A few days later …
Sparkplug continued to walk Spike to the shuttle landing area. He looked up after Spike finished telling him about the afternoon with Carly. He hadn't told anyone about their encounter until now. Her note neatly stowed in his glove compartment.
"Son, why didn't you say something to her? She visited your grave, don't you think that she deserved to know - "
Spike shook his head, cutting his dad off.
"No, that's why I didn't say anything." He looked down at his dad as they continued to walk toward the shuttle.
"She looked…like she had 'closure.' She looked content."
He continued, his voice growing more pained.
"And the guy she was with. She looked…like I said, content. But more than content…" He sighed. "She looked happy. Like genuinely happy. I hadn't seen her that happy in months when we were falling out."
Spike stopped and continued to look at his father. His head bowed.
"Everyone in the world thinks I'm dead. We had the funeral. I don't want people to think this was a cheap publicity stunt."
He sighed.
"Plus, it's true, right? I mean, I DID die. I'm buried in that cemetery."
Sparkplug shook his head.
"No, son. You're HERE. You're right in front of me. You're exact the same young man you were before - "
Spike shook his head.
"But I'm not dad."
He sighed.
"When I come back from military training, Optimus and Jazz thought Earth will just know me as 'Spike' - like I was built by the Autobots as sort of a 'tribute' to me. I'll be an Autobot called 'Spike.'"
Sparkplug folded his arms and frowned.
Spike rested his finger on Sparkplug's shoulder.
"Humans have got to know how dangerous the Decepticons are, and how critical it is the Autobots defeat them. If they think that humans can effortlessly be 'transferred into…"
He gestured to himself.
"This…"
He shook his head.
"The certificate is signed, I'm in the cemetery, people know that I'm gone. Except you. It's better this way."
Sparkplug looked up and nodded.
"Fine son, I understand. But I can't face my brother and his wife and lie to him. They're grieving."
Spike relented.
"Fine, but please, no one else. And tell them why I want it this way."
Sparkplug rested his hand on Spike's arm.
"I understand son."
Spike continued to walk with his dad. He began to realize how much he'd miss talking to him. Right now, the only other human who knew what actually happened to him.
"Dad, I'm scared. I don't want to be trained to be in the infantry. I know it's stupid - you were in the army, there's no reason why I shou - "
Sparkplug cut his son off.
"Son, I'd be worried if you were excited to be doing this. The fact that you're scared shows you know very well what you're getting yourself into."
He looked up at his son.
"You're NOT going to be sent into battle. You're just being trained for the basics to keep you alive and safe. Then, when you come back, you'll be working with First Aid and Ratchet. They'll train you to be a medic." He gave a flinty grin. "And I'm sure I still have a few things to teach you about cars, son."
Spike nodded. Not wanting to look his father in the eyes.
Sparkplug squeezed his son's mechanical arm.
"Son, look at me."
Spike's optics turned to his fathers eyes.
"Optimus Prime knows what you've been through. He just wants you to be prepared. And you NEED to be prepared. Not only for you, but for me, and Earth. Remember, you're a full-fledged Autobot now. You follow what your instructors say to the 'T' - and you'll be just fine."
Spike nodded.
"Yessir."
Spike and Sparkplug walked to the shuttle pad entrance where Jetfire was currently being fueled. Hoist and Grapple were loading supplies to take to Cybertron. If the law of averages panned out, Spike thought it'd be about a five day trip to Cybertron with Jetfire's interstellar speed.
Hound spotted Spike and ran toward him, carrying an electronic tablet.
"Heyah, Spike!"
Spike turned around, wondering what Hound was carrying. Hound grinned and displayed the new tablet proudly to Spike.
"Wheeljack thought you'd need this before you left! Don't worry, it's not going to blow up - at least, I'm 98 percent sure it's not."
Spike looked at the smooth, glass tablet, then looked at Hound.
"What is it?"
Hound tapped the tablet, which displayed an array of icons. One looked like a book. One looked like a music note.
"He thought you may get bored on the trip, so he loaded some of your books on this." He showed Spike, tapping a few times.
"Let's see - Vonnegut, Neil Gaiman, Hunter S. Thompson, Ralph Ellison…"
Spike looked on in wonder, then he pressed the music button. Somehow, Wheeljack managed to load all of his tapes and CDs onto this device. Spike shook his head, "I don't know what to say - thank you!"
Hound waved a hand.
"Don't mention it. No matter what form you are, we still need you to teach us about human stuff, right?"
Spike nodded slowly, looking at the ramp. Hoist was loading the last crate to Cybertron. The was only one item left to go.
Spike bowed his head slightly.
"Hound… " He looked at the ramp.
Hound patted Spike's shoulder and lowered his voice.
"I was just as scared and nervous as you were going to training."
Hound gave a slow, assured nod.
"I am not saying this to make you feel better. I know you're going to do great. And when you come back, I assure you, you're going to be the same person as you are in there - "
Hound pointed to Spike's chest.
"I hated war going into training. I hated war when I came out. But when I came out, I knew I was far more able to defend myself, and more importantly, my friends and those who couldn't defend themselves. Like you and Sparkplug when we first met you two"
Spike turned to Sparkplug and gave a sad smile. Sparkplug walked toward his son and gave him a hug. But now, he could only put his arms around Spike's chest or 'hood' area. It wasn't the same. But the fact that he had this chance again was more than he could ever ask for.
"I'll see you on your break in three months son. You be careful. And know you're still every bit my son."
Spike hugged his dad carefully and then looked as Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee walked toward him. Spike straightened his posture and looked at the three and raised a hand.
"Ready to go, Spike?" Jetfire emitted from his speakers.
Spike looked back at Jetfire.
"Yeah Jets, let's go."
Spike took his new tablet and gave one last look to his friends and his father before the ramp closed. Spike took his seat and looked out. Optimus, Bumblebee, Hound, Wheeljack, and his father were still waving when Jetfire's engines roared to live and he began to hover.
Sparkplug looked at the jet that was carrying his son to another world. A tear rolled down his eye, but he didn't react, hoping the Autobots would imagine this would just be a result of some desert dust hitting his face. Optimus Prime knelt and rested a finger on Sparkplug's shoulder.
"We failed your son once, Sparkplug. I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure we don't fail him again."
Sparkplug looked up and gave Optimus an appreciative nod.
"Thanks, Optimus. I appreciate your intentions."
As Sparkplug watched Jetfire disappear into the atmosphere and into space, he sighed.
"But no matter what you do, you can't protect him from everything. All you can do is what you're doing now."