Transformers Prime: Powerlinx Partners
So, here is another Transformers Prime fic. This one is my attempt at the usual 'Team Prime Humans become Autobots' theme. I have plans for the plot that will expand the Aligned Universe to include characters and objects from several other Transformers universes in order to make my own unique story, so stay tuned.
Note: this takes place after Orion Pax and will branch off into an AU due to my misgivings about how the Prime series played out.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Deep in the untouched wilderness of the amazon rainforest a glowing green portal suddenly opened and from it, walked three tall robotic figures. The first was a slender blue and silver unit with a feminine design and walked with deadly skill and grace as she looked around at the environment. The second was a yellow and black figure with a more masculine build that quickly observed his surroundings with a skill that hinted towards years of experience in the role as a scout. The final unit towered over them and was colored red and blue, heavily armored, and easily emanating an aura of command and leadership. These were Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime, transforming robots from the planet Cybertron, and members of the Autobots, a group of Cybertronians fighting for the freedom of their race.
"You sure this is the right place?" asked Arcee as she looked around.
"Ratchet said this is where the transmission was coming from, Arcee," confirmed the yellow mech, through a language of beeps and trills, damage to Bumblebee's voice box forcing him to resort to this form of communication.
"It's just hard to believe an Autobot signal beacon could come from a place like this," said Arcee as she used one of her arm-blades to slice through some overgrowth.
"Nevertheless," said Optimus, "we have a duty to our fellow comrades. We must hurry, the signal is close, but fading."
The three Autobots continued their trek through the thick jungle, following the signal being relayed to them from their base. It had been quite the unexpected surprise for the inhabitants of Autobot Base Omega One when their sensors suddenly picked up an intermittent signal from a Cybertronian Distress Beacon bearing an Autobot frequency. The team had promptly mobilized and opened a Groundbridge portal to the source of the signal, though they couldn't pin it down exactly due to the signal degradation. As such, the three of them were currently cutting a path through the overgrowth as they zeroed in on the source of the signal.
Soon enough, they came upon their destination as Optimus pushed through a final wall of greenery, revealing an impact crater with a large, metal, egg-shaped pod sitting in the center, sparks randomly being emitted as lights across its surface blinked on and off randomly.
"Looks like we found the source of the signal," commented Bee as Arcee quickly opened a line to base.
"Ratchet," she said into her comm, "lock onto our proximity beacons! We're gonna need a Groundbridge stat, and have your medical kit ready. We've identified the source of the signal."
"Affirmative," came a gruff voice through the comms and another glowing green portal opened up near their position. The three Autobots quickly carried the pod into the portal, using it to travel from the amazon rainforest to their base in an old military silo in Jasper Nevada in seconds.
"What's the situation?" asked the Autobots' medic, a red and white mech that went by the name Ratchet.
"Did you locate the missing bot?" asked Miko Nakadai a Japanese girl who was one of the Autobots' three human companions/partners.
"Sorta," said Bee, "We tracked down the source of the signal, but it wasn't what we were expecting."
"What was it then?" asked Rafael 'Raf' Esquivel, the youngest of the humans, a pre-teen boy with a genius level IQ and a knack for computers and programming and the only one of the three that could understand Bumblebee's unique language.
"A Stasis Pod," said Arcee as Ratchet quickly got to work on repairing their find.
"What's a Stasis Pod?" asked Jack Darby, the Arcee's (Junior)Partner, a teenage boy clad in a grey shirt and jeans.
"An old Cybertronian method of transport," explained Bulkhead, a large greed Autobot that was formerly a member of the Wrecker combat group and was a good friend of Miko due to their shared interests, "back in the day, Protoforms would be sealed in these pods and sent to other worlds as scouts. The onboard scanners would program a new Alt-mode based on their readings of the surroundings and a Transformer would emerge, ready to roll."
"So, what's the deal with this one, Bulk?" asked Miko as she looked over at where Ratchet was hard at work, "It doesn't look too hot."
"That would be because the onboard systems of the Pod are failing and, putting the Protoform in critical condition," said Ratchet as he looked up from his work, "if I can't stabilize it, then it could become with the Allspark before I can save it."
Suddenly, an alarm began to go off causing the medic's attention to snap towards one of the consoles, "Oh no no no no," said Ratchet frantically as he scrambled for his tools, "the pod's core is undergoing an Energy feedback loop! I need the plasma decoupler! NOW!"
"On it!" said Arcee as she grabbed the tool in question and rushed to pass it to Ratchet.
Grabbing the tool, Ratchet used it to clamp down on the Energon flow from the core to the damaged systems as he tried to get reroute the conductors to stabilize the loop, but no matter what he tried, the Energon buildup continued to get worse. It was almost as if…
"Scrap!" swore Ratchet as he opened the primary Energon junction unit and found the source of the problems.
"What is it?" asked Bulkhead.
"This wasn't just a random malfunction," said Ratchet, "this was sabotage. Decepticon sabotage."
"You mean the 'Cons rigged the pod to fail?" asked Bulkhead angrily, "That's a new low even for them!"
"Endangering a helpless Protoform just to take us out!" growled Bee in his own language.
"And I don't have the time to stabilize both!" snapped Ratchet in frustration.
"Prepare a Groundbridge!" commanded Optimus, "We cannot allow it to go off in our base!"
"No time!" said Ratchet as an alarm went off, "Core is reaching critical mass! Take cover!"
As Ratchet grabbed an Energon Diffuser and attached it to the core to try and mitigate the explosive force, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead moved to shield their Human partners with their bodies. They were just in time, as, just as they did so, the power core went critical and exploded. Luckily, the Energon Diffuser managed to disperse the energy behind the blast, but the explosion still sent a wave of alien energies from the pod's failing systems, Energon and particles of Cybermatter that washed over the group and passed through them as it filled the Outposts main room, causing many of the systems to short out and overload.
Thankfully, as soon as it happened, it was over, leaving the group collecting themselves as the base's emergency power kicked in and systems slowly turned back on.
"By the Allspark," groaned Ratchet as he got up, "is everybody ok?"
"I am unharmed," said Prime, "and you, old friend?"
"Just my pride," muttered Ratchet, "blasted Decepticons! I swear when I find the one that decided to sacrifice an innocent Protoform…"
"Uh Ratchet," Bulkhead called out, "think you should come over here!"
Optimus and Ratchet turned and saw the three other members of Team Pime cradling their human partners in their arms, but something was not right. Upon closer inspection, they saw that, instead of three human kids, cradled in the arms of the three Autobots were three Cybertronians that looked about the size of a normal adult human. That alone would be surprising, but Ratchet's optics widened as he noticed specific details of the three new mechs.
In Bumblebee's arms was an orange and gold Cybertronian with blue legs and white feet with an enhanced optical visor resting on his forehead. In Bulkhead's was a feminine 'bot with a purple and black colored torso with pink highlights and two pink-tipped extensions on her head that resembled pigtails of a sort. And in Arcee's arms was a Cybertronian with a grey and blue torso with white highlights on the arms.
"By the Matrix," breathed Ratchet, "are those…?"
"Jack, Miko, and Rafael," said Optimus grimly, "it seems the trap, while not effective against us, has had an unforeseen effect on our friends."
"Ratchet," said Arcee worriedly, "they're non-responsive. I think something's wrong."
"Aside from the kids now being mini-Autobots that is," added Bumblebee.
"Not the time, Bee," snapped Arcee.
"Arcee is right," said Optimus, "Ratchet, do what you must to stabilize them. I will contact Nurse Darby."
"Optimus," began Ratchet, "Nurse Darby is a human. What these children need is Cybertronian medicine…"
"Jack is her son," Optimus cut him off, "she deserves to be informed."
"Of course," said Ratchet, "I apologize. I will do everything in my power to save these children. I will not have them die on my watch."
Optimus nodded and left to contact Jack's mother while Ratchet began to scan the transformed children to try and discern what had happened. As he ran his diagnostics on their new circuits and systems, he noted that they seemed to be in a form of Stasis lock, though their systems showed no injuries or damage. It was when he examined their Spark chambers that he got his biggest shock and learned why.
"How can this be?" he exclaimed in surprise.
"What is it doc?" asked Bulkhead in alarm.
"Are the kids gonna be ok?" asked Bee.
"Their new Cybertronian bodies are unharmed," reported Ratchet grimly, "however, they're stuck in a state of Stasis lock due to an irregularity with their Sparks."
"What kind of irregularity?" asked Arcee.
"Their Sparks seem weaker than that of a normal Autobot," reported Ratchet, "they're flickering like a fire's dying embers, and if I can't stabilize them, then we could lose the children forever."
It was at that moment that the entrance to the Base opened and Optimus drove in, June Darby, Jack's mother, hopping out of his passenger seat as he transformed into robot mode.
"Optimus said something happened to Jack," she said, "what's going on and how can I help?"
"The children have fallen victim to a Decepticon trap," reported Ratchet, "somehow, they have been transformed into Cybertronians, but they are very weak and unless I can stabilize their Sparks, we could lose them."
"Is there anything you can do to save them?" asked Bumblebee worriedly.
"There is an experimental procedure that could stabilize their Sparks," said Ratchet, "but it was banned during the Great War by the Autobot Council."
"Ratchet," said June firmly, "I don't care about what decisions were made during the war. Can this procedure save my son?"
"It is uncertain," admitted Ratchet, "but it has the highest chance of success."
"Then do it!" said June.
"It's not that simple," said Ratchet sadly, "the reason the procedure was banned was because it involves splicing a piece of a functioning Spark into a failing one to restore it back to full power. To save the children, I would need to perform the process on three functioning Sparks, and I only have one!"
"Then use mine," said Arcee firmly, "Jack's my partner. I'm not going to lose him like Cliffjumper or Tailgate."
"Mine too," said Bulkhead, "I'll do what I can to keep Miko safe."
"Count me in," chirped Bumblebee, "I won't let Raf down again."
"It's settled then," said Arcee, "Doc, what do you need us to do?"
Ratchet was taken aback by the care and dedication the three of them had for their human companions, but quickly shook it off and brought himself back to the moment.
"Bulkhead, I'm going to need three more gurneys. One for each of you. Arcee, grab the Energon scalpel and three Stasis patches from my med-kit. Bumblebee, Optimus, I need you to set up a cortical system readout for everyone so I can monitor their life signs."
"What can I do?" asked June as the others rushed off to perform their assigned tasks.
"Nurse Darby…" Ratchet began before pausing, remembering that she was a trained medical professional, and above all, a mother worried about her son, "you can assist me preparing the children for surgery."
"Just tell me what you need," said June in a determined voice.
Ratchet nodded and they got to work, Nurse Darby proving to be helpful in handling some of the work that his larger hands would have found rather difficult. Soon, everything was set and Ratchet was hooking the six participants up to an Energon drip as he prepared to induce Stasis on the three Autobots.
"Remember," said Ratchet, "I don't know what the effects will be on any of you once the procedure is complete. Splicing a Spark with a fragment of another has never been fully explored and the process is still experimental."
"Ratchet," said Arcee as she laid down on the prepped gurney, "we're wasting time."
"Indeed," said Optimus, "I have every confidence in your ability to save these children. Whatever the effects, we will endure."
Looking to the others, he saw nods of determination, so Ratchet attached the Stasis patches to Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead, causing the three of them to slip into unconsciousness.
Starting his work, Ratchet tapped a command into his console, interfacing with the systems of the six Cybertronians, both old and new, and caused the panels on their chests to open and reveal their Spark chambers. Steeling himself for what came next, Ratchet took the Energon Scalpel and carefully used it to carve off a piece of Arcee's Spark, making sure to only touch the outer edges and not damage the central nucleus, before taking that fragment and placing it in a specialized containment unit and doing the same for Bulkhead and Bumblebee.
Now for the hard part.
Ratchet instructed Nurse Darby to man the console while Optimus helped him hook up a device to the transformed children's Spark chambers. He was honestly not sure how well this would work, as they had had to put the device together using spare parts and whatever equipment they had lying around, due to their lack of specialized Cybertronian medical tech. With how ramshackle the thing was, it had just as much chance of overloading their Sparks as it did performing the procedure successfully, but it was the best chance he had to preserve the children under their care. Hooking up the containment units holding the Spark fragments to the device, Ratchet gave a quick prayer to Primus and nodded to June, who threw a switch on the console.
Immediately, the lights in the room dimmed as their makeshift device drained energy away from the reserves, with the only illumination being the exposed Sparks of the three kids and the containment units holding the three Spark fragments, the light from them growing in intensity until it was almost blinding to look at. Shielding his optics from the glare, Ratchet kept watch on the readouts of his patients' vitals.
"Cut the power!" Ratchet called out suddenly, causing Nurse Darby to quickly deactivate the device, causing the illumination to cease, leaving them in a darkened room as the lights slowly came back on.
"Did it work?" asked June, "Did we save them?"
Ratchet looked over the screen displaying the group's vitals and breathed a sigh of relief as the readouts showed that the children's Sparks had stabilized and their guardian Autobots' Sparks were showing no ill-effects from the procedure and were already recovering the energy that had been siphoned off.
"It worked," said Ratchet, "they're going to be alright."
"Well done, old friend," said Optimus as he placed his hand on Ratchet's shoulder.
"Optimus," said June, "what happened? How did Jack and his friends suddenly become Autobots?"
"It is a bit of a long story," said the Autobot leader, "we received an Autobot distress beacon that led us to a malfunctioning Stasis Pod containing a Cybertronian Protoform. My team and I brought it back to the base, but it seems that the pod was a part of a Decepticon trap that would sacrifice the innocent Protoform in order to deal a blow to us."
"It seems, that when the pod's power core overloaded, it released a surge of energy from the systems that help the Protoform imprint a new Alt-Mode upon awakening that combined with the Protoform's unstable Cybermatter, causing a reverse effect on the three children as they were shielded by Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee, transforming them into Cybertronian versions of themselves," explained Ratchet as he closed up the chest cavities of his six patients, "Thankfully, the procedure seems to have worked, so all we can do now is let them rest. Once they wake up, I will run a full diagnostic scan of them to ensure they are functioning at optimal levels."
"Alright," said June, "thank you, for keeping me in the loop."
"It was no trouble," said Ratchet, "now, get some rest. It has been a trying experience for all of us. My alarms will wake you if anything happens."
June nodded and went over to the base's human-sized couch and sank into it exhaustedly, falling asleep in seconds as the stress left her drained.
So, here's the start of my newest fanfic (boy I have a lot I'm working on). As stated earlier this is my take on the 'team prime humans become Autobots' scenario. I don't plan to follow much canon for the rest of Prime, so expect to see new and old characters showing up (no OCs, but I will bring in bots from outside the Aligned universe) as well as some modified and original plot content.