Static
Chapter Two
The Sparkling refused to relax around the other Autobots, eat, drink or even recharge. Optimus made several attempts to calm the wailing Sparkling as did Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl and Jazz but they only managed to quieten her to a whimper.
"Prime you really should get some recharge, the Sparkling is running you ragged," said Ratchet gently, "besides, you're almost out of energy."
"I know Ratchet," replied Optimus, "but she won't calm down ever since the others surrounded her and tried to hold her. She's still scared to be put down."
"Trust me Prime, you were a bigger pain in the aft than her but Ironhide and I managed you. So this Sparkling is NOTHING, behaviour-wise, compared to you when you were a Sparkling." Ratchet pointed out.
Prime sighed. He knew he wanted to put the mewling Sparkling down but another part of him wanted to look after her more. It was strange; he'd just 'adopted' a Sparkling, that was unknown to him that could be a Decepticon's child. And yet, he felt a connection to the being – 'like a brother' he thought – and, in a way he could not understand, they both had similarities between each other: the mask, the Energon-coloured optics and the strange 'antennae' on the side of the head. Not to mention the way she cuddled up to the tallest, largest and most strict Autobot in the Ark so easily and without fuss.
"It is strange" Optimus murmured as he retreated to his quarters with the Sparkling, still whimpering in his arms.
A few kliks later, Ratchet also sighed. He knew as well as Ironhide and Optimus that Optimus couldn't cope with the amount of stress building up. It was obvious that soon, Optimus Prime was going to give in to the stress and that that would only lead to him being unfit to control the ranks of Autobots that relied and depended upon him as a leader. It also meant that the Ark was open to any attack launched by the Decepticons and that if Prime gave in to the stress, it would be a battle that everyone knew they could never win.
Yet another problem was that at this point, the Autobots hadn't given her a name, they just called her 'the Sparkling'. This was proving to be problematic. Most of the time, she didn't respond so it then involved the use of having to disrupt her from playing, leading on to her crying and then a whole heap of mess came from that.
'Honestly,' Ratchet thought to himself, 'this blasted Sparkling is running us ALL ragged never mind just one!We better find a name for her or at least a relative that may be online!' and with that the grumpy CMO retreated to his quarters too, only to receive a night of cries emitting from their leader's room