Wow. Just... wow. Sorry, I am just completely blown away that my new story already has reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. My first story, A Cybertronian Reality, STILL doesn't have a single review, and it's been up since April (which I'm ok with since I'm cancelling it).
Well, here are some replies to said reviews. (STILL blown away)
By the way, after this chapter, I'll only reply to four reviews in author's notes at the beginning of each chapter.
AlphaTrion3145: I'm glad you think my story is fascinating. It gets even better along the way, so stay tuned.
Allspark Princess: Here's a new update. Hope you enjoy my story :)
Skyress98: Technically, this is chapter one, since the first one was a Prologue. Hee, hee. Anyway, love your profile pick and name. I absolutely loved Bakugan, though I never played or collected it. Enjoy the story.
Lady Arwen Prime: I'd really love to update daily for you guys, but I can't. My parents run a daycare/preschool from our house, and my sister and I have to help during the summer. Plus, we only have one computer and an iPad, and there's also summer homework :p So, I'll do my best to update weekly. Love that you love my story. Enjoy!
Foresthunter: I certainly will continue this. Thanks for thinking my story has potential, I'm really excited about this one. I'll do my best not to disappoint. Enjoy the new chapter :)
Legend:
"Normal English Speech"
Thoughts
"Bumblebee Speech/Cybertronian"
Edited, but not severely. Only serious change is at the very end of this chapter. The rest is just rewording and grammar stuff.
Chapter One
I woke up to hear a strange beeping sound. I've watched enough TV and movies to know that's a warning sound. Part of me was worried about what was wrong with... wherever I was. Another part just wanted to beeping to stop so I could go back into power-down.
Wait... power-down? Don't I mean sleep? And where the hell am I, anyway?
I looked around at my surroundings. I was in some sort of metal... pod, I guess? There was a red light above me, blinking in synchronization to the annoying beeping. I noticed that I felt... sort of weightless, like when you're in free fall.
I was still sleepy, so I brought my hands up to rub my eyes. That's when I noticed that my hands... weren't hands anymore. They were made of metal. I still had five fingers, but now they were more like... claws?
That's when I remembered my encounter with Primus.
So... I guess I'm a sparkling now, huh? I thought to myself. And, if the claws are any indication, I'm totally a seeker! Awesome! Guess I'm falling back down to Earth in a cybertronian pod, like in those fanfictions I've read. Man, I hope the Autobots find me, and not the friggin Decepticons.
I wonder if my pod looks anything like Smokescreen's? I wonder if I come with a paint job and armor or if I'm just a silver protoform? I wonder how long until I can scan a vechicle mode so I can fly? I wonder how big I am as a cybertronian baby? Like, am I closer to Raf's size or a human baby? Oooh, I'm going to learn so much about how cybertronians really are! Yay!
No, that isn't my inner child... er... sparkling taking over my brain... er... processor. I'm just like this.
After what seemed like for-freakin-ever, my pod landed on Earth's surface. Well... more like crashed, if the two straight minutes of bumpiness were anything to go by. Fortunately, I seemed to be strapped in pretty well, so I didn't have to suffer any pain inflicted by the bumpy landing.
Then I had to wait for another... I would assume twenty minutes - without a clock, I suck at measuring lengths of time as they happen - before I started hearing heavy footsteps and familiar voices outside my pod. Cybertronians must have serious hearing capabilities, because the voices didn't sound muffled or anything.
"Proceed with caution, Autobots. We do not yet know what could be inside that pod, and there is no indication of whether it is of Autobot or Decepticon origin." That was Optimus, for sure.
"If it's a 'Con, we'll blow 'em sky high." Bulkhead.
"I hope it's an ally, we could really use the extra fire power." Arcee.
"Well, let's open it and see!" Bumblebee. Huh, guess I can understand him now that I'm cybertronian, too.
A second later, the pod was ripped open, and I was blinded by daylight. Another second later, my optics adjusted, and I was staring into the face of Optimus Prime.
His optics were filled with shock. "It... it is a sparkling."
"A what?" came the incredulous shout from everyone present.
The leader of the Autobots picked me up - the restraints had retracted as soon as the pod was opened - and cradled me in the nook of his ridiculously large arm. It was really comfortable there. His spark felt warm through his chassis armor. He then turned around, and I was able to look around at the rest of the Autobots. Smokescreen not included.
Too bad. I mentally sighed. I liked Smokescreen. Well, maybe he'll show up later?
"Primus..." Arcee said in an awed tone.
"I... I-I haven't even seen a sparkling since before the war..." Bulkhead said in an equally awed tone.
"Aww! It's so cute! Can we keep it?" Bumblebee cooed, coming closer to gaze at my apparent cuteness. He sounded like he was around Jack's age, maybe a little older.
"We certainly cannot leave her for the Decepticons, and since we Autobots are the only others on this planet capable of caring for this little one, keep her we must." Optimus replied.
"What makes you think it's a femme, Optimus?" Arcee arched an optic ridge.
The mech in question looked down upon me, and I looked up to him. "I am unsure, Arcee. I simply... sense it."
He continued to stare at me. "Are you a femme, little one?" he asked me. I nodded and cooed baby gibberish at him.
"Aww! Let's take her back to base and show the kids! Raf is going to freak!" Bumblebee exclaimed as he playfully poked his digits at me, which I eagerly grabbed and tried to suck on. I may be capable of thinking at a teenage girl's level, but I could already feel my infantile instincts achieving dominance in my processor.
"Miko probably will, too." Bulkhead chuckled.
Arcee hummed as she surveyed our surroundings cautiously. "We should get the sparkling to safety before the 'Cons show up."
Optimus nodded his agreement, and placed a digit from his free servo to his audio receptor to activate his comm. link. "Ratchet? We need a groundbridge. We will be bringing a new addition back to base." he said.
I was getting hungry, and some part of me - which I will now call my inner child - was curious as to how my new fingers... er... digits would taste. So, I put the middle and index digit of my left servo into my mouth and began sucking. My mom told me I used to do this when I was a human baby rather than sucking my thumb.
That's when the swirling green, blue, purple, and white portal opened before us.
It's so pretty... I thought, staring in awe at the beautiful colors.
"Bulkhead? Bumblebee? You will bring the pod into the base." Optimus ordered the two mechs.
"Sure thing." Bulkhead replied and headed for the pod.
"You got it." Bumblebee replied as he went to help Bulkhead.
Arcee entered the groundbridge first, Optimus and I following close behind.
It felt like every part of me was vibrating as we went through. Then I remembered how a groundbridge works. Well, my theory, anyway. The thing sends out some sort of frequency that scatters one's particles and atoms and stuff. Then it sends the atoms and particles to the intended destination through another dimension in which only unbound particles, atoms and other things of that nature can exist. Finally, it reassembles the atoms back into whoever or whatever was traveling through the bridge at the intended destination. And it all happens instantaneously.
I figured I was probably missing some details, but maybe when I'm older I can ask Ratchet about it.
We entered the base, and I still felt like every little part of me was vibrating. It felt kind of nice, though, so I didn't alert Optimus of any discomfort.
The base looked exactly like it did in the CGI show. Ratchet stood at the groundbridge control, his back to us. I looked in the direction of the recreational platform the kids would hang out on. To my delight, all three were there. To my slight discomfort, they were all staring at me, scrutinizing me.
Miko was the first to speak, surprise, surprise. "What are you holding? Is that a baby? Do you guys even have babies? Was it in the pod you guys detected? Where are Bulk and Bee?" the Japanese girl fired question after question after question at Optimus.
While others might have been overwhelmed by the number of questions and the girl's energy, Optimus kept his composure. "This, Miko, is a sparkling. It is the cybertronian equivalent of a human infant. She was indeed in the interstellar travel pod we detected. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are currently retrieving the pod and transporting it back to base." he replied, answering all of her questions.
At the word 'sparkling,' Ratchet finally turned around and stared at me with wide optics. "By the Allspark. It truly is a sparkling." he said in an awed tone. I had always liked Ratchet, even if he was a little grumpy on the show. I decided I wanted him to hold me, so I raised my hands towards him and made the 'uppie' gesture.
"It would seem she wishes for you to hold her, old friend." Optimus observed, a smile in his tone.
Ratchet stiffened. I understood. As with the rest of the 'bots, it had probably been awhile since he had even seen a sparkling. Unfortunately, my inner child was hurt by his apparent reluctance. Why wouldn't he wanna hold me? Does he already not like me? The little voice whined in a panicked tone. I tried to quiet the voice down, but my inner child was getting stronger, it seemed. I actually whined, and man, did I sound just pitiful. Ratchet quickly came forward, took me into his arms, and started to bounce a little, trying to console me.
The bouncing soothed my inner child quite effectively, and I regained control over myself. That's when I remembered I was hungry. It wasn't unbearable, but I was curious to find out what energon tasted like.
Apparently, Ratchet and Optimus had been talking. I must have tuned them out.
"-don't have the resources to care for her and the rest of the team, Optimus. Besides, who would care for her? You all need to be out on the field, and I am far to busy for such a time consuming responsibility." Ratchet was saying.
"I realize it will not be easy, old friend, but we cannot simply abandon her. The only others on this planet capable of caring for a sparkling are the Decepticons, and you know we cannot hand her over to them."
Whoa, whoa, wait. Ratchet doesn't want to keep me? Why?
Both my inner teenaged girl and child were hurt by this, but I made sure they didn't see my hurt. I needed to be smart about this. What to do... Ooh, I know!
I started making little clicks and whirs and chirps - which I guess was the cybertronian form of baby gibberish - bringing their attention to me, and rubbing my abdominal area.
Optimus spoke. "She requires energon."
Ratchet hummed his agreement, and the two of them took me to the Med-Bay. Once there, Ratchet handed me back to Optimus so the medic could prepare some energon for me, and I was met by the soothing warmth of Optimus's spark. Huh. Why didn't I feel this warmth when Ratchet held me? My inner teenager hoped it meant what I thought it meant.
When Ratchet returned several minutes later, he was carrying a crudely fashioned baby bottle. I didn't know what it used to be, and I didn't care. I was hungry. Optimus handed me back to the medic, and he started feeding me.
The energon tasted really sweet. It was delicious! I sucked on the bottle greedily, it was just so good. Sadly, though, it was gone all to soon.
"Well, someone was hungry." Ratchet commented, smiling down at me.
I smiled back at him, feeling nice and full. That lasted for all of three seconds, then I started feeling queasy. I made my discomfort known to the mechs by squirming in Ratchet's hold, rubbing my stomach, and making little chirps and whirs.
Ratchet hummed knowingly. "I had a feeling. This is why you should not drink your energon so quickly, little one." he scolded lightly, laughter in his tone. He then shifted me so that I was sitting upright and I was looking over his right shoulder plate, and he started patting the area between my wings lightly.
The hell is he doing? I thought. Then I felt some air leave my stomach - tanks? - and a small sound escaped my mouth. Did I just burp? Cybertronians can burp? Though I was slightly baffled by this discovery, the pure relief in my tanks overshadowed it.
"There we go. Feeling better now?" Ratchet asked me as he shifted me around so he was cradling me in his arms again. I sighed chirped my content, nodding at him. That seemed to shock him a little.
"What? But, you're only a few orns old, at most. You should not be able to understand what I say to you, much less respond accordingly." he said, dumfounded.
"She is special, Ratchet. Just look at her armor." Optimus said.
He obliged and held me under my arms in front of him so he could get a good look at me. I looked down at myself, as well.
I was a shadowy blue with little streaks of different colors all over. It reminded me of a night sky covered in colorful shooting stars. I looked behind me to see a pair of wings painted a blue a few shades lighter than the rest of me. I wiggled them - which is a really weird feeling, I have to say - and they seemed to be iridescent as they would shift to purple at certain positions.
Oooh, I can't wait to scan a plane so I can finally see what it's like to fly. Flying had always been a dream of mine when I was human. I've never even been on an airplane, so I when I got into Transformers, I started to long to become a seeker like Starscream and Dreadwing. But, you know, not as evil.
Ratchet hummed as he scrutinized me. "I must say, that is quite the paint job for a sparkling, and her optics are sapphire. But, I sense that isn't the only reason you think she is special."
"You are correct, old friend." Optimus confirmed. "The Matrix is... reacting to her, for lack of a more effective way to explain it."
Ratchet hummed at this information. "If the Matrix of Leadership is reacting to her, then there is no doubt that she is either special, important, or both." he mused. "But, putting that aside, she appears to be a Seeker."
"A Seeker? Like Starscream?" asked a small, male voice from behind us. I was shifted around, yet again, as Ratchet turned to face the voice. Now I was nestled in the crook of his right arm... er... servo. I swear, I'm going to get these terms straight if it's the last thing I do!
The voice belonged to Raf, who was standing with the other two kids and their guardians.
"Yes. Most of the seekers joined the Decepticon ranks when the war broke out on Cybertron." Ratchet explained.
"So her parents are probably Decepticons?" Jack asked worriedly.
"It is difficult to say. The only way to find out who her parents are, or were, would be for someone to bond with her." Ratchet replied.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"Isn't that like marriage for you guys?" Miko asked.
"Between lovers, yes. But, between a sparkling and an adult, the adult would become the sparkling's creator; its parent, if you will." Ratchet explained.
"Ok, so how will bonding with her tell you if her parents were 'Cons or not?" Jack asked.
"With certain bonds, such as this one, the memories of each party are transferred to each other." Ratchet explained further.
"Oh..." all three kids said in understanding.
Miko spoke up. "So, who's gonna be her new Daddy... or Mommy?" she turned her head back to look up at Arcee.
Optimus answered her. "I believe it best to let the sparkling choose for herself."
I was now sitting in the middle of the main hanger. The Autobots stood in a circle around me with about four yards of distance between me and each of them. The kids watched from their recreational platform, each leaning on the railing.
Optimus had explained to everyone that I would be able sense which 'bot would be best suited to care for me. Now they were waiting to see who I would crawl over to.
I looked at each Autobot, and my optics finally settled on Ratchet. He was a medic and he'd always seemed like the fatherly type to me. Besides, he could use a little more light in his life, and what could be better than a sparkling to call his own? So, I began crawling towards him.
"She's going for Ratch." Miko shouted from the platform.
"Ep, ep, ep! She might change direction." Ratchet said, waving his hand behind him to silence Miko. I looked up at him. Does he not wanna be my Dad? my inner child whimpered, a little hurt. My inner teenaged girl argued he didn't know what he wanted, and with newfound determination, I resumed my trek to the medic's pedes.
When I finally reached my destination, I sat by his left pede and began patting it as I chirped expectantly at the medic. Ratchet sighed... er... cycled his vents - Eh, that's a mouthful, so I'll just go with 'sighed' - and bent down to pick me up. "Alright, fine." he said, exasperation laced in his tone. But, though he tried to hide it, I could see the joy in his optics. I cooed at him, and he smiled despite himself.
He then tapped my chassis plates, and they opened up to reveal my spark. All I could really see of it was the glow it emitted, but it was still very pretty. Then his own chassis opened up, revealing his spark. It was so big and pretty. It looked like a fusion of neon blue fire and electricity, and yet, it also seemed to behave like a fluid. I bet scientists would refer to it as triple point. I was mesmerized, and felt compelled to touch it; to reach out for it. My spark did just that, and his reached out for mine.
Next thing I know, I'm watching my human life flash before my optics, and what I assumed to be Ratchet's. Him knowing about Transformers: Prime was a bad idea, so I shielded those memories as well as anything else Transformers related from him. A very fortunate perk of being the Allspark. It all only took a few seconds, and when it was over, I felt this comforting warmth in my spark. The warmth spread through my whole body, and I suddenly felt drained.
The last thing I heard before succumbing to the oblivion of sleep was, "By the Allspark... she is the Allspark!"
This story was inspired by the stories Tiny by inkdragon13, The Little One by sakiko of soleana, and Keep on the Sunny Side by Wizard God.
If you haven't read these stories, I strongly suggest you do. They are AWESOME.
See you guys next chapter ;)
Okay, so I got rid of Ratchet knowing about Transformers from our dimension. At this point, I feel it's more a plot hole than anything. Now I must work on the next chapter since it's mentioned there, too.