healthy. Swing by later tonight for some Energon."
Fern nodded with another grin before moving her hand up to allow Bluestar to crawl onto her shoulder. She then turned around and began making her way back to the crew.
Sam and Mikaela, as well as Sam's family, were sent home after they had signed an NDA. Of course, Bee went with them, as Sam's Guardian. Ratchet wasn't happy with it, as Bee had only just finished healing. Lennox and the other soldiers even got to visit their families and assure them that they were alive.
They would be moving soon. To a different, decommissioned, base in Nevada. Apparently, the UN meeting went rather well, as a few days before they moved, Optimus and the rest of the current Autobots on Earth (Discounting Ratchet who stayed behind to work on Jazz.) went to a field to send out the message.
Fern wondered if her being here would change who arrived. Her thoughts drifted to Sideswipe with a frown. She hoped so. Suddenly a thought struck her and she had to prevent herself from facepalming at her slowness. Jazz had a sparkmate. She then grinned, she hoped it was Prowl.
She jerked a little when she felt Salem rub against her legs and she looked down at him. Bluestar was hanging onto his and Fern's grin melted into a soft smile. Gods, she loved these creatures. While she missed her old life and home to an extent, she wouldn't trade the here and now for the world.
She ran her hand through Salem's fur before rubbing her finger over Bluestar's head.
"Fern, are you ready?" She turned to see Lennox standing in the doorway of the room that had been given to her.
"Yeah. I didn't have much, to begin with. Just the stuff I managed to accumulate over the past month." Which, again, wasn't a lot. Though she was paid for her involvement in the Mission City battle, the Qatar fight, and she was reimbursed for the pain and suffering she dealt with under the rogue Sector Seven lab. Funnily enough, once it was proven he was sentient, Salem was also paid for his involvement in the Qatar incident, protecting the Secretary of Defense, and reimbursed for his suffering at the hands of Sector Seven. Fern was also granted an identity.
So all they had were several million dollars in their bank accounts, a few toys bought for Bluestar and clothing. Though Fern had bought a laptop. Bulky though it was, it gave her something to write on. She was kinda annoyed at the fact that she had to rewrite her book from the very beginning but, oh well.
Fern sighed heavily, lifting the box that contained her stuff into the trailer, before lifting Salem's and Bluestar's combined box next to it.
She blinked. Well, she'll be damned. It was the base from Transformers Prime. She wondered if this would be temporary before they moved to Diego Garcia. Maybe it would even have a team like in Prime. She doubted it would be like in the cannon with Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ratchet, but perhaps Bulkhead, Arcee, and Cliffjumper will still end up here.
The base was also a lot bigger than she thought it was. There was enough room for the bots to each have their own quarters while they were here, as well as a med-bay for Ratchet to continue Jazz's repairs, and barracks for the soldiers. At another suggestion of Fern's ex-Sector Seven Scientists and Soldiers were integrated into the newly named E.T.A. It was originally going to be N.E.S.T like it was in cannon until Fern pointed out the fact that she doubted all aliens were non-biological. Something the Autobots confirmed.
"Fern."
Fern looked up from where she was hunched over her laptop with Salem curled around Bluestar at her side napping, "Yes?"
"It's time. I figured you'd like to be there when we replaced his spark and brought him online." Ratchet continued.
Fern almost squealed as she slammed her laptop closed and shoved it into her bag, shooting to her feet afterward. This jostled Salem enough to wake both him and Bluestar, he meowed at her irritably. "Sorry Salem. Ratchet just gave me news of Jazz. Stay here and rest." Fern whispered to him. The feline deserved it, distracting the bit as he had, allowing her to get a few of her chapters written.
Ratchet held out a servo and Fern climbed on. She clenched her hands together to try and keep them from moving around in excitement. Her fingers still twitched, though.
They reached the med-bay soon enough, ratchet setting her down on a table on one side of the berth that Jazz laid on before he moved to the other side. With a jolt, Fern realized he was letting her watch.
He turned and pulled a metal cylinder to himself. "This is a sort of incubator. It keeps the spark away from sight while keeping it alive when the Allspark is not near." He explained.
It was silent as she removed the glowing spark from the cylinder before he carefully placed the spark in Jazz's open chassis. She couldn't exactly see what was happening. But she did not care as emotions that didn't come from her empathy for them bloomed inside her chest. She gasped audibly, grabbing at her chest. It was kinda like what she had with Salem and Bluestar.
She looked back up (she hadn't realized she had looked down at her chest) to meet the now glowing blue visor of a once deceased mech.
"Hello, darling." He greeted with a static-y voice, a smirk on his lips.
Fern felt relief wash over her, tears coming to eyes, and falling over without her permission. It felt as if a part of herself had finally returned. Before it had been muffled, but now the bond flared to life.
Fern gave the silver mech a shaky grin, "Hi."
I feel this chapter was all over the damn place. Oh well, I hope you dearies enjoy it.