Sore. Very sore. That is how Azura felt as she woke up from her recharge slowly. Azura did not dream when she fell unconscious the night before, but her memory was plagued with the scraplets and the fear of her father freezing to death. And she didn't like that they could have died without officially bonding. But Azura knew she had only just accepted him as her dad. However, a lot changed that day. Not only did Jack, Miko and Raf find our her identity and who her father is, but she also lost the outer membrane around her body. Azura hasn't fully realized that as she was so out of it the day before, but she cannot go back to school again, and she would have to remain on the base.
She opened her optics slowly, finding herself in her berth with the blanket over her body. She saw the plush toys around her and she moved her hand to grab one, only to notice her hand. She gasped as she saw her protoform for the first time. And she didn't realize that she was a light silver, but she didn't know if that was significant. However, as she moved to sit up, her stomach and back ached. She grimaced and whimpered a little, looking down. She saw that around her chest and stomach she had a basic covering on. That was no doubt to protect her systems, but something must have been eaten by the scraplets if she was still feeling pain. And in her leg too.
She placed her hand to her face and felt the smooth, soft metal cheeks. She touched her lips to find that she had thin, metal lips. She didn't know how she even looked in the mirror. She touched the top of her head, and she was relieved that she still had her hair. It still felt soft and velvety, which she was happy with. She had feared that she would have lost it. As she ran her hand down her neck, she felt the necklace chain and looked down. She was glad that the crystal was unscathed. She grabbed it and held it in her palms, staring at it curiously and wondering if she could now transform into a dragon.
I might be getting ahead of myself.
She looked at the plushies again before moved to crawl over to the stairs. Even though she was feeling pain, she was still able to move around. She carefully climbed down the stairs from the berth. Even though she looked completely as a proper Cybertronian, she still needed to use the bathroom. She didn't particularly mind as she didn't know if that was ever going to change. She reached the ground and glanced over to the fish tanks. She smiled as she knew that the fish are not going to care too much about her appearance, such as they will still want their food.
She sighed and made her way to the bathroom. She had no rush today as it was Sunday, but she also knew that she wouldn't have to rush in the morning again. She had no school to go to anymore. She still had no idea how to feel about that yet. It was really just so surreal at the moment. But she was certain it was going to hit her very soon.
When she reached the bathroom, she walked over to the toilet and sat on it. She rests her elbow on her knee as she thought about everything. She looked at her hands again, trying to get used to her real appearance. She wished that she was dreaming, but she knew she was not. Still, she knew that the silver of her protoform likely came from Megatron.
Once she finished using the toilet and wiped herself, she flushed the toilet and walked over to the mirror in her room and looked at herself. She widened her optics as she saw the blue in her optics was a little lighter than Optimus's, and she smiled as she didn't mind that at her. Her face shape was like Optimus's and she had a similar body shape, except her shoulders, they seemed to be differently shaped. She wasn't sure though, in case Optimus's protoform looked like that underneath his coverings.
Still, she did know that Megatron had curved shoulders, her protoform seemed to have that. It just felt like another reminder of who her sire is. She turned to the side to look at her back, and she swore she could see spikes. They were flatten against her spine, and she knew this would be from the dragon. She knew her hair was definitely from the dragon as well. She didn't know if any Cybertronian even had hair like hers. Regardless, she was still unsure about her appearance.
She stared at herself for a few minutes before she began to sob. She covered her face with her hands as she just cried and cried. Seeing the visible connections between Megatron and Optimus in her body was overwhelming for her. She didn't know if the autobots even suspected who her sire is. But since that answer was revealed in her dreams from Alpha Trion, she had to carry that information with he.
"Azura?" She heard Optimus's surprised voice behind her as he walked into the room. He saw Azura standing in front of her mirror with her hands covering her optics as she sobbed. "Azura…" He walked over to her and knelt down to pick her up. "Easy, I am right here." Azura looked at him as he brought her closer to his chassis and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He rubbed her back gently. "I know, this is a big changed. Your outer membrane was too weak thanks to the scraplets. We didn't want you to be uncomfortable."
Azura could tell that Optimus thought she was crying because she saw herself without her outer membrane. It was so sweet of him to consider that was the reason. But she knew what the actual reason is. She just could not bring herself to say it. She hoped she would never have to, but even if she was not the one to say it, she was certain that Optimus would learn the truth about her sire. And she didn't even know how Optimus would react to learning about that part of her.
"I assume you are probably still feeling pain. Even though the scraplets didn't eat much of your protoform, there are still small pieces that they bit through. You are thankfully not terribly injured. The injuries will heal quickly." He kissed the side of her head gently as she continued to sob. "I apologize for not being here when you woke up. Ratchet and I were discussing a few things. But you have no need to worry, my dear daughter."
Azura was curious about what exactly they had been discussing. She knew that it could have been about her first coverings, if she was old enough to even have them. But it could also be something else. She sniffled a little and looked at him with sad optics. "I…I…it f-f-feels like…m-my identity…"
"I know. You have been through so much to learn your true identity, and we did not help with that three years ago. And now…you were forced to tell that to our human friends." She nodded a little and looked away from him. "But I want you to know that none of them are upset with you. Miko seems to be the one who will take the longest to accept it. Jack has accepted it. He is here in the base now."
She looked at him in surprise and frowned. "H-He is? Uh…but…how early is it?"
Optimus smiled at her kindly as he listened to her stuttered. "Do not worry, Azura. It is not too early. Jack simply wanted to come here early on his own. He would like to come in here." She tensed and glanced at the door with wide optics. She didn't know what Jack would say when he came in here. "Jack Darby is very mature for his age. I have been impressed with how he has handled the situation of learning about our existence, and helping us through dealing with Megatron and the scraplets. While he had been afraid, I know he is very brave and confident. Do not doubt that he still wants to be your friend. I think he wants to be your best friend."
Azura frowned a little and looked at Optimus before looking down. "My best friend died, daddy. Cliffjumper…he…I don't know. W-What if…what if Jack dies too? Simply because he is a close friend to me…"
Optimus softened his expression. Hearing her call him daddy again made his spark warm. She was no longer afraid of the word. "Azura, Cliffjumper would want you to have friends. He was more of a brother to you than just a best friend. Bumblebee himself is like a brother to you too. In fact, he actually wants to be the one to do something today. He said he and Raf had come up with an idea, I am not sure what exactly, and they want you involved."
"They do?" Azura really did not know how to feel. "I…I am not sure if I want to do anything…I had hoped we would go to the island. Can we not do that?"
"Do you want to go?" Optimus asked objectively as he observed her. He felt as though Azura was using the island as a reason to run. She didn't respond straight away, and that was his answer. "I can tell you probably do not want to do much today. A lot has happened. I…almost lost my life, and so did you." She looked into his optics as he spoke gently to her. "I know as I laid there in the snow, I could only think of you. The very moment you were created, the moment I sent you away and the moment we found you by the river…all of it." Tears filled her optics as she listened to him. "I have no doubt you felt a lot of things too, Azura. And I wish to complete the bond, so that our relationship stronger."
She sniffled and wiped her cheeks, frowning at him curiously. "I don't really understand about this bond thing. What is it exactly? Why should we complete the bond?"
"It is another reason why you have had such a hard time accepting me. It is not unusual for sparklings to not acknowledge their carriers or sires when the bond is not complete. Completing the bond would allow us special communication, and to be able to sense emotions. There is also the unfortunate downside of us feeling each other's pain, but I can cut that part off, as I know that the hits I take will hurt a lot for you." Azura didn't know if liked this or not, but she would consider it. "I will not force you. It simply requires you and I to entangle our spark EM fields, it is a simple, easy process."
Azura wouldn't even know how to do that. It feels like something that a Cybertronian should be able to do naturally, and she didn't even know how she could do it. "Well…I don't know right, daddy. I think…I don't want that extra burden." Optimus did not react when she called the bond a burden as he understood how she felt about that. "And I wouldn't have a clue how to entangle my spark EM field with yours."
"I will walk you through it when the time comes." Optimus kissed her cheek gently and rubbed her back, smiling at her. "I am just glad that we have another chance together. And while I know we won't go to the island today, we no longer have school to stop you. We can go any time in the week." Azura smiled a little as she knew that was a good thing in retrospect. That still didn't make her feel bad. "I have already informed Agent Fowler of the situation. He will take care of the school situation. At least the scraplets left your room alone."
"Yeah…I don't think they found it." Azura smile widened slightly as she thought about it. "If I am ever going to keep having nightmares now, it will probably be of yesterday." He hummed gently in amusement and she looked towards the door for a moment and looked back at him. "I guess we should let Jack in. Um…he does know I am like an infant, right?"
"It has been briefly explained to him. We intend on waiting for the other two to arrive before we tell them the full story." She had hoped the kids had already been told by now, but she guessed she could hear it again. Optimus walked over to the door to open it. "If you are worried about what he will think of your room, he did already say that he seemed to picture your room like a nursery." Even more embarrassment. Azura wished she could shrink at the moment as the door opened and Optimus looked down with a smile. "Azura has allowed for you to come in, Jack. There is no hurry."
Jack looked around the room as the door opened. His eyes widen as he saw this room seemed indeed a lot like a nursery. He looked up at the berth that appeared to be like a bassinet at the very top. He saw the stairs leading up to it and there were some different drawers and a wardrobe as well, though he didn't think that they would be used now. There was a couch and a TV, and he smiled a little as he looked around. It seemed to be very, very nice. Though he did wonder if the color of the walls would ever be changed.
He spotted the three fish tanks that Azura had spoken of and walked over to them to look at the fish swimming around the tank. The fish noticed his presence and were expecting to be fed as they swam to the surface of the tank. He smiled as he saw how well kept they were, and he knew that Azura took such good care of the tanks. And she had mentioned how Optimus kept one alive for the three years she was away. It was very impressive, and he hoped she could keep these tanks as he knew she seemed to enjoy caring for them.
Jack turned to face Optimus, looking at Azura who was trembling as she huddled against Optimus. "I am not mad at you, Azura. I am sorry that I accused you of lying before…but now I realize you had a good reason to not say anything. I hope you don't feel too embarrassed." She did not look at him as she listened to Jack. "You at least have Optimus with you. I know it is every foster kid's dream to have a parent, so I guess you are lucky." She still said nothing and Optimus moved to sit down. Jack walked closer and climbed onto Optimus's knee to sit. "I do not know what it is like to go through a whole fourteen years thinking I know who I am, only to learn I really don't know who I am. So I am afraid I cannot understand that. I only understand that it must have hurt. Kind of like what happened with my father."
She turned her head to look at Jack as he mentioned his father and smiled at him kindly. "I appreciate that you are not mad, Jack. I don't know why you are not mad, but…"
"I am not mad because I no real reason to be mad, Azura. You might not have told us the truth, but I no longer care. I think Optimus is a great dad to you." The leader smile widened as he listened to Jack compliment him. "I may not know what happened three years ago, but I guess the past cannot be changed. You can only move forward. At least now you can mend what has been broken."
"I guess…you might think differently when you learn how I came to be," Azura said, swallowing nervously as she thought about the very story. "Even…I do not know what to think. And I have only heard the story once."
"I guess. But I won't be told until Miko and Raf arrive soon, so I can only speculate right now. Though I really don't think I can think of you any differently. I mean, I am going to assume you were…um…" Jack paused as he thought about it for a moment and looked at Optimus curiously. "Whatever the term is for conception…" He shrugged and looked back at Azura. "No matter the incident, I cannot really imagine it to being your fault. If you are seventeen and still considered an infant in Cybertronian standards, that says to me you weren't even fully formed when it happened."
"You would be correct, Jack. Azura was only a new spark with no form around her life force," Optimus responded to the boy kindly. "I remember the moment she was created. My system was so overwhelmed by it, and yet, my spark could not bring myself to harm her. I had already felt a sense of love for her, even…even if the hardest decision I ever had to make was just after she had been…after her spark came into existence."
The boy made a strange face and huffed a little. "I also have to say that I am having a hard time trying to imagine you carrying a sparkling, Optimus. I-I don't mean to be disrespectful, but…um…could you explain it to me? I really don't want to sound stupid."
"It is not a stupid question at all, Jack. Your species is very different from that of Cybertronians. Earth creatures seemed to have a separation between male and female, and which one is biologically able to carry offspring. Cybertronians do not fall into the same laws of nature of this world." Jack was completely intrigued as he listened to Optimus patiently. "I know this will be something I have to tell Miko and Raf as well, but I do not mind explaining at all. Mechs and femmes are both capable of carrying sparklings. While majority of femmes do possess gestation chambers, it is not uncommon for mechs to also possess such chambers. However, my circumstance was different. I do not have a gestation chamber, but once you learn how Azura came to be, you will understand why. And unfortunately…" Optimus glanced down as Azura whimpered softly. "It does have to do with one of many evil schemes from Megatron."
The boy widened his eyes and looked at Azura in shock. Hearing that she was a product of evil was a surprise to him. He saw tears falling from her optics as she listened. He could tell this bothered her deeply. But Jack didn't think she was evil. He didn't believe evil was born anyway, so she couldn't be evil like Megatron. But he wondered if Cybertronians still required two to produce a sparkling. After all, that is the biology he knew logically from school. But he knew this was alien stuff, so it was new to him.
"Um…so does that mean when sparklings are created…that you have…uh, have…" Jack's face turned red as he began to ask the question as he was embarrassed. "Um, uh…how do I ask this? This is embarrassing…" Azura smirked slightly as she was slightly amused by Jack's thoughts.
Optimus knew exactly what Jack was trying ask, so he saved the boy from further embarrassment by answering his question. "Direct interfacing is the most common way for sparklings to be created. And again, femmes and mechs both can directly interface. Those with gestational chambers can interface directly with others, but not always. Not every mech or femme had the right system to produce interfacial fluid to produce a new spark. There is a second method to how sparklings are created, but we will go over that soon."
Jack's face was still red as he listened to Optimus tell him how exactly sparklings are created. He was glad Optimus had no shame in answering, but the boy was still embarrassed. "Right…thanks for that." Azura giggled softly and he looked at her for moment. "Now I am wondering if that should have been said in front of her."
"Azura was explained this years ago." The boy blinked in surprise and looked away. Optimus looked at Azura with a smile. "I do believe you should be hungry." She tensed and glanced at Jack. "You will be fine, Azura. Ratchet fed you yesterday."
"Only because it was an emergency," Azura responded bluntly. "You know how I feel about feeding in front of others…especially…um…"
"There's no shame that you need to eat, Azura," Jack interrupts gently as he smiled at her. "I suppose I understand. You were able to eat human food, for some reason, and now you have technically gone back to breast milk…in a way." Azura's frown deepened at that analogy, even though she could see the logic in it. "Eh…that was too weird to say, wasn't it? Ugh! My mind is stupid right now."
Optimus opened the panel on his chassis, and Jack saw the transparent fuel line being pulled out. "Come now, Azura. You need to have the low-grade a little more often than before. Your body is still low on energon, which is why you probably feel less than normal today. It will replenish, especially since you're having the energon from me."
"Is there a big difference between the low-grade you feed and the low-grade that Ratchet fed to Azura yesterday?"
Optimus nodded. "Yes. The low-grade energon that is produced within carriers for a sparkling contains additional nutrition that cannot be found in normal low-grade from a bot who does not have a sparkling. Even all the years since I lost Azura, my body did not stop producing. I did not want to stop producing, and I was right to do so. It is rich in what her body needs."
"I guess that means it really was just an emergency just to ensure that Azura does not die." The commander nodded and Jack watched Azura take the line cautiously as he watched the line fill with pale blue liquid. "It looks a bit different to what Ratchet fed her."
"As it should. Low-grade energon looks different from the carrier for the sparkling due to the richness it contains for them." He rubbed Azura's head gently as she watched the energon move closer to the end and placed her mouth at the end to begin drinking. "A sparkling can survive and grow on regular low-grade, but it is a lot better if they get it from their carrier. Not even their sire produces it."
Jack watched Azura drink the energon as he thought about it all quietly. He was extremely intrigued by all of this. "So…do I even want to know if you know who her sire is?" Azura coughed suddenly as she took a gasp of surprise and caused energon to spill onto Optimus's chassis and over Azura's body. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean…"
Optimus smiled at the body kind, stopping the flow of low-grade energon for the moment and rubbed Azura's back as she coughed some more. "It is okay, Jack. I am afraid I do not have an answer for you on that one." She glanced up briefly as she was curious to see if she could tell if Optimus had an idea. So far she didn't see anything. "While she probably does have a sire, he does not exist in her life like I do. And I think she should be grateful her sire is not in her life."
Azura guessed that was possibly an indication that Optimus did have an idea of who her sire is. She had no doubt that they knew. But they also did not wish to say it out loud to frighten her. Azura managed to stop coughing, but Jack got off Optimus's knee to allow him to take Azura into the bathroom. Jack followed as Optimus rinsed a cloth to wash the energon off Azura's body, and from his chassis. This allowed Jack to see the raised tub in the center of the room, and even the toilet. Jack was surprised as he had thought the autobots did not need to use it.
He figured that was an explanation that he was going to learn very soon. He waited patiently for Optimus to finish cleaning the sparkling and his chassis before Optimus resumed feeding her. Jack was curious about the berth, so he climbed the stairs and saw that it was practically a crib. He saw the numerous stuffed toys, the mattress and blanket. He smiled and looked at Optimus who walked into the room, watching him with a smile. Azura seemed to be embarrassed, but Jack knew that stuffed toys weren't always just for kids. Jack knew a few of the girls at school still kept their stuffed animals on their bed. It's really more for the fact these were comforting more than anything. And Jack hoped that Azura would learn to be okay with liking them around the kids. For now, Jack decided to ask about the fish after climbing down from the berth. He saw the fourth tank as well, but it was empty, and he knew that Azura couldn't go into the aquarium anymore to buy fish. But he could do it for her. And he would be extremely happy to so she could have more fish to care for.