Hey everyone... I am so sorry for taking so long in posting this chapter. This past week has been so crazy it wasn't even funny and I so needed a break. But thank the powers I am well rested and more than ready to get back to writing my stories.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they really made me happy. This chapter is brought to you by District X who was kind enough to beta it for me.
Now on to the story.
"Please, please, please, please!"
The same word echoed over and over in Optimus's CPU. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh. He had been trying for the past hour to read the same data pad, which made him frustrated. He never took that long to read over one field report but with the constant interruption he was finding that getting any work done was going to be impossible.
He looked down at the floor where the source of his staled progress was standing. The small silver form of the sparkling looked like he was on the verge of crying, if Cybertronians could cry. His hands where gripping each other and he was holding them up to the Prime in a pleading fashion, his optics where rounded adding to the innocent look on his face.
Optimus sighed and reached down to pick up the sparkling. He sat him down on his desk and placed his arms on either side to make sure that he wouldn't fall off.
"Young one, why do you want this?" He asked.
"Because I want to see what it looks like outside of here." The sparkling said. "I always hear everyone talking about the things they see when they leave and I want to see them too."
Optimus sighed and sat back in his large chair. For days now the sparkling had been asking to be taken out side of the base so he could see more of the world. Optimus would have liked to let him do so but both he and Ironhide where to busy to take him out and there were few others that he would let his sparkling go out with. It was more for his own peace of mind than anything else.
"Little one..." Optimus began. "I would enjoy taking you out and showing you the world but there is far too much that needs doing around here right now. Maybe when Ironhide returns we can work something out."
"But Bee said that he would take me." The sparkling told Optimus.
Optimus raised an optic ridge at the statement.
"When did you ask Bumblebee to take you?" He asked.
The sparkling shuffled his feet and looked down at the ground.
"Yesterday, but he said he would only do it if I asked you first."
Optimus hummed to himself. He was glad that the young scout knew better then to just take the sparkling out without talking to him first. He looked down at the young Autobot in front of him and sighed.
"Alright little one, you can go out with Bumblebee. But only for a little while and you must make sure that no one sees you. The rest of the humans are not ready to know of our kind." Optimus told him.
The sparkling nodded excitedly and began to bounce up and down. Optimus smiled as he activated his comm. link and called Bumblebee to his office. It was about five minutes later that the scout showed up.
"Bumblebee would you be kind enough to take the little one out side of the base for a little while?" Optimus asked.
Bumblebee nodded his head and tried to hold back his excitement.
"I would be happy to sir." He said.
"Take him for a drive around Tranquility let him see what is there but make sure that he is not seen and that nothing happens to him." Optimus told him.
"Yes sir." Bumblebee said.
Bumblebee walked over to the desk and held his hand down for the sparkling to climb into. He did but didn't stop at just the hand; he continued to climb up Bumblebee's arm until he was sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder.
"Let's go Bee!" He said happily.
As Bumblebee walked out the door he got another message from Optimus.
::Maybe seeing the places he use to go will awaken some of Sam's memories.::Optimus sent him.
Bumblebee didn't answer, but he hoped that Optimus was right. He desperately wanted Sam back if not in his normal body then at least in his mind. He didn't know what he would do if Sam never came back to him.
"Hey Bee?" The sparkling said once they were on the surface.
"Yes little one?" Bumblebee asked.
There was a pause during which the sparkling looked a little unsure of himself.
"Can... can we drive fast?" He asked after a moment.
Bumblebee hid his excitement at the question, the same question Sam always asked him. Bumblebee looked around but didn't see anyone else, at least any of the other Autobots. He set the sparkling on the ground and nodded to him.
"Yes, we will drive fast." He told him.
Bumblebee started to transform as the sparkling began jumping up and down with joy. After a moment Bumblebee opened the driver's side door to let the sparkling in. As soon as he was inside Bumblebee tinted the windows so that no one could look inside and he headed off in the direction of the gate.
Once they were outside of the base and far enough away Bumblebee revved his engine and made sure that the sparkling had the seat belt on.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"Yeah!" The sparkling said excitedly.
Bumblebee slowly increased his speed as they got on the highway and the needle continued to climb as they went. After a while the few cars that were on the road looked like they were standing still. Bumblebee could feel the sparkling shaking from excitement and hated that it would have to end soon as they started to come closer and closer to their turn off.
The sparkling gave a whine when they started to slow down.
"Why are we slowing down?" He asked.
"Because it is too dangerous to go that fast this close to the town. Someone could get hurt." Bumblebee told him.
The sparkling pouted and folded his arms over his chest upset. His bad mood quickly left as they entered Tranquility and he started to see all the people and places that where there. He watched as the people went about their lives moving from place to place, he never stayed quiet for long. He was constantly asking Bumblebee questions such as; what is that place? What do they do in there? Where are they going?
Bumblebee kept his attention split, part of him watching what was going on around him and the other on any surfacing signs of Sam. So far there hadn't been anything that hinted that Sam was still in there that was until they drove past a very familiar auto shop.
"Bee wait stop!" The sparkling said as his optics fell on the garage with several custom built motorcycles in front of it.
"What is it little one?" Bumblebee asked.
The sparkling was quiet for a while as they sat on the curb in front of the shop.
"There is someone in there." The sparkling said quietly.
Bumblebee looked at the shop and he felt his spark pulse quickly. He tried to calm himself down and not get over excited, after all the sparkling could just be referring to the fact that there where people in the garage.
"Of course there is someone in their little one. There are people in all of the buildings here." Bumblebee said.
The sparkling shook his head and fixed his optics on the garage.
"No this is different, I know the person who is in there." He told Bumblebee.
The sparkling put one hand on his head as if he had a headache and he rested his forehead against the window.
"Can... can we go inside?" He asked.
Bumblebee didn't know how to answer. He wanted to take the sparkling inside in hopes that it would help him remember but he didn't know if he should. Unsure he decided to contact Optimus and see what he wanted him to do.
::Bumblebee to Optimus::
He didn't have to wait long for a reply, when it came Bumblebee could hear the small note of worry in the Prime's voice.
::Bumblebee! Is everything alright?::
::Yes and no sir. We are both fine but the sparkling wants to go inside the mechanic shop where Mikaela is.::
There was a moment's pause during which time Bumblebee thought that Optimus was thinking of what to say. When the line opened again however it wasn't Optimus's voice.
::Bumblebee, tell me exactly what happened.::
The voice belonged to Ratchet. Bumblebee took a moment to explain to both Ratchet and Optimus about the sparkling asking him to stop as they passed the garage and about how he claimed to know the person who was inside. When he was done there was silence from the two.
::Interesting... it seems as though seeing the auto shop has forced some lingering memories to come to the surface.::Ratchet said.
::Should I let him go in and see Mikaela?::Bumblebee asked.
::I don't think that is wise, at least not yet.::Optimus said. ::The meeting between them would be best done here at the base. I will talk with her and try and convince her to come to the base soon.::
::Try taking him to other places that where important to Sam, maybe some more will come to the surface.::Ratchet said.
Bumblebee agreed and turned off his comm. link.
"I am sorry little one, but Optimus does not want you going in there." Bumblebee told him.
"But..." The sparkling started to protest but Bumblebee cut him off.
"Optimus thinks that it is best for you to see her at the base where it is safe."
The sparkling let out a whine and fell back in the seat.
"Do not worry, Optimus said that he will try and get her to come soon." Bumblebee told him.
The sparkling nodded his head sadly and looked at the dash board. Bumblebee thought for a moment, he tried to come up with a list of Sam's favorite places. He didn't think that taking him to his parents' house was a good idea; there really was only one place that held any real importance to Sam. Bumblebee started his engine and pulled away from the curb.
"Where are we going?" The sparkling asked.
"Someplace very special." Bumblebee told him.
It took a little over half an hour for Bumblebee to make the trip up to the look out. The dirt road was just as uneven now as it was back when he first drove Sam and Mikaela there. He parked under the skinny tree and after a quick scan of the area he opened the door so the sparkling could get out.
Once he was clear Bumblebee transformed and looked down at the little spark. His optics where wide as he looked over the cliff and down on the city bellow. The sky was just starting to change colors as the sun started to sink beyond the horizon.
"What is this place?" The sparkling asked.
"It's called the outlook." Bumblebee told him. "I use to come here all the time with a very good friend of mine."
"It's amazing here." The sparkling said.
He held onto Bumblebee's leg as he looked over the area.
"Bee..." The sparkling said.
Bumblebee looked down at the sparkling and saw him holding his head again. He bent down so he could get a better look at the little one.
"Is there something bothering you?" He asked.
"There is something... inside." He said.
Bumblebee focused his optics.
"What? What is inside you?" He asked.
"I don't know, it feels like it wants to come out." He said. "It's talking to me."
"What is it saying?" Bumblebee asked.
"I... don't know, it's hard to understand." He said.
He shook his head and looked up at Bumblebee.
"Can we go home?" He asked.
Bumblebee nodded his head. "Yes, let's go home."
Bumblebee started to transform and opened the door for the sparkling. When they were all set Bumblebee took off down the dirt road. As they made their way onto the main road of Tranquility Bumblebee began to play some music that he use to play for Sam when he was upset. He hoped that it would help calm the sparkling down.
"Hey Bee..." The sparkling spoke up as they waited to turn onto the highway.
"Yes little one?" He asked.
"Do you think that I can have a name?" He asked.
Out of all the questions that he could have been asked that was the last one he thought the sparkling would ask him.
"Yes, of course you can have a name." Bumblebee told him. "Did you have one in mind?"
The sparkling nodded his head.
"The voice told me what it was." He said.
Bumblebee stalled for a moment causing the cars behind him to honk angrily.
"The voice told you your name?" He asked.
"Yeah it was one of the only things I was able to understand." He said.
"Alright, what is your name then?" Bumblebee asked.
"Sam." The sparkling told him. "My name is Sam."
Bumblebee was so overjoyed by what he had heard, he was sure beyond any doubt that Sam was alive in there and he was fighting to get out. The down side to Bumblebee's excitement was that he was so distracted now by the fact that sometime he would have Sam back that he failed to notice the black and white Mustang police car that had been following them since they turned onto the highway.
Will sighed as the large truck pulled to a stop. He ran his hand over his buzzed hair and laid his head back against the head rest. He knew that there was absolutely no way that this would go well. He looked out the window at the house he was parked in front of. The lawn looked like it had been mowed recently and raked in a fashion that left every single blade of grass standing straight up. There were also bright green bushes planted in even spaces along the front of the house along with beds of bright flowers.
The windows on the front of the house where wide open letting the curtains blow in and out with the breeze. Will could hear two dogs barking from inside and what sounded like some kind of sports game playing on a television hidden somewhere near the open window.
"This is not going to be easy." Will said.
There was no answer from the empty truck for a moment until the deep voice of Ironhide drifted from the speakers.
"Will you need assistance?" He asked. "I can contact one of the others to bring Epps if you like."
Will shook his head and sighed.
"No, I don't think that will help. You could bring the entire base here and it wouldn't make any difference. Not when the news is as bad as this." Will continued to look out the window for a moment.
He finally opened the door and stepped out looking at the front door like it was miles away. He closed the truck door and patted it while letting out another sigh.
"I just wish that we could have come up with something better than this." He said.
"As do I Will." Ironhide said.
Squaring his shoulders, Will walked up to the house keeping his face firm and once more going over the story that they had come up with. He made sure to not step on the grass hoping that it might lessen the blow that he was about to give the two inside. He reached the door a lot sooner then he wanted to and had to take a moment before raising his hand to knock.
Just when he was about to bang on the door it opened, a tall thin woman walked right into him almost knocking him off of the small porch. He was able to keep his balance and he reached out to grab the woman so she wouldn't fall over.
"Oh my!" She shouted as she was straightened.
She looked up and her face was contorted into a look of slight anger. The look left when she saw Will standing there and she instantly put a smile on her face.
"Oh Captain it's you..." She said. "I am sorry I wasn't looking where I was going. It has been such a busy day and I have a million things to do."
"It's alright ma'am." Will said.
"Oh please how many times do I have to tell you, call me Judy." She said.
Will nodded. He heard the sound of someone hurrying to the door and a moment later a slightly short and pudgy man was standing there.
"Judy is everything alright?" He asked slightly alarmed.
"Yes Ron everything is fine. I just ran into Captain Lennox here." She said moving so her husband could see him.
"Oh hello Captain." Ron said holding out his hand. "Are you here to tell us Sam will be back soon?"
Will shook the man's hand and had to keep his face from frowning.
"Hello Mr. Witwicky." Will said, staying formal. "I am here to talk about Sam but... would we be able to talk inside?"
Ron and Judy looked at each other for a moment; they could tell something was going on.
"Of course." Ron said stepping away so Will could come inside.
They two parents led Will into the living room where the television was showing a basketball game. Ron quickly turned it off and shooed the two dogs that where on the couch out of the room. Ron and Judy sat next to each other on the large couch and gestured for Will to have a seat in the single chair in front of it.
There was a moment where no one said anything and the tension was thick. Finally Will cleared his throat and moved so he was sitting on the edge of his chair.
"Mr. and Mrs. Witwicky... This isn't easy to say and I know it will be even harder for you to hear." He began.
Judy gripped Ron's hand tightly and sucked in a breath.
"Has something happened to Sam?" She asked worried.
"Was it the bad ones?" Ron asked not having to clarify what he meant by 'the bad ones.'
Will looked at the two parents and he could see the tears starting build in the mother's eyes. Her hand was on her chest covering her heart and her other one had a vice like grip on her husband's.
"I am afraid that... the base was attacked a few days ago. We had taken down our defenses so we could upgrade them and somehow the Decepticons found out about it. They waited until just after we disabled them before they attacked. The Autobots and the rest of our soldiers fought them and where able to drive them off. Unfortunately there were some... casualties." Will told them.
A gasp came from Judy and Ron gripped her hand tightly and held her close.
"Tell us Sam is alright! Tell us he wasn't there or that he was kept safe." Ron demanded.
"I am sorry Mr. Witwicky; I tried to get him to hide in the lower part of the base where he would be safe but as he was running..." Will paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "As he was running, Megatron showed up."
Judy sobbed and Ron nodded his head telling Will to keep going.
"He landed right in front of Sam, we all knew that Megatron had it out for Sam but we didn't think that he would..." Will trailed off.
"WHAT DID THAT BASTARD DO TO MY SON!?" Judy shouted.
"He fired at point blank with a plasma cannon." Will told them. "The explosion blew a hole in the ground where Sam had been standing."
Both Ron and Judy held each other tightly. Judy was crying her eyes out while Ron tried to be strong for his wife but Will could see the tears streaming down his face.
"I-is...th-there anything left?" Ron asked shaking.
Will shook his head.
"A blast from so close and from such a high range of power destroyed everything it hit. There was nothing left." Will finished.
The two fell into each other again and this time didn't look like they were going to come back out of it. Will stood up and placed an envelope on the coffee table that sat between the two seats.
"If you ever need anything... anything at all. Please give me a call." He told them.
He didn't know if the two had heard him he wouldn't blame them if they hadn't. He saluted the two before walking out of the living room and out the front door. When he stepped outside he could see several of the neighbors standing at their front doors looking to see what was going on. No doubt they had been called out by Judy's shouts.
Will saw several of the woman who where watching place their hands over their mouths at the sight of the army man coming from the Witwicky house. Will sighed and made his way back to Ironhide, the trucks door opened a second before Will got to it. He climbed inside and the engine started. Ironhide pulled away from the house making sure to keep quiet to give Will some peace.
Will was the one who broke the silence though.
"You know, it is one thing to tell a family that there child died when it is true." Will said. "It's something completely different to tell them when it is a downright lie."
Ironhide didn't say anything. After all what more was there to say?
There you have it. I am sorry to end it so sadly but not all endings can be happy ones. I hope that everyone liked this chapter, despite the last section I had fun writing it.
Please leave a review before you leave, it has been a while since I had a good reason to stroke my ego and I would really like to. ^_^ And no ego is not code for anything get you're minds out of the gutter... lol.
Until next time.