When the light from the flash died down, Tutorbot and Techhound weren't there anymore! Well, they WERE there, but they were MUCH different! They were now Autobots!
Tutorbot's body was generally the same, though it had grown and stretched to colossal and more complex lengths. He had more defined joints, and he now had separate hands with five separate fingers. An Autobot sigil was on his chest, and an arm cannon was now attached to his left arm. He kept his mortarboard cap, and still had the lights that were on the sides of his heads, but his original mouth-light was now his chin, and an LED face flashed on his monitor, his blue eyes hastily searching his new form.
Techhound, on the other hand, had a HUGE change. She kept a slightly dog-like appearance in her new robot form, which was colossal compared to her original puppy robot mode. Her metallic collar was now the neck-line of her new body. She had noticeable audio sensors that were exactly like her dog ears. Her tail was now a belt that wrapped around her body. Like Tutorbot, she had the Autobot sigil on her chest, and blue eyes, which she was focusing on her ears, that she was moving back and forth.
"W-what happened to them?" I asked, shocked.
"I-I thought all of the Allspark was brought back together!" Sari said, shocked as well. "How did a fragment escape it?"
"I don't know…" Wreck-Gar said, sounding guilty, but also sounding truthful. "I remember seeing this strange blue light, and then when I went to clean up any garbage, I must have sucked up a stray fragment…"
"Ya think this is fate?" Flareup asked.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Maybe the Allspark WANTED more Earth Transformers…" She suggested. "Since one fragment was broken, and because they were absorbed at the same time, Tutorbot and Techhound are now a new sibling team of Autobots."
"Maybe…" I thought for a little bit, and then went back on topic. "Tutorbot, let's get back to my studies so I can get them over with."
"…No…" He suddenly said, almost hesitating.
"What?" I said, not clearly understanding what he meant.
"I'm no longer just an Earth drone." He said, clenching his hands. "I am my own robot now. My XL-4 processor is primitive now. I am an Autobot, and heck, I'm gonna help stop Megatron!"
"So…does that mean school's out?" I asked, sounding a little eager.
"School's out for the summer. Heck, school's out forever!" Tutorbot said, paraphrasing a line from a song.
"SWEET!" I excitedly said, then turned to Techhound, who was oddly staring at Wreck-Gar.
"…Hi…" He finally broke the silence between the two of them.
"…Hi, yourself." She shyly said back, her cheeks turning an even deeper pink. Then it hit me:
"Hey, how is Techhound going to stay with me in my house now?"
"That…might be a problem…" Tracks admitted. "We wanted all of the Autobots to stay at the base…"
"Well, then that settles it." I said, pulling out my cell phone. "I'm just gonna have to live here."
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"Don't worry, Mr. Fanzone! I'll be entirely safe! You've got nothing to worry about. You can trust Tracks, Grandus, Flareup, Sari, Tutorbot, and Techhound to watch over me. Yes, I know how you feel about machines. It'll just be like my old home, except Sari doesn't have to keep coming over to check on me, and I'll be surrounded by friends all the time. Really? You mean it? Thank you! Thank you TONS! Okay. Okay. I'll hang up. I won't shout as loud next time. Okay. Bye."
I had just finished calling Mr. Fanzone to get clarification for living at the gym with the rest of the Autobots. It took a little motivation (and a little begging), but I was able to strike a deal. I got a ride back to my house (courtesy of Tracks, with the others following), and they helped bring everything back to the base that I'd need. I sat in Tracks' passenger seat, while he tried out his new hologram: a young man with red hair, blue tinted glasses, and a black soul patch.
Tutorbot and Techhound had to stay at the base (because it would be a little weird to see a super-computer and a quadruped all-terrain walker that looks like a giant dog at my house). While they waited, I loaded up the trunks of the others (and stocked up Wreck-Gar's empty seats. I'm not risking having anything mixed up in that endless backpack of his!). I was able to gain access to everyone's trunks. Well, everyone but Grandus. He's the only one that won't let me touch him, and the one that hasn't gotten over his fear of "organics". He insisted on opening up his own hatch doors, and that I just lay anything inside him. What a coward.
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"Amelia, could ya come over here for a nanoklik?"
We had finished setting up my new room in the base, and everyone was spending their own down time, so we'd be rested for tomorrow, where we'd meet up with three more of the Earth Transformers. I was about to teach Rattletrap about video games, when Flareup called me into the main room. I sat down next to her, and started to wonder.
"Yeah, Flareup? What is it?"
"Well, I know that yer mech creator is imprisoned," Flareup began. She must have meant my dad. "But, where's yer femme creator? Ya can't have a sparkling with just one."
Oh. She meant my mom. I didn't like thinking about that. But, I trusted Flareup. Swallowing the lump that was starting to form in my throat, I started to talk…
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"Six years ago, when I was only four, there was a big explosion in my old town. It used to be right by a nuclear power plant. My mom was an engineer there, and my dad was an English teacher at the high school. I wasn't even going to school yet. One day, the high school got let out early, and Dad picked me up from the daycare to meet up with Mom. I've been to the plant many times before, so I knew the layout some. I followed Dad to the area where Mom works: the main engine room. We were some of the few pedestrians that were allowed in the entire building. Everything was going fine when we got there, but suddenly the meter started to shift the red area, and sirens started blaring. It could only be one thing: a meltdown. Tons of people hurried out, and the others in the town evacuated the town. The three of us were the last to get out. We were almost completely out, when the inevitable happened: the engine finally exploded. My dad's left arm and my left leg were engulfed in nuclear energy. But my mom…my mom…"
I started to choke up, tears streaming down my face. I started to breathe heavily, but I was slightly able to see through my tear-blurred vision, and I could see that there were seven blurry figures, instead of the one that was originally listening to my story. The only one that wasn't there was Grandus. He must have not felt up to hearing my sob story. After I managed to (slightly) compose myself, I continued.
"Due to the quality of the town after the meltdown, we had to leave the city, and we moved to Detroit. Dad wasn't able to find a teaching job, so he became a stay at home single dad. In a few years time, the radiation started affecting us: our exposed limbs started to deplete, we could hardly use them. The fact that my dad didn't have enough money to get them to a hospital fixed didn't help either. So, one day, when he was at the bookstore, he noticed a book on mechanics. But, he couldn't afford it. So…so…he had to steal it! There was no author for the book, and the mechanics were very advanced, but he was somehow easily able to make our prosthetic limbs easily. For some reason, stealing that book must have given him a rush. He had a costume that he used to use when he taught his lesson about Robin Hood. Using the book to design some trick arrows, he became The Angry Archer. He disguised his voice by using the one he read his Shakespeare stories to his class in. First it was small crimes, but then it started to grow to the big leagues. He started robbing banks, attacking armored cars, and threatening the public with his arrows. When the police caught him for the first time, they interrogated about why he was doing this, and all he had to say was that 'He steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Namely, ourselves'. He was only doing this to try and give us enough money to get by. That was one of the last times I saw him. I now knew what it felt like to lose both parents. Sure, I got some babysitters, but they all ended up as villains as well, going to the same exact jail that my dad goes to, and escaping just as much, only to be captured again. Now, it feels like the only family I have are the various Transformers all around Detroit, but even then…"
I had to stop telling my story, because I couldn't stop crying. I tried, but the tears kept on coming.
"Um…why is her optics leaking?" Rattletrap asked.
"She's crying." Sari explained. "She's sad. Don't you get it; she doesn't have a family to call her own!"
"Well, we're here." Tracks said, kneeling down, and using a finger to gently wipe my tears off my face, and tilt my head up to him. "And we'll try to be the best family we can."
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That night, it was storming really badly. We had our rooms set up: Rattletrap and Tracks, Wreck-Gar and Tutorbot, Sari, Techhound, and Flareup. That left me with my own room, Grandus with his, and two extra rooms for the Constructicons and Dinobots. I was sound asleep. I liked the rain, it helps me fall asleep. My room was entirely empty from anyone else, aside from myself, and Bandit, my stuffed raccoon doll. I was completely asleep, until I heard a metallic clanking noise. It started quieter, but then it started to get louder, and the ground started to tremor. I turned on my lamp by my bed, and I noticed that Grandus was standing right by my bed, holding…something…
"Grandus?" I asked, rubbing my eye, and yawning. "W-what are you doing here? It's late."
"Um…well…I-I was just wondering if…I…" He started to say, when a clap of thunder erupted, shocking the giant 'bot, and making him duck down. I was able to get a better look at what he was carrying: it looked almost like a robotic stuffed animal.
"You're scared?" I asked. He nodded. "You want to sleep here tonight?"
"Y-you sure? I-I mean, I don't want to be a bother, but…" He stammered, but I held my hand up to get him to stop.
"It's okay. It's sorta been a little empty since Techhound's not in here."
Giving a small smile, he gently laid down on the floor, and rolled onto his side. I was about to turn off the light, when I remembered something that I wanted to ask him.
"Grandus, you're the only one that's still sort of afraid of me. Why is that? Everyone knows that I won't hurt them, but you're just not showing it."
I heard him inhale heavily, and shudder, and then he looked at me. Even though he couldn't really show it, his visor seemed to be turned down, almost into a sad look.
"I-if I tell you, you promise you won't tell anyone?" He asked. I nodded, and he began…
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"It was ten stellar cycles ago when it happened. I was still training in the Cyber-Ninja Corps. This was one of the last tests that I had to do before I could be recognized as a true member. I went to an organic planet with my training buddy. He was one of my best friends. I was training for sumo wrestling, and he was training in Circuit-Su. The planet was amazing! I had never seen anything like it. It was NOTHING like Cybertron. For the test, Yoketron, our master, had planted some helpless petrorabbits around the planet, and it was our job to find them. We had almost found all of them, when we noticed where the final one was: on the top of the highest cliff on the planet. We were so close to the top of the cliff, when the ground started to tremor. My leg treads kept me on the side of the cliff, but my friend's claws were too slick and pointed to cling on…and he fell. I could have reached out and saved him, but…for some reason…I just couldn't. I had enough of a reach to grab him…but something in my spark stopped me. I never forgave myself for letting my friend die like that. I was put in the ranks, but this badge of honor almost seemed worthless. Because it happened on an organic planet, I felt I could never trust anything organic ever again…"
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"Wow." I said, shocked at the story, as Grandus nodded. "That's terrible. But it was one planet. You shouldn't let the fear of that one control your life. Here. Just touch my hand. I'll show that I won't hurt you."
I could tell that Grandus was a little hesitant, but he carefully touched his finger onto my hand. It was warm, but it was shaking a little. The more he held it, the less it shook. When he finally released it, he viewed his finger. It was still in one piece, and I didn't release any "toxic slime" on it. Lowering his hand, he smiled at me. And not just a friendly smile, it was an "I trust you" smile. He let out a yawn, and then started to drift off to sleep. When he lied down, I turned off the light, and started to go back to sleep. After all, there were three robots that we needed to find tomorrow.