Midas Touch
Midas Touch
Chapter Eight.
A/N Bold type is the thought/speech Bumblebee and Sam use to communicate with each other in the Essence. Bold italics is the Essence's comments to them.
The Essence was, to Sam's limited senses, both bright and dark, and everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
His consciousness had no eyes, but he could sense energy all around him, sense a current running through the environment he seemed to be in, and sense Sparks nearby. He found quite by accident that by wanting to, he could approach or move away from these Sparks.
You should allow yourself to drift. It is safer. came a thought/voice that Sam somehow knew was the Essence.
You can communicate directly with me? Sam 'thought'.
In here you can, plus your sensitive companion is with you, which makes it easier.the Essence told him.
Sam? said Bumblebee. If we drift, we will hopefully be able to sense Jazz's Spark.
You think so? Sam asked.
He is not long dead. His Spark will be strong, but we must be careful. Bumblebee told Sam.
Sam began to wonder what he didn't know, and began to worry. Why the emphasis on being careful?
Careful? Why? He asked.
You said you were willing to take the risk, Sam. You were warned this could be dangerous. Bumblebee said. If you want to abort this, now is the time.
I didn't say I wanted to abort the attempt. Sam thought angrily at Bumblebee. I'd just like to know what the danger IS. He said.
Sam, please, anger and fear are negative emotions. That makes the danger more likely to happen. Bumblebee said.
I'm feeling angry because you're speaking in riddles. Sam said.
Before Bumblebee could respond, Sam could feel it: a change in the feel of the Essence, something about the energy. It was big. It was oppressive. It was also, Sam could feel, very angry.
Too late! Sam, please try to keep your negative emotions to a minimum. Remember, not all of those waiting to leave the Essence have yet to be born or are waiting to enter the Matrix. Some of them are waiting to enter the Pit, and not all of them are happy to be dead! We don't want any of them hitching a ride back, or taking one of us over!
Despite himself, Sam was suddenly very frightened. He had remembered at that moment someone else who had died recently, not long after Jazz had been killed in fact, someone with good reason to hate him, and someone who was very likely to not want to stay dead, and this time, he had no all-powerful cube to destroy him with, and was, in fact, defenceless.
Sam, stop that, you'll draw them to us like a beacon! Even Bumblebee's thoughts themselves seemed frightened. Empty your mind and drift!
Sam tried to do just that, but he could feel the oppressive atmosphere growing, whoever or whatever it was getting closer.
Something wicked this way comes….
Sam tried to keep a rein on his feelings, concentrating instead on the energy of the Sparks around him, but feeling rather useless. Bumblebee might know the feel of Jazz's Spark, but Sam was just a human, and wouldn't know one Spark from another.
Except……that he knew all too well the feel of the approaching, angry Spark bearing down on their location. It must be, he thought, something to do with his contact with the Cube while he held it in Megatron's chest. It seemed to have forged some sort of connection with him, because he knew that it was Megatron heading for them, and knew he was homing in not just because of his anger and fear, no, that had only alerted him to their presence.
Megatron was using the connection to locate them.
Sam, I 've found him! Bumblebee's excited thought distracted Sam.
Right! Touch him, or whatever you can do here. Sam said.
You too! Bumblebee said, and Sam felt a Spark brush against his consciousness, and mentally took hold of it the same way he seemed to be mentally holding on to Bumblebee.
Okay, get us out, FAST! Sam told the Essence as he felt Big Angry hurtling their way.
Perhaps he was imagining it, but as his feelings and sensations fragmented, and went into a dizzying whirl, he thought he felt/heard a scream of pure rage and frustration.
oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo
Ratchet stood as he saw Sam twitch. Sam let out a cry as he came to fully, and Ratchet noticed with concern that his heartbeat leaped from about twenty beats a minute to about a hundred, and that his adrenal glands were releasing adrenaline into his system. Sam was either very angry, or very frightened.
There was something else, he noticed, blinking, something abnormal, that hadn't been there before. There, in Sam's chest, he could register a Spark. He databurst for Optimus: something strange was going on, and their Leader should know about it.
Before he could remark upon it, Bumblebee's optics brightened and he tensed, his fingers twitching. For a moment, the human boy got even more scared, until Bumblebee said "Sam, Sam, it's OK, I twitched, I'm sorry. You know I wouldn't hurt you."
"Bumblebee? It is you isn't it? I mean, someone didn't hitch a ride back and take you over?"
"No, Sam, it's me, Bumblebee, although it was a close thing there." The yellow mech stood, and looked at Ratchet.
"Ratchet, please, take us to Jazz." Bumblebee said. Ratchet didn't stop to query it: there was an urgency in Bumblebee's response that he found himself responding to.
He turned, and led the yellow scout, still holding his human charge, down into the main area of the med bay, where Jazz's inert body was still lying. Ratchet turned and scanned the human again in concern: his heart rate was still a bit too fast, and Ratchet was worried about the effect that that Spark's radiation was having on Sam's organic systems, after all, human bodies tended to have a negative reaction to radiation.
Bumblebee carefully tipped Sam onto Jazz's chest, and Sam almost fell onto the silver mech: Ratchet noticed that Sam was sweating. The human spread himself out on the silver mech's chest as Optimus came in. He stopped by Ratchet, so saw, along with Ratchet and Bumblebee, what happened next.
Blue lightning shot out from Sam's body, playing all over Jazz, and a white light seemed to flash where Sam and Jazz's chests touched. Ratchet, who was still scanning, gave a start as his scans registered a surge in all of Jazz's systems. The Spark in Sam's body seemed to have somehow transferred itself to Jazz's Spark-chamber.
Bumblebee bent to scoop up Sam as Jazz's body spasmed, the silver limbs jerking. As Bumblebee stepped back, Jazz's body went quiescent again, although they could all hear a whirr as various systems came alive.
Then, Optimus grasped Ratchet's arm as Jazz's optics under his visor glowed blue, the hue infusing the entire visor with the friendly blue glow they all knew and loved. They all stared as Jazz pushed himself to a sitting position, and smiled at them all.
"Hiya guys." The silver saboteur said, his smile fading as he looked around, a look of confusion replacing his friendly grin. "Where's that overgrown slagger, Megatron? Hey, what'm I doin' on Ratchet's operating table?" He looked at the silent audience.
"What're you all starin' at me for? As the humans would put it, you all look like ya've seen a ghost?"