Author's Note: I apologize profusely for the delayed update. I suffered from and extended period of writer's block and self doubt, and I was scared to continue writing this. Many thanks go to Dreamchylde, NTLDR, and my buds on DevArt for encouraging me to press on!

I've decided to post updates on how my story is coming along on my deviant art page. I was going to use my livejournal for that, but I decided that I'd rather keep that personal. So feel free to check out my DavArt page for fanfic related news. You'll find the link in my profile.

Disclaimer: I do not own trasnformers. Only Crystal belongs to me.

Chapter 5 – A Restless Night

The dull red glow from the night time corridor lights washed over Crystal's weary features as she led the way to the human living quarters with two tired teenagers in tow. The halls on this level of the Ark were quiet save for the soft footsteps of the three humans who continued to walk on in exhausted silence. When they reached the end of the main corridor the doctor motioned for them to follow her into a short hallway that led off to the right. After walking a few more paces she turned to face them and smiled. "Here we are."

While the soldiers' quarters were located one deck below the medbay, Sam, Mikaela, and Crystal's quarters were located just down the hall on the same level, so that the three of them had a short corridor to themselves. Though these two areas had been remodeled for human occupants, Ratchet did not like the idea of being unable to get to them if there were ever an emergency and so the doors and ceilings had been left high enough to accommodate a crouching mech. Crystal's room had been built adjacent to the medbay with a door leading directly into her office, in addition to the door leading out into the main hallway, to reduce her response time in case of an emergency.

Sam and Mikaela were suddenly much more awake. Their eyes brightened and they grinned at each other, absolutely giddy that the Autobots had set aside a section of rooms for just the three of them. The doctor gave them their individual room codes and smiled as the two of them punched the numbers into the keypads and explored their new living spaces with the same level of excitement as a couple of kids on Christmas morning. Sam plopped his bags on the floor and ran towards his bed, leaping onto it and jumping around wildly. Mikaela also set her bags down and began to explore her quarters, though in a more subdued manner than her newly acquired significant other. She circled the room slowly, running her fingers across various pieces of furniture as she passed by. Her eyes brightened and she smiled when she noticed the flowers that had been placed on her nightstand. "Who…?"

Crystal grinned as the girl walked over and picked up the rather large card that was lying next to the fragrant arrangement. Bumblebee had wanted to welcome his humans by leaving a little something in each of their rooms. He had asked Crystal what would be an appropriate gift for a human female and had been fascinated to learn that they loved fragrant and colorful organic plants.

Mikaela laughed as she read the card. Sam wandered out of his room to lean on her doorframe, struck curious by the doctor's knowing smile and Mikaela's soft laughter. "Who's that from?"

"Bumblebee." She was still staring at the card, grinning broadly.

"What does it say, Mikaela?" Crystal was curious. She hadn't seen the message the yellow 'bot had left in the card. Mikaela giggled and held it up for both her and Sam to see.

Thanks for saving my aft. Welcome to the Ark.

-Bee

Crystal laughed. It was too adorable. Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yea, sure, she gets flowers and a cute card. Look what he left for me!" He held up another large card. With an irritated flick of the wrist, he snapped the card open for them to read.

I helped you get the girl. You owe me.

-Bee

Crystal and Mikaela both began to laugh. Sam let out a heavy sigh and shook his head before chuckling. "That smartass."

Several moments passed before their tired fit of laughter subsided and the three humans stood in an awkward silence in the middle of the hallway. Crystal sighed and gave the teens a soft smile. "You guys should get some rest." Sam nodded and Mikaela yawned before they bid her goodnight and disappeared into their respective rooms.

Crystal exhaled heavily as her door closed behind her, and she leaned against it. She lifted a hand and gently rubbed at her chest where the energy flare had hit her, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. The incident had left her completely shaken but she had successfully repressed her shock until she could be alone to think. Tears began to sting her eyes, but she blinked them back and took a deep breath. Slowly, she pushed herself away from the door and made her way into her washroom. She gasped and lightly smacked her forehead when she looked in the mirror to see the top part of her blouse was still undone. Her hair was a frazzled mess as well. She'd walked out of Ratchet's office like that. No wonder Sam and Mikaela had looked at her funny. She sighed and leaned in closer to the mirror, holding her blouse open to get a better look at where she'd been hit. There wasn't even so much as a bruise. What bothered her the most was how puzzled Ratchet had seemed. If such an experienced Cybertronian medic didn't know why the incident had happened, or what could happen to her because of it, then she could be in serious danger.

The young woman let out another deep sigh to steady her nerves before turning on the faucet with a wave of her fingers. She bent down and repeatedly splashed her face, allowing the cool water to wash away the anxiety. If there were going to be any negative effects from the energy flare, worrying would not do a thing to prevent them. Besides, she trusted Ratchet. She knew he wouldn't rest until he'd gotten to the bottom of this strange event. She stood and grabbed a nearby hand towel, slowly dabbing the water off her skin. She paused and frowned, the towel still held up to her cheek, as she realized the thought that had just passed through her mind. Somehow she knew he wouldn't give up.

Though this was only her first week working with the CMO, she was beginning to feel closer to him than any of the other 'bots on the base. The others joked and told horror stories about the medic's gruff demeanor, but she was not put off by it in the least.

Her mind wandered back to the thoughts she had been entertaining earlier that evening in her office. She had been thinking about the strange connection she felt between herself and the Autobots, especially the medic, when she had caught herself admiring him. She had dismissed the thoughts at the time, attributing them simply to her exhaustion. But she knew the feelings were much too real to be the rantings of a tired mind. She found him attractive. It didn't make an ounce of sense, but she couldn't deny it. As troubling as it was that she found him physically attractive, she also couldn't ignore the way she felt around him. Whenever he was near her, she was overcome by an incredible feeling of warmth and security. It was almost as if his very aura wound itself around her, searching her, soothing her, calling to her. Calling… She frowned. It just didn't make any sense.

She put the towel down and turned off the lights before slowly exiting the washroom and making her way to her bedroom, where she changed into her night clothes and sank down gratefully onto her bed. Once she had gotten situated comfortably under her covers, she lay still, staring up at the ceiling. Her hand absentmindedly reached up and lightly touched the spot just underneath her chin where the medic had placed his large, but gentle fingers. She would never forget the way it felt when he had tilted her head up, meeting her eyes with his brilliant blue optics.

"Ahhhhh…" She groaned and covered her face with her hands. What the hell is going on?


The silence in the darkened medbay was broken only by the steady hum and quiet beeping of various pieces of medical equipment. The only white light that was present came from the thin bar that shone from beneath the door to Ratchet's office. Inside, three mechs listened intently as the CMO related to them the troubling events of that evening.

Optimus Prime shifted his weight to lean back against the wall, his optic ridges furrowed at the medic. "Do you have any theories as to why this might have happened, Ratchet?"

The CMO shook his head slowly. "I've never come across anything like this in all my years as a medic. Of course, I've never seen a human and an Allspark fragment together before either." He picked up the Allspark shard and held it up to his optics, turning it in his fingers. "My first thought was that maybe the shard was destabilized. But I've been running scans on this thing all night and the only difference I can find between the fragment and the whole is the level of energy contained within each. The fragment contains less energy than the whole Allspark did, which is to be expected."

He set the fragment down and then leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chassis. "What puzzles me the most is that various humans have had contact with the Allspark since it was discovered here, seemingly with no adverse effects." He frowned. "Sam carried it in close contact with his body for several minutes and it doesn't appear to have done anything to him." The medic tapped a thoughtful finger on his chin. "I'll get both kids in here tomorrow and run the same scans I ran on Crystal."

His optics flicked up and he looked between Wheeljack and Perceptor. "I'll need your help getting to the bottom of this."

Wheel jack, who had been sitting on Ratchet's workbench, pushed himself to his feet with an enthusiastic nod. "You got it, Ratch."

Perceptor nodded slowly, his optics focused on the floor as he stroked his chin. Ratchet could tell that the metaphorical gears in the scientist's sharp CPU were already turning.

The medic nodded, pleased. "Good. We'll start on it tomorrow. The quicker we find out just what happened the better. I'm going to be keeping a close optic on the doctor until we know for sure she's not going to suffer any side effects." He returned his gaze to the Autobot commander who winced as he pushed his upper body away from the wall. Ratchet was willing to bet one of his welds had just opened up.

However, there was no pain evident in the commander's voice as he spoke. "Her superiors will have to be informed of what has happened. Secretary Keller will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. I will tell him then."

Ratchet shook his head. "I think Crystal would rather tell him herself, Prime. If she doesn't feel comfortable explaining it to him, I'll do it."

The commander nodded. It was better if the explanation came from the medic himself, even if an answer had yet to be found. "Very well, Ratchet." He opened the door and stood to the side to allow Perceptor and Wheeljack to exit the medic's office. As he began to fall in behind them, a red hand shot out and took hold of his upper arm.

"Not so fast, Prime."

He turned and cast a weary look at his CMO.

"Don't give me that look. I'm not letting you walk out of here until I check that weld." No one but Ratchet could have used that tone of voice with Autobot leader and gotten away with it. He trusted the medic completely and if Ratchet said there was a problem, then he wasn't going to question him. Optimus nodded and allowed his CMO to pull him back over to the examination table.


Crystal's forehead was laced with tiny beads of glistening perspiration. Her breath was shallow and her heart pounded loudly within her chest. Both of her hands clutched at her mattress as she tossed and turned, twisting her sheets around her legs. Her blanket and pillow had been cast to the floor several moments ago when the nightmare had begun…

She could not see anything, but the sounds that surrounded her made her feel an odd mixture of comfort and fear as her body was clutched tightly by a much larger being. The being was quite heavy and moving very swiftly, judging by the sounds of its heavy footfalls and the way her body was jostled by each of its steps. The being grunted as several large objects made loud thumps and scrapes against its body. The sound of howling wind frightened her and she found herself wanting to get as close to this being's warm body as possible. As if sensing her fear, the being hugged her closer to itself, but did not show any sign of slowing down.

The emotions stirring within her felt incredibly strange, almost as if they were not completely her own. There was a sense of comfort from the familiar and gentle humming that filled her ears, but that feeling of calm was slowly being overtaken by a much stronger feeling of anxiety that seemed to wind its way around her very soul. Her whole body began to tremble and the feeling of worry only intensified.

The being's pace finally began to slow down, until it was standing completely still. A strange, loud whining filled the air, sounding almost like someone gasping for breath, but much more mechanized. Crystal stirred, but the being held her tighter and closer to its warmth.

Suddenly a higher pitched humming sound surrounded her followed immediately by an earsplitting blast. The ground, and even the very air around them, shook. Her ears were ringing and her body felt hot. She tried to cry out, but no sound would come forth. The most intense mixture of fear and anxiety that she had ever felt coursed through her and she shook with terror.

A wave of heat spread over her body followed by a second wave of moist, cool air as the being began to move forward again. She shivered from the sudden change of temperature. Without warning, a shrill beeping noise echoed around her, growing louder and louder, intensifying with each pulse of sound...

Crystal shot upright in her bed, her chest heaving, and her entire body trembling. Her panicked eyes darted wildly about her room, searching for the source of the horrible noise. Her gaze fell on her alarm clock and she immediately reached over and slammed her hand down on it. After multiple violent attempts at finding the right button, the beeping finally stopped and she turned to face forward again. Her chest felt as though it were on fire. She wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand, only to realize that her entire body was drenched in sweat. She drew her legs up to her chest and rocked herself gently back and forth as she sobbed softly into her knees.

As her head began to clear, and she realized that it had all been a nightmare, her heart rate slowed. She took several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm the rest of her body. As her muscles ceased their trembling and her breathing returned to normal, she noticed that the burning sensation in her chest was not subsiding. She reached a hand up and touched the skin, crying out in pain as she did so. Her eyes brimmed with tears at the dizzying, white hot sensation that stung her. Panic began to rise up within her as her groggy mind cleared and she remembered the incident with the Allspark fragment.

She slowly inched her way to the edge of her bed, taking shallow and measured breaths. Swinging her legs gingerly over the side, she eased herself onto her feet. She steadied herself with one hand on the wall as she made her way to the washroom, welcoming the cool sensation of the metal floor on her bare feet. She felt along the wall for the light controls. Her trembling fingers found the knob and she squinted her eyes against the bright washroom lights. As she neared the mirror, her image slowly came into focus, and she gasped and clutched onto the edge of the sink when she caught sight of her chest. She pulled down the collar on her top and stared in horror at the image that was revealed. The spot on her chest where the energy flare had hit her was beyond inflamed. Painful blisters bubbled up in the center and the skin was a sickening deep purple color, edged with a deep, crimson red. Tendrils of purplish-red snaked out from the center, licking at her collar bone and disappearing between her breasts beneath the material of her nightshirt. "Oh, my god…" She whimpered and clapped a hand over her mouth. She felt her knees buckle and she turned and leaned back against the wall, sinking slowly to the floor.

She forced her breathing to slow. She had to calm down. Whatever was happening to her didn't seem to be immediately life threatening. If she could just get dressed and get herself to the medbay she'd be okay. She slowly pushed herself to her feet once more.

Ignoring the burning sensation as best she could, she carefully got dressed, wincing in pain as the material of her shirt fell to rest against her irritated skin. She slipped her shoes onto her feet and headed for the door. She jumped and cried out as her cell phone suddenly began to ring, startling her.

Perceptor and Wheeljack had reformatted the device with Cybertronian technology, along with the soldiers' radios and personal cellular phones. They were now linked up through Skyspy, the 'bots' personal satellite, as well as the Autobot's main communications system, so the humans had direct access to each other and to the aliens at all times. She lifted a finger to tap the earpiece the scientists had fashioned for her, only to realize she hadn't put it in yet. She took a deep breath and reached down to her hip, detaching the phone. She frowned as she looked at the screen. It was Ratchet.

"This is Crystal."

"Crystal. This is Ratchet. You need to get to the medbay."

Her frown deepened. Did he know? He couldn't possibly know. "Ratchet, I-" She began to stutter out a reply but was cut off by the medic's calm but urgent voice.

"Crystal you need to get to the medbay immediately. Sergeant Epps just called in. The men were involved in an accident this morning on the way back from Nellis."

"Oh, my god."

"They're on their way. They'll be here in twenty minutes."

"I'm coming." She clapped her phone shut and reattached it at her hip. The burning in her chest was immediately forgotten, replaced by a wave of anxiety, as she bolted out her door and sprinted toward the medbay.


"Get him stabilized and prep him for repairs- Aaagh!" A large dark green hand clamped onto the edge of a nearby medical berth.

"Sir, are you alright?!" A worried voice called over as hurried footsteps made their way across the small medical facility.

The mech leaned heavily against the berth and raised a hand to massage his chest plates. He wore a deep frown, both surprised and confused by the sudden strange sensation that had struck him. It felt as if his very spark had been jolted by an incredibly odd type of pain he had never felt before. However, as soon as it had hit him, it disappeared, leaving him speechless and stunned. He jumped as a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder.

"Sir, why don't you go and lie down. The techs can take care of this one. His injuries are minor." He looked down into the worried optics of his assistant as the younger mech began to lead him away to a berth near the far wall of the room.

"Thank you," he grunted as he allowed himself to be pulled along. He gratefully sank his recharge-deprived body down onto the berth and allowed the mech to run a diagnostic scan on him. Several moments passed as the scanners beeped softly. The green mech's optics were glued on the display screen, as were those of the assistant.

The younger mech frowned. "The scan is returning nothing, Sir."

"I probably just need some recharge. Can you guys handle the medbay for a few breems?"

"Yes, Sir." The younger mech still looked worried.

"Good. I'll be in my quarters." He heaved himself to his feet once more, patting his assistant's shoulder and giving him a reassuring grin. "I'll be fine. Call me if you need me."

"Yes, Sir." The assistant watched the retreating form of the senior medic as he exited the medbay before shaking his head and turning his attention back to the patient being attended to by the technicians.

The dark green mech trudged out the doors and turned down the short corridor that led to his quarters. His frown returned as he punched in his access code and entered his room. He had never felt anything like that strange sensation before. It had been fleeting, but strong. An odd mixture of fear, pain, and familiarity. He eased himself down onto his berth and shuttered his optics. His tired CPU could not process the incident clearly. It had probably been just another pang of the guilty emotions that were often stirred up by old memories. He had been haunted by them for so long that it didn't surprise him if they were now going to manifest themselves in a new way. No need to dwell on it now. Not with other pressing matters on his mind. He let out a deep sigh as his CPU began to run a short recharge program.


There it is. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Many thanks to the people who have left reviews so far. You guys are transfantastic! Cookies for all!