Chapter Seven

I found my way down off the platform and realized I was in S-7 HQ once again. I decided to see if Ratchet and Optimus were awake. I could hear Cybertronian feet coming my way. I looked up to see Optimus. "You called for me?" he asked.

"Not intentionally," I said. "But since you're here I do need to talk you. Is there somewhere private we could talk?" I asked looking up him.

"Back where you were resting," Optimus said lowering his hand so I could get on. I climbed on grabbing on to his fingers so I wouldn't fall. I kept one arm around one of his fingers as he stood up. Within in moments we were back in the room I had been sleeping in. He set me gently down on the bed, "Now what is it that you wish to speak to me about?" I proceeded to tell Optimus about my dream, everything from the Primes, Sam and I now being the Allspark, what the Primes had told about how I couldn't prevent it, but I could change the ending, to his death at Megatron's hands. By the time I reached the end where I was talking about his death I was sobbing.

Optimus put his hand on my back and gently rubbed. I held his thumb which was resting on my shoulder. I needed something to hold me in reality. "Easy," Optimus said trying to comfort me. "I don't know when that day will come, but make the most of the time that is left." I nodded. That night I slept on Optimus's shoulder. I woke the next morning in the cab of a truck. At first I was confused, I sat up looking around. Suddenly the radio came on, "Morning Allison, you feeling any better?" I then realized I was in Optimus's alt mode.

"As far as pain goes yes, but not about my dream. I have a feeling it's going to haunt me for a long time," I slid out of his alt mode so I could stretch. I was only a few inches from him as he transformed.

"Allison move!" Lennox said running toward me.

"I'm fine," I replied.

"Move!" he said grabbing my wrist and trying to pull me out of the way. I wouldn't move and I did several self-defense moves to get him off of me.

"Get…your…hands…off…me," I snarled. I didn't like being touched, especially by people I didn't know very well. After what my father did to me, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to have a relationship with another human being.

"I won't hurt her," Optimus said finally done transforming. I started to climb up his leg to get out of everyone's reach. I got stuck at his knee though. My hips and knees locking up. I gasped in pain still trying to climb up to his shoulder. Optimus offered me his hand and I let go of his knee and fell into his hand. "What's wrong Allison?"

"My knees and hips, I can't move them," I said glad to be out of reach of the humans here. We headed for the room I had spent part of the night in last night. Optimus called for Ratchet using the Commlink. When we reached the room Ratchet was already there.

"What's wrong youngling?" Ratchet asked holding out his hand for me to get on. I hesitated for only moment before climbing on.

"My knees and hips aren't working the way they should," I said as he scanned me.

"What's wrong darlin'?" Jazz asked.

"Joint issues," I replied.

"Optimus told us that you and Sam are now the Allspark. What do you plan on doing?" Ironhide asked.

I sighed, I hadn't expected Optimus to keep that fact from the others, they would find out sooner or later. "I'm going to live my life and I want all of you to be part of it." They started speaking their native language. One of them tried to make a joke out of what the other had said and I started laughing. I thought it was quite funny. They all stopped talking and looked at me.

"You understood that?" Optimus asked.

"Yeah, and if you had said that to someone else you would have gotten a completely different reaction," I said. They had made some kind of joke about me being family then someone had replied, 'yeah once removed.' Someone else had something about being the wrong species and twice removed.

"Your hips need to be rebuilt young one. They are not staying in the proper place. Megatron's blast must have done something," Ratchet said.

"Megatron never fired his weapon at me. It may have been the bomb Starscream set off," I replied.

"I'm going to have to give you something to sleep while I work on your hips and knees. I'll make it as painless as possible," Ratchet said.

"Just so long as you don't mess up, do what you can," I said sliding back onto my bed. All doctors and operation specialists made me nervous. I had been to so many doctors and they all had so many questions. It set me on edge.

"Just one moment Ratchet," Lennox said climbing up the stairs to come up to my eye level. "Why did you react the way you did when I grabbed your wrist?"

I knew that one day I would have to tell my story again, and having told it so many times for the court I had no problem doing it again. "I was severely abused by my father, and my mother knew and did nothing to stop it. I went to the courts and became an emancipated minor. I now live with my sister in a small town in Nevada. Her son is not only my nephew, he is my brother. I had to leave my other brother behind because there was no proof of him being abused and boys aren't my father's thing, thank god. I got pregnant at 13 years old and I went to the clinic. I had no business raising a child when I was that young or in that environment," I said trying not to break down.

Lennox and the Auto bots were all speechless. Jazz was the first to speak, "I'm so sorry darlin'. Is der anythin' I can do ta help?" I shook my head touched by his offer.

"No Jazz, but thanks for the offer," I said. Optimus put his hand on my back again and I once again grabbed his thumb to hold myself in reality.

"He can touch you?" Lennox asked.

"I can handle human touch, just not very well when it's someone I barely know."

"You said you trusted me," Lennox inserted.

"I do, just not enough to let you touch me. My father was military, so that might help you understand why I have a hard letting people in the military anywhere near me."

"Enough upsetting my patient. I need to get her ready for surgery, if she's upset, the drugs won't work as well or as quickly," Ratchet said shooing the other humans in the room. He then took on his alt form and a human stepped out. This man was wearing a green jacket with black and gray shirts underneath. He wore khaki pants with black boots. His hair was dark brown and pulled into a short pony tail. I could see the beginning of side burns on his face. "Let's get started," this man said.

"Ratchet?" I asked.

"That's me," he said. He started setting up an IV so that drugs could easily be put into my system.

Still weary of human touch I asked, "You mind if I do that?"

"He won't hurt you," Optimus said handing me a gown to change into. The gown looked very small in his metal hand. Not being the least bit shy I stripped right there and put the gown on, revealing several scars I had received over the years.

"I know that, but my body doesn't. Any human touch my body tells me to fight till I'm out of reach. That's why I took several self-defense classes and tried to climb your leg earlier," I explained. Ratchet handed me the IV and a tourniquet. I tied my arm off and started looking for a vein. When I found it I inserted the needle. Ratchet then handed my some tape so I could tape the line down. "Thanks," I said as he put the drugs into the line so that I would sleep through the surgery. I lay down so I could sleep.

When I woke I was still in the bed with the IV still hooked up. After a few moments I looked around. I saw a human on the platform. "Ratchet?" I asked. The human turned to look at me.

"Good, you're awake. How do you feel?" he asked.

"Groggy," I replied. I slowly sat up to get a better look at what was going on.

Mikaela came up on to the platform and handed me a bag. "I got you some new clothes. I thought you would like something clean to wear."

"Thanks Mikaela," I said.

"Thank Lennox, he bought it," Mikaela said.

I looked over to Lennox, "Thank you Captain."

"You're welcome Allison, and call me Will," he replied. I went into the bathroom down the hall and changed into a pair of jeans, new under things, a tank top and jacket. The last thing I put on was some black flip flops. As I changed I saw silver metal at my knees, Jazz's metal and at my hips, metal that was blue with red flame, Optimus. I came out of the bathroom. All the Auto bots were waiting for me.

"Thanks you guys," I said.

"You've helped us, it was our turn to help you," Optimus said.