Mikaela POV
I was sitting on Autumn's shoulder in the medbay watching Mom work on one of her legs. She actually took it completely off so she can work on it! It was weird to watch something like that. To see someone take off part of their body so they can work on it? Yeah, that's weird!
Autumn was sitting on a berth, with Ravage in her lap watching Mom work on her leg with a grin on her face. Somehow, I think that Autumn is actually doing better now that Kinetica is here. Don't ask me why, but just having the familiar face of someone she can look up to is helping her. Maybe it's because she doesn't feel so alone anymore. I don't know, but it's nice to see a smile on her face for a change.
Mom stopped working for a second, turned around and smiled at Autumn.
"See? I told you not to worry. This doesn't hurt at all, and I'm just making a few modifications to it." Mom said lightly.
"I'm guessing that you had planned to make those modifications before inhabiting that frame." Ratchet said with a frown. "The problem is, you were forced into acting before you were ready."
I looked over at Ratchet, only to see Autumn with a stricken look on her face out of the corner of my eye. That's when Mom, somehow moved over to the berth we were on and grabbed Autumn's head in both hands.
"Autumn, I might have needed to be here a little sooner than I planned, but I have no reason to be upset over that. My being here sooner instead of later, just means that I can see you and talk to you right now! You are the reason I am here Autumn… don't you ever think that I regret being here, because I don't! I am here because of you and for you Autumn. So I had to cut a few corners and skip a few things… that's just fine because I can actually tend to those things better from a frame of my own than I could by using yours during your recharge." Mom told her seriously.
Autumn had a panicked look on her face when Mom started talking to her, but that slowly faded into a smile.
Mom smiled at Autumn, patted her on the head like a puppy, before standing up and scowling at Ratchet.
"Just because I am not allowing you to work Ratchet, does not mean that I will tolerate any of your attempts to disrupt my work… especially when I am working on my own frame!" Mom said angrily.
"Uh… Ratchet?" Autumn asked softly. "I think Mami means it!"
"That's because I do Autumn, so let me handle this, okay?" Kinetica said without taking her eyes off Ratchet.
Autumn nodded her head with a serious expression on her face. "Okay Mami."
Optimus POV
I watched with interest as Kinetica removed and modified first one leg, and then the other. The entire time, Ratchet merely observed. This was unusual for the medic because at any other time, he would be insisting on performing the procedure himself. That's not to say he wasn't complaining about it, because he most certainly was!
There is no reasonable way that I can dispute her being the Allspark. She emanates that unique type of radiation signature so strongly that there is no denying her claim. If someone were to try and reason things out, they would also come up with that answer.
"Since Starscream will be here in a week to discuss the terms for peace, we should at least agree on what is wanted against what would be acceptable… don't you think Optimus?" Kinetica asked me.
I was actually somewhat surprised at the question even though it weighed heavily on my processors.
"What terms do you think will be needed?" I asked her, since I honestly had no idea.
"A new method of government will certainly be required, with new rights established, while others are equalized. A lot of things will need to be completely done away with so that they can be totally restructured. Other aspects of Cybertronian life will have to be abolished entirely." Kinetica said casually.
That last really caught my attention.
"And just what is it that you believe needs to be abolished?" I demanded.
"The Arenas for one thing. Another would be the regulations regarding the distribution of sparklings." Kinetica answered seriously as she turned to look at me.
The complete abolition of the gladiatorial arenas was something I could readily agree with, and I knew of others who would also agree.
"Why do you think anything needs to be done about the way sparklings are distributed?" I asked her.
"Because those who called themselves 'Tower Bots' never even tried to reproduce on their own! The femmes and other bots capable of carrying a sparkling were apparently too good to demean themselves in such a common fashion! That is going to cease! From now on, before a pair of bots is able to receive one of my creations, they will need to have tried to create on their own! I will know if they have or not. Those who haven't attempted to create a sparkling will not receive one from me. I am no longer able to create an unlimited number of sparklings in a single day, so I will have to make restrictions. I am not going to be able to repopulate Cybertron on my own; I will need help from those bots who are able to do so." Kinetica stated angrily as she reattached her second leg.
"Mami is not a sparkling factory!" Autumn yelled angrily as she glared at me.
I was immediately concerned when I noticed that Ravage was trying to get out of Autumn's lap. I have no idea how to restrain her while preventing Autumn from injuring me or herself, because I don't want either result.
"Autumn… don't you dare get up from that berth! Mikaela's on your shoulder and she'd better not get hurt!" Kinetica said sternly.
I must admit that I am surprised that Autumn listened, and more so that she obeyed those instructions. The first thing Autumn did was glare at me before turning her head to look at Mikaela. I am very surprised by that because I know that Autumn is frightened of me, however, it seems that when someone she cares about is threatened with harm, Autumn will stand firmly in their defense without any hesitation.
I suddenly realized just how beneficial this could be. If Kinetica is indeed the Allspark, then she will need a staunch defender, and Autumn could be just such a bot. There is a lot of potential in her!
"I… I'm sorry." Autumn said softly to Mikaela.
"Well, you didn't jump up and try to whale on him so I'm okay." Mikaela replied with a wry grin. "I don't think Ravage is very happy with you right now though."
Autumn pulled the Cybercat to her chest and lowered her head to nuzzle it. I could hear fervent apologies being whispered.
I looked back over at Kinetica to see a very serious expression on her face as she watched Autumn for a moment before she nodded and looked at me.
"I would actually agree with you on both of those issues… however… the issue of what changes need to be made to our form of government will have to wait until Starscream arrives so we can see what he has to say." I told her.
"That's reasonable enough. You should know that I will also try to unite the two factions if I can." Kinetica replied candidly.
"How do you plan to do that?" Ratchet asked.
"I haven't decided yet, but whatever method I use will be one that does not interfere with the current leadership of Optimus Prime." Kinetica responded seriously.
"I'm not going to let you be a sparkling factory!" Autumn said sullenly.
Kinetica smiled as she stepped over to Autumn and took her face in both hands.
"That isn't going to happen. Not to me… not to you, nor to any femme, or bot ever! I won't allow it. I can, and will keep that from happening, Lebe Autumn!"
I am very surprised by how much Autumn's face lights up. The smile she displays practically illuminates the entire room, I don't need to have Prowl's battle computer to see that either. Whatever else might be said about her, it is clear that Autumn not only adores her, but seems quite happy in her presence.
Prowl POV
As I enter the medbay I hear the femme tell Autumn that she will not allow a particular circumstance to occur. While I didn't enter soon enough to discover what that circumstance is, I am able to hear Kinetica use the German word for 'Dear' when she refers to Autumn by her designation. It is at once apparent that Autumn is immensely pleased by the use of that term.
The femme known as Kinetica has claimed that she is or rather was the Allspark. I find that I am unable to form any type of valid argument against her otherwise outrageous claim. There are actually several indications that Kinetica is stating a fact. For one thing, Autumn is a former human. Her transition from an organic cellular structure to a metallic physiology would require an incalculable amount of energy. Only the Allspark or a similar entity would have possessed such a vast amount of power. Another aspect to consider is the frame that is occupied by Kinetica. I can see through simple observation that it is constructed using the same torso that Autumn was building from raw materials during a supposed recharge. Because of the unique spark chamber assembly, it is immediately obvious that it is intended to encompass a vast amount of power. To my knowledge, not even Metroplex or Trypticon possesses a spark which contains such available power. Yet another aspect of the situation that must be taken into consideration, is the knowledge that has been so readily displayed. Not only is she aware of designations, but also preferences or predilections towards certain behaviors… such knowledge would be readily available to the Allspark, but not to others without lengthy and involved observation.
There are also the various methods that she uses to make Autumn smile. I am loath to make such an admission, but I have only been able to elicit a smile from Autumn once. Kinetica has easily managed that difficult feat several times to my knowledge. I have come to the conclusion that Kinetica enjoys giving Autumn reasons to smile.
"Prowl… I would appreciate being issued a set of quarters that I can use while we are here. After that is done, I can begin moving Autumn's things to my quarters." Kinetica said as she turned to face me with her right hand still on Autumn's left shoulder.
"That will only be partially acceptable because Autumn will still require supervision so long as she remains in possession of Ravage." I replied evenly.
"I have no qualms with that, however… Autumn will now be recharging with me. Therefore, Ravage will be doing the same." Kinetica said with a near smirk.
"I get to slee… recharge with you?" Autumn squealed happily.
"No Autumn… you don't get to sleep or recharge with me. You're going to because I'm simply going to refuse to have it any other way." Kinetica answered sternly.
Kinetica's left hand flashed out towards Autumn's right shoulder to grab Mikaela just a split instant before Autumn lunged forward with a loud crash to envelope Kinetica in a shaking hug.
Everyone's attention was drawn to a rather enraged growl that emanated from Ravage. It seems that Autumn merely shoved the Cybercat out of her lap in order to embrace the much larger femme.
"My apologies Ravage. I should have known that Autumn would react like that." Kinetica said as she looked at the Cybercat sitting on the berth. "At least I was able to keep you from further harm." She added with a look at Mikaela in her left hand.
"That's going to be kind of like a habit now… isn't it?" Mikaela asked ruefully.
"It seems to be developing into one, doesn't it?" Kinetica replied in an amused tone.
"Looks like my own sister might be more dangerous to me than the Decepticons." Mikaela said jokingly.
"You'll have to cut her some slack Mikaela. She's young and still learning her frame." Kinetica said in a firm but amiable tone.
"S… sorry Mikaela! I just got so excited, I wasn't thinking about anything else." Autumn said in a sincere and very apologetic tone.
"Don't worry about it. Mom's got my back!" Mikaela retorted with a chuckle.
"Yes, I do!" Kinetica answered with a smug grin. "I'll protect all of my children when I can. Fortunately, there are times that I won't need to, because many of them are able to protect themselves."
"Mami loves us!" Autumn said to Mikaela seriously.
"Yes Autumn, I do. However… there are some extremely serious and important things that I will need to deal with in the coming days. I will always have you with me, but there will be times that I'll need you to remain silent so that I can tend to important matters, okay?" Kinetica said in a reasonable tone as she looked down at the young femme in her grasp.
Autumn nodded her head with a rather grave look on her face.
"I take it that you plan to do something about the war, don't you?" Mikaela asked quietly.
"Yes, Mikaela, I do." Kinetica said heavily. "This horrid war has gone on for far too long, and it's time to bring it to an end."
"Good!" Mikaela replied with a nod. "I don't know how much help I can be, but I can at least try." She added earnestly.
"I know you'll do your best, and I couldn't ask for anything better. Sometimes the greatest of wisdom comes from the insight of the young." Kinetica answered with a light smile.
"Out of the mouths of babes." Mikaela said softly.
"Exactly!" Kinetica said with an approving nod.
Mikaela POV
Kinetica… well Mom put me back on Autumn's right shoulder. I kind of like sitting here, because not only is it a really comfortable place to sit, but it also lets me stay close to Autumn so I can keep an eye on her.
It's pretty weird if you ask me. For the past couple of days, Autumn has been really nervous and unsure of almost everything. So far that I've seen? Thing only thing Autumn has been sure about, is holding on to Ravage. As far as everything else goes… it's like she expects to be told no!
Her father must have been some really special bastard for Autumn to be like this! She acts like she's not normally allowed to have anything, so she's really surprised when she gets it. I heard some sad stories before, and some of the stuff was so bad that I just knew it couldn't be real. Autumn's story though? I know it's real, because I have seen some of it at school, and I seriously doubt that her dad would have blown his own brains out after saying that he deserves a place even worse than hell if he hadn't been telling the truth. I know Mom said that Soundwave made him kill himself, and maybe that's true, but if even half the crap that bastard said is true, then he truly deserved it!
The weird thing is, Autumn was acting like a really scared and nervous kid, but today is a different story. Autumn seems to be much happier this morning, and the only thing that really changed, is that Kinetica is here now. Don't get me wrong… she still acts like a little kid, but she doesn't seem scared or nervous at all. With Mom around, she has some self-confidence… and God am I glad to see that!
I still can't get over the fact that Kinetica adopted me so easily! She did it so fast that it wouldn't have surprised me if she went and adopted the rest of the base too. She didn't do that though. I had to think about it for a while before I realized that she said she had learned more about Sam and I. That tells me she was paying attention to both of us. It means that she was already planning this! She knew that she was going to adopt me months before she finally did it!
Once I realized these things, I knew there is no way I can call her by name. It just doesn't feel right. I know it'll be a while before I either love her or hate her, but I also know she isn't joking about this. I wonder what my Dad will say.
She looks over at me and flashes this weird sort of half smile. It's almost like she knows what I've been thinking. As soon as that thought goes through my head, she gives a slight nod before she looks back at Autumn. She knows! Somehow she knows all of it. She knows exactly what I've been thinking.
Mom reached out and picked Autumn up to hold the femme against her left side. Autumn put her right arm across the back of Mom's shoulders and curled her legs a little for balance. I am still sitting on Autumn's right shoulder, but the move was so gentle and smooth, that I didn't even need to get a grip to hold on. That's when Mom turned and walked out of the medbay, while carrying both of us.