When reading this, keep an open mind. The girl is highly intelligent, even as a baby. She is the reincarnation of one of the thirteen, making her smarter than the average child, even with a neuro-developmental disability (she is autistic). There will be chapters in her point of view. This is done on purpose.
EDITED TO DESCRIBE THE HOUSE BETTER!
"Normal Talk"
"Bee's Talk"
"Bee's Talk Holoform"
"Other Side Over the Phone (Comms)"
'Thoughts'
~Bond communication~
~Telepathic communication~
Finding An Angel
Third POV
Inside the brown and white trailer, a man and woman are talking on the couch while the wife checks through her purse for account information. The living room is cluttered, and a TV is playing lowly for the black Lab lying on the floor. A blue Elmo-themed playpen is off to the side with baby toys inside. The kitchen is clean enough, with the mother's breakfast dishes in the sink and a few other things lying around the countertop. The pantry door is open, and inside canned goods, boxes of cereal, and other dry ingredients are sitting on the shelves, while a bag of cheap dog food is sitting on the floor. The table, set off to the side, is clear save an abandoned jar of baby food, and a red and gray high chair is sitting beside the table.
On the other end of the trailer, is the master bedroom. The room has the same wallpaper as the rest of the house, and is otherwise decorated plainly.
To the right is the only bathroom. The light is off, and you can see from a nightlight that the room is empty, save
In the room next door, a baby girl, about six months, is sleeping fitfully in a red crib, on light blue Elmo print sheets, with a red Elmo blanket draped over her. An Elmo doll is laying on the floor by the crib. The walls in this room are light blue, with a darker blue Elmo patterned border and his face on the sliding door. To the left is a picture from Sesame Street. On the red-framed window, there are red Elmo print curtains. On the right, there is a closet, painted red, with a large Elmo sticker stuck to the doors in the center.
The woman leaves for a moment to get the baby, and simply plops her into the playpen before leaving for work. The baby is only wearing a diaper, and it's late October. The house doesn't have a working heater. Bruises are visible over the child's arms, legs, and chest, and she's thinner than she should be.
The man looks over to the baby. 'Mom thinks too much of her. She needs to be disposed of, but I can't leave any sign that I was the one to do this.' The man "changes" the baby girl—simply removing her diaper—and wraps a thin brown blanket around her, believing that no one will notice her in the tall grass. He then carries her out and lays her beside the trash bins, deep within the tall grass around them, so that no one can find her until it's too late.
RATCHET'S POV
I'm driving through a small town near the Great Lakes, on patrol. I hate being forced to leave my medical bay for patrol. I've got a youngling I need to take care of. He's only ten vorns, but I've been his guardian since he was five, right after he and Prowl's siblings were found in Praxus. Bumblebee, thankfully, won't remember too much about the attacks once he's matured, but I don't think I'll ever forget. We'd found his creators for a few joor, when he was nine, but they went off-line sparking his younger brother. He took the sparkling mech somewhere, and we haven't seen him since. I've been on Bumblebee to call me Carrier since we were sure he'd been orphaned.
I hear a faint cry—like the sound of a sparkling, only… Different, somehow. I pull onto the side of the road and find a small, human sparkling lying in a pile of grass. I run my scanner over her. She's not very old, from my scans. Her body temperature is low, so I transform quickly and pick her up before transforming again. With the small human sparkling now safely in my passenger seat, I turn up the heat and take off down the road. As a half-Praxian mech, I'm more protective than a normal carrier, and the sparkling needs someone now. "Optimus, I need a ground bridge."
"One moment."
"Quickly, Optimus." I sigh. "And contact Agent Fowler."
"What happened?"
"I found an abandoned human sparkling. She needs protection. I would prefer if a human would take her in, but since no one has at this time…"
"I will have Agent Fowler meet you."
"Thank you." The small femme whimpers slightly before snuggling into my seat. "Just rest, Little One. You're safe now."
Jasper, Nevada, Base, Ratchet's POV
I transform and hold the small femme in one hand as Agent Fowler approaches. "Ratchet."
I lower the femme to the platform. "I found her on the side of the road beside some human garbage."
When Agent Fowler takes her out of my hand, my spark reaches out for the small innocent sparkling. It's all I can do to keep myself from reaching over to take her back. I turn away when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Optimus?"
"Agent Fowler will not hurt the sparkling, Ratchet."
"I—I know he won't!" I turn my attention back to the sparkling. Agent Fowler has removed the thin blanket, revealing the small femme entirely and causing her to cry from the chill of the room. Within seconds, I notice the bruises on her delicate frame.
Agent Fowler scowls.
"Special Agent Fowler? What is the problem?"
"Who in their right mind abandons a six-month-old by the road—and in just a blanket!"
"I—beg your pardon?"
"Whoever she was born to, they didn't even care enough to put a diaper on her."
Optimus and I share a confused look.
"If you plan to keep her here, you'll figure out what I mean fast."
I nod before searching the internet for the information I need. "It is the height of negligence."
"And abuse." Agent Fowler points to one of the several bruises. "No parent in their right mind would do this to a child."
I growl before taking the femme from Agent Fowler, being overly gentle even in my angered state.
Agent Fowler looks up to Optimus in surprise. "What the devil just happened?"
Optimus turns to me before sighing. "Ratchet is very protective of sparklings, I suspect because he is a Carrier."
"He's what?"
"Femmes as well as some Mechs can carry sparklings. Mechs are separated between Carriers and Sires."
"So how many of you bots can do that?"
Optimus sighs before turning to me. "Ratchet?"
I sigh before turning back to the two. "What?"
"I asked how many of you bots can carry."
I scowl, not really wanting to have this conversation right now—not with an injured human sparkling needing my attention. "Arcee is a femme, therefore obviously able to carry. Bumblebee and Optimus are carriers as well, though Bumblebee is far too young yet to even think of carrying." I sigh. "Now if you don't mind, I have a femmeling to look after."
medbay
I sit at my desk before looking down at the small femme. "I can't believe anyone would do this to you, Little One." She looks up at me curiously. "Hey, Sweetspark. I'm just looking you over." She whimpers, her lower lip trembling. "What's wrong?"
"She's probably hungry."
I turn at the voice to see Agent Fowler. "Well, what do I do about it?"
"I can get you a few supplies, but it may take a while."
"I am not sure the sparkling can wait." I look at the small femme before returning my gaze to Agent Fowler. "Be quick. I'm going to examine her while we wait."
He turns to leave. "Take some pictures. I'll need them to prosecute."
I watch Agent Fowler leave only for Optimus to join us. "Have you chosen a name for the femme?"
"I still have not been able to tell if she has a designation. I am sure she would prefer I call her that." I sigh heavily. "Besides, I'm still not sure I'm the best choice. She would be far better off with you as her father."
"Ratchet." Optimus lays a hand on my shoulder. "You need to believe in yourself. You remember what Agent Fowler said last week."
"Children are resilient. It's just like our kind."
Optimus nods. "She is your daughter now. You need to give her a designation before the rest of the team returns from patrol."
I sigh. "Mariposa."
"Mariposa?"
"It means butterfly in one of this planet's languages."
Optimus smiles slightly, one that doesn't reach his optics. I'm used to this anymore. We lost so much in the war. Maybe the sparkling will change that, in time. "It seems fitting." He sighs. "But what about a human designation?"
I sigh. "I don't know… I was thinking about calling her Mari for short…"
We both jump when she starts crying. She's louder than Bumblebee was as a sparkling! "By the All Spark." I sigh before looking down at the sparkling worriedly.
"She will be all right, Ratchet."
"I know." I sigh. "Deep down, I know, but…she is so much smaller than us, Optimus. How in the All Spark am I supposed to care for her?"
"You will find a way."
Medical bay, Ratchet's pov
"RATCHET!"
Optimus and I turn to Agent Fowler. "Agent Fowler. You brought the supplies?"
"A few. My wife is going through some of Stephanie's old clothes to see if we have anything she can use. I have yet to apprise General Bryce of the current situation." He looks at the femme lying on my desk from the platforms before starting to mix whatever food he has brought for her. "Have you chosen a name for her?"
"I have chosen a Cybertronian designation, but human designations are not as simple. However, I have chosen to call her Mari as a nickname…"
Agent Fowler looks back down at the femme. "How's about Maribeth, or Marianne?"
I look down at my new human daughter. "Marianne…"
"Marianne…Rachel…"
"That is fine, Agent Fowler. Marianne Rachel." I raise an eyebrow ridge when I see him holding something. "What is that for?"
"Give her to me, and I'll show you."
I nod and hand the sparkling to him. He quickly starts to feed her with the contraption he's holding. I watch in awe as she drinks, all the while looking up at Agent Fowler with fear in her eyes. The second she's finished, she starts to cry again, her cries increasing in intensity as Agent Fowler changes and "dresses" her in blue full-body "pajamas" with an Autobot logo print, and trimmed in pink. Quickly realizing that Agent Fowler is the catalyst, I reach a hand over to take my very small daughter.
He groans. "Not again."
I sigh. "Agent Fowler, you are frightening her."
Medical bay—Ratchet's pov—an hour later
"Finally, we have peace and quiet." The small femme twitters softly, as if answering me. I smile. "All right, I need to get your medical exam started so I will hopefully be finished before the others return." I run my scanners over her before sitting at my desk to review the data that had flown past my optics too fast for me to read. 'All of her system readings are normalizing…good. She's…' I check the human length and weight charts. 'About the right size of a six month old infant…though on the low end. Only twelve pounds.' I stop to check developmental readings. 'She's behind on her "milestones", as they call human developmental stages, but that is to be expected with everything we've learned about her already.' I glance down at the now-recharging child. 'And apparently afraid of Agent Fowler… Odd…'
main room, Ratchet's pov
I hear the ground bridge open and pick up the still-recharging sparkling carefully before joining Optimus in the main room. The sound of the four of them all talking at once causes Mariposa to wake up. I tense up, worried that she will start to cry, but relax once she starts looking around, her tiny eyes bright with curiosity. I have to hold back a smile when she uses my thumb to sit up in my hand. Her small hands maintain their death-grip on me as she glances around her new home. Once the rest of the team settle down, I walk over to the small group.
"Autobots—"
"Ep, ep, ep. I've got this, Optimus." I lower my hand carefully, being careful to keep it flat, and my fingers curled up, so the femme cannot fall.
Arcee gasps lightly as Bumblebee moves around to where he can see Mariposa the best. "A human sparkling…" She leans closer to her. "Hi, Little One. I'm Arcee."
Mariposa tilts her head to the side before smiling. "Cee-Cee-Cee!"
I am no longer able to hold back the smile. 'Her parents obviously didn't take care of her, but someone did.'
"Ratchet?"
"I had believed that the abuse and neglect caused her to be delayed developmentally, but it seems my assumptions may be incorrect."
Mariposa looks up at me and grins. "Ra-Ra-Ra!"
I smile down at her before turning to the rest of the group. "She was abandoned. Agent Fowler has agreed to let us raise her. Her designation is Mariposa."
Arcee looks up to me. "Can I…hold her?"
"As long as you are careful." I watch closely as Arcee takes her out of my hand and holds her close to her spark. Bumblebee follows her closely, his eyes showing his excitement at a child on base younger than himself. I can't blame him, though.
Mariposa looks skeptical for a moment, then chooses to cuddle into Arcee's plating. "You're such a sweetheart, aren't you?"
Bulkhead crouches to Arcee's height. "I'm Bulkhead."
Mariposa looks at him curiously, but makes no move toward him.
Cliffjumper steps over as Bumblebee moves yet again. Why can't ten-vorn-old mechs ever stay put? "I'm Cliffjumper, and that curious yellow guy is Bumblebee."
Mariposa waves shyly.
Mariposa suddenly looks like she's about to cry. Arcee looks down at her. "What's wrong, Little One?" Arcee makes a face as Mariposa suddenly purges on her chest plates. Arcee hands her back with a sigh. "I'm going to go wash whatever that was off."
Mariposa looks up at me apologetically, then turns to watch Arcee leave with the same look, as if begging her to come back. "It's all right, Sweetspark." I then hand her to Optimus, causing her to give me a confused look. I smile at her gently. "I have to get something, that's all."
Optimus POV
I glance down at the femme sitting in my hand. She had purged on Arcee, which in turn sent Ratchet after a cleaning cloth in the medical bay. She looks up at me quizzically, as if studying me.
She lays a tiny hand on my chest plates and looks up at me. "Op-Op-Op?"
"Yes, Little One." I smile down at her. It feels oddly satisfying to be holding her, and my spark, as well as the matrix, is reacting to her life force. 'Could this human femme be the Star Healer we have been searching for? The femme equivalent of a prime?'
Ratchet's pov
I return with a cloth in hand to find Mariposa and Optimus staring at each other, both equally fascinated with the other. I notice that the others have scattered. "Optimus?"
He turns to me before handing Mariposa back to me. I gently wipe her off before turning to Optimus. "What was so interesting about the femme?"
"The matrix reacts to her."
I blink in shock.
Ratchet's POV, midnight
I lay the recharging femme in a portable crib Agent Fowler had brought us and set up on the platform. "Why would the matrix react to a human femme…unless…" I run back over the results of the scan I had done earlier, not wanting to wake Mariposa with another scan. "By the All Spark. The Star Healer… A human femme… It can't be possible." I glance over to the little one. "And yet…"
I sigh before turning to a project I had started once everyone returned to their berth rooms. I need to strengthen the solidity of our holograms. If we're going to raise this human child properly, we need to be able to interact with her on a human level. I glance over at the sparkling one more time before turning my full attention to my project. My daughter needs me.
