One and only disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. The only things I own are the characters of my making and my ideas.

Interim

M.E.C.H is up to something, D.A.A know that for sure—but the question is what? If Zelda thought she'd been through the hardest challenge M.E.C.H could offer her—well, she's about to discover that might not be all true.

Pre—Sunstreaker/Zelda/Sideswipe

Bayverse AU.

Part 2 in the Æon Series

(Everything that comes after Interim will be posted within this book)

[Interim Overhaul Uploaded: 21/11/2024]

[Interim Final Word Count: ~32.5k]

Chapter One: Witwicky Household

The ancient being sat in quiet contemplation, its timeless gaze pierced through the fabric of reality to watch the young organic femme. It was a delicate balance, her acceptance of this newfound strength shaping her destiny in profound ways. As she would navigate this journey, diverging paths would converge, forming a singular route laden with possibility.

Every choice she made now carried weight as paths that once seemed promising had become obsolete, cast aside as unviable options. Yet, this new journey did not limit her; this path was not merely an endpoint—it unveiled a multitude of new avenues, each filled with potential and peril. The possibilities stretched before her like a tapestry, each thread glimmering with the weight of her decisions, unknowingly urging her onward into the unknown.

Which direction shall she lead them down, He wondered, seeing too many variables to count. Some so strikingly similar with the most minute differences.

Each harbored pain in their own right: agony and growth, loss and family. This little femme, whose fate had been intertwined with His children long before this slumbering planet came to be, had been long awaited.

For a moment, He basks in the longing for the old days—cherishing the companionship of his loved ones, his brother, and their lover. But their time together has come and gone. Their sweet Primera had awaited this moment—the moment when everything would change. He had never truly understood Her devotion to this desired outcome, but now, as He feels the bright star before Him, He thinks He finally grasps it.

He contemplated for a moment as He observed the Daughter of Earth, a radiant being who now embodied the very spirit of Primera. The air around her seemed to shimmer with energy, reflecting her profound connection to not just His Children, but also the universe. What direction will she take, and how will it shape the future? He pondered the choices that lie before her and the profound impact those decisions may have on her destiny and the world around her.

His thoughts turn to those words He had uttered, "When the moment comes that the ground turns liquid, a presence shall bring a new fury and the end of an essence."

He worried about the choices she would make and the future they might lead to.

My hair whipped about as I rested my head against Sunstreaker's window frame, my arm dangling outside as he drove down the near-deserted highway.

The silence that had begun as soon as we'd set off had long ago been replaced with blaring music, but the lack of speaking wasn't because of an awkward air between us—no, the silence between Sunstreaker and me was never gauche; in fact, it was welcomed.

Sunstreaker was naturally an aloof person, so the lack of conversation was normal, and I feltcomfortablein that silence. Silence had been a companion I had sometimes come to enjoy—I had learnt to use that silence and found sometimes I liked it better than human company.

And surprisingly, Sunstreaker hadn't protested when I had taken to resting my feet on his dashboard—shoeless of course—and just listened to the music he had started playing from my iPod.

I ran a hand through my loose hair, brushing it away from my face as it whipped in front of it.

My legs had gone numb, so I lowered them from the dashboard. My knees cracked at the movement, and I grimaced at the ache. I sighed, despite being cramped in Sunstreaker's form for the last two and ahalf hours, I felt oddly relaxed.

I blinked, turning my gaze onto the rapidly moving environment—this was the furthest away I had been from all of the Autobots since finding out I had become the host of the AllSpark. It, admittedly, put me on edge a little bit—not that I didn't feel comfortable with Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and Bumblebee. Because I did. Easily. However, it was the power in me that felt queasy at the distance to Optimus, Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide.

We passed several cars, and I rested my head back on the headrest. My thumb subconsciously stroked back and forth on the outside of Sunstreaker's door, and I only realised I had been doing so when I felt his frame shudder.

I blinked, turning to the holoform. Sunstreaker's holoform was quite handsome—in fact, all the Autobots had holoform that were incredibly good-looking. I almost didn't believe Ratchet when he said the software generated the holoform to be the literal humanization of their real selves.

Sunstreaker bore Korean features with dark hair and tanned complexion. His eyes, however, were a muted version of his real ones which made him rather striking to look at since such a colour was not a natural one for someone of such ethnicity. Still, his hair was on the longer side and was a few inches from reaching his shoulders, which was currently pulled back into a scruffy bun with stray strains falling on either side of his face. His brows were defined, and his jaw had some stubble.

Sunstreaker glanced at me, then averted his gaze—sheepishly.

"You're stroking my plating," he answered after a moment. He cleared his throat.

I pulled my arm back inside sheepishly. "Sorry."

"N-no, no!" he waved me off, holoform's cheeks gaining some colour. "It's alright—it feels quiteniceto be truthful."

"It does?" I asked curiously. He nodded. "Is your plating sensitive then?"

"No—our protoform is. It's just… I—I'm super hyperaware of your touch." His lips twitched upwards. I cleared my throat this time—oh.

I felt his amusement, as he grinned. "No need to be embarrassed, sweetcheeks."

I spluttered wordlessly at the nickname—normally it was Sideswipe with them. In fact, this was the first time Sunstreaker had even called me anything other than Zelda.

He snickered at my response, and I pouted at him.

"It's not nice to tease others," I chided.

He raised a brow. "Says you."

"…Touché"

We shared a chuckle.

The entire journey from base to Tranquility took a good several hours. Thankfully, the bots slightly shortened that because they liked to drive fast. Either way, we entered Tranquility's city edge by half-four, and I was finally feeling restless from the long drive.

I seemed to be radiating it, or maybe he could feel it over the thread, because Sunstreaker reached over, hand landing on my knee. My breath lodged in my throat at the touch—my knee stopped its jigging in response.

It was my turn to shudder as his thumb made small circular motions as he gently squeezing my kneecap. But I found myself becoming relaxing, muscles loosening at the soothing touch.

I murmured a thank you, and he hummed in return.

His hand didn't move for the rest of the journey.

Another half an hour flew by before we finally pulled up outside the Witwicky's residence. Bumblebee scooted in front of Sunstreaker and parked on the driveway while the twins stopped at the roadside.

I unbuckled and stretched, feeling as my back gave satisfying cracks. Sunstreaker opened the door before I could, and I shot him a smile as I pulled my shoes on. He grunted in response before his holoform climbed out too.

Aria stepped out of Bumblebee with his holoform, and Sideswipe slipped out of his alt. My attention was drawn to the front door as it swung open, and Judy came running out with a wide smile and teary face.

"My two adorable nieces!" she cried, immediately pulling Aria, who was the closest, into a hug—my sister laughed lightly as she returned it. Judy waved me over, and as I didn't want her crying to escalate, I joined.

"Ohhh, it's been so long since both of you have been here together!"

It hadbeen almost three years since Aria and I had both been in the Witwicky household at the same time. Ispent the most time here out of us two, and as much as I loved to see my remaining family, I was always injured during the stays.

After…Ophiuchus, I spent several months in therapy and in a familiar place that wouldn't set me off. Aria had driven back and forth over a dozen times during my stay because she was practically my lifeline at that point. I had lost the only other person I had loved so dearly, that even the notion of long-term separation from Aria at that point set me off into a panic attack. Even now, the idea of going a dozen weeks without some sort of contact left me jittery.

Judy pulled back, giving Aria a once over before doing the same to me but settled with giving me a stern look. "Heaven forbid you come to see us without any injuries."

I laughed nervously. "Sorry?"

She rolled her eyesbefore turning to Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker with a wide, typical Judy-like smile. "Hello. It's lovely to meet you finally."

Right, it had almost slipped my mind that Judy and Ron were in the know—especially since Bumblebee would be staying with them. It was safer if they knew that an alien would be using their garage as a home for the next few years.

It left me feeling just the slightest bit odd—I wasn't great at separating my own feelings from the AllSpark's influence yet. There were some things I could get my head around, but others were a lot more complex than something I could speak to the Autobots about.

There's a difference between theory and practical, as they say. But I believe the oddity stemmed from the fact that Bumblebee would be staying here—it was the only real explanation I could think possible at the moment.

"And it's just as lovely to meet you, ma'am!" Sideswipe beamed, reaching out to shake my aunt's hand.

The Autobots had been doing research into Earth's cultures and greetings after a small incident where (I had been comatose at the time, so this was coming from Logan) when Logan went to greet Optimus' holoform with a handshake, the Prime had looked visibly confused and a tad bit worried.

It was explained that since Cybertronians varied in height a lot of the time, they didn't have handshakes—in fact, most Cybertronians had weapons on their right arms and holding your hand out like that was like aiming your weapon. Hence why Optimus was a bit concerned at the greeting.

It was smoothed over quickly, and the Autobots agreed to look into Earth culture in response so there would be less confusion thenext time they met someone. It was sweet of them.

"Well, aren't you well-mannered!" Judy smiled.

Sunstreaker snorted and Bee grinned widely behind his hand. I bit my lip to stop myself from following Sunstreaker's example. Aria giggled quietly.

"Why, thank you!" Sideswipe answered, then pointed to himself. "I'm Sideswipe. My brother is Sunstreaker, and myshortie is Bumblebee."

"Hey!" Bee rebutted with a pout, "My holoform's not that short!"

I laughed, reaching over and ruffling his hair—he was shorter than all of us, though he did come close to Aria and myself.

"Zelda!" He ducked away from my hand, and I grinned, rushing after him. He screeched and began running around the front yard in an attempt to shake me, but I kept up, laughing all the while. The spectators all joined in with the laughter.

I followed Bee into the house, and I finally tackled him. He squawked as we went down. I took to tickling him, and he squealed, begging me to stop. I only did so when I felt my arm begin to quiver. I clenched my fist and grimaced. A hand gently wrapping around my wrist made me look up. Bee smiled weakly, his concern fluttering over, silently asking if it hurt.

Bumblebee's holoform was that of a sixteen-year-old, a year 'younger' than Sam and Mikaela—because, really, Bee was a lot older by Cybertronian standards. The holoform had short and scruffy blonde hair with a square jaw. He had neat and thinner brows in contrast to Sunstreaker. He looked pretty mature while also retaining an adolescent appearance in both personality and speech.

"It's fine," I answered.

He nodded, brows furrowing with his concern. "Just tell us if it does, okay?"

I nodded. Our attention, however, was drawn to the front door as the othersjoined us, perhaps finding the sudden silence a bit worrying.

"Are you both good?" Aria asked first, loping into the house. Her ginger hair swished at her movements, a stark contrast to the creams and browns of the Witwicky hallway.

"All good," Bee grinned and pushed himself to his feet, pulling me up with him.

"Should you be straining yourself?" Judy asked frettingly.

"All healed," I chimed. "Just some aches occasionally, Judy."

Judy looked at me like she didn't know whether to believe me—not that I was surprised. She and Ron had been told a little more about what Aria and I do. The government considered them okay with knowing the bare essentials now, but itwasa surprise as D.A.A was something very few had clearance to know existed.

I noticed the distinct lack of Uncle Ron and Sam. I voiced it.

"Oh, Ron went to pick Sam up," Judy smiled. Right, it was a school week, and Sam was once again carless. "Would anyone like some drinks—can you even drink?" She turned to the holoforms curiously.

"Yes!" Bee beamed, arm shooting up into the air. "Ratchet adjusted the software to allow us to!"

Judy laughed, eyes twinkling in amusement. Bumblebee really act like a sixteen-year-old, it was obvious Judy was gonna love spoiling him. "Well then, we've got plenty to choose from!"

Bee giggled and followed after her. Aria patted my shoulder and followed.

"Your aunt isn't nearly as bad as you made her out to be," Sideswipe commented, tone amused.

I turned to him. His holoform was practically identical to Sunstreaker but with shorter hair. Much like his brother, Sideswipe's eyes were a muted blue.

I snorted and gave him a wary glance. "You haven't seen her angry yet. You've seen Aria's freak out; well, Judy's is worse."

Sideswipe shuddered, "Damn, really? Aria's Ratchet worthy."

I nodded.

Sunstreaker snorted, lips curling upwards. "Best not piss her off then, yeah?"

I grinned. "Yep! Anyway, let's get our bags now. Saves going back out later."

So we returned outside and did just that. The bags were taken upstairs and into the spare bedrooms. For some reason, Ron and Judy had gone with a four-bedroom house, and while it gave Aria and I each a room of our own when here, it was just Ron was a bit of a cheap-ass. It was something that always came to mind whenever I was here, but I never got around to asking.

I opened my door—which was on the back left, Sam's on the right—and dropped my bag on the spinney chair. Sunstreaker put my other on the bed. I wanted to sigh because beds weren'treallymy thing. I'd gotten used to sleeping on a hammock because, for some reason, it helped minimise the nightmares. I never understood my mind, but who was I to questionwhen it worked in my favour?

Sideswipe appeared moments later after having dropped Aria's bag in her room and leant on the doorframe.

"What's with the look?" Sides' voice brought me from my musing. I blinked up at him.

"What look?"

"The wistful look."

"Oh," was my oh-so-intelligent response. It got a smile from the twins though. "I'm not the biggest fan of beds. I'm a hammock girl all the way."

It was their turn to blink—in unison, mind you. It was a funny sight, and I bit my lip to stop the grin, which I failed at.

I watched as their eyes dimmed, no doubt looking up what hammocks were. Sideswipe started laughing, falling back onto the doorframe.

Sunstreaker smirked. "Really?"

I nodded. "I've always had a fondness for them. Sleeping in a bed is hard these days."

Of course, I wasn't going to just tell them that sleeping in a bed left me at the mercy of nightmares—memories—ofOphiuchus. It was a horrible time. It was why I felt so unworthy of being the host of the AllSpark. The death and horror that I saw—committed—it wasn't anything I'd wish upon anyone.

"Anyway," I grinned, not allowing my thoughts to linger on the topic any longer. It wouldn't do me any good. Sideswipe sniggered. "Since there isn't much here, would you guys like to go out? There's a park about ten minutes from here."

The park that Sam had gone out to the day he had gotten Bumblebee, where he had later given Mikaela a lift home—Sam had arrived after dark all giddy and excitedly explained to me why.

"Park?" Sunstreaker perked up.

"Yeah, it's areallybig pretty plot of public land," I answered. "And since it's getting late on a school day, there'll probably be little to no people."

"Pit yeah, let's do it!" Sides grinned, reaching to nab my hand and leading me downstairs. I snorted with laughter, glancing over my shoulder at Sunstreaker, who was following behind in amusement.

We shared a smile.

This time, I was with Sideswipe, pointing out the directions to the park. The day's warmth was reaching a point where you could feel how late it was getting—that gorgeous balmy heat, the evening warmth people dream about.

I couldn't stop the content hum that escaped as I leaned my head against Side's doorframe and allowed the wind and warm sun to brush my cheeks.

Sideswipe's amusement was apparent, but I didn't care, shooting him an easy smile. He chuckled.

"This left," I offered as the turning came up. Sideswipe turned onto the slip road with Sunstreaker a few moments behind him.

As we drove through the park gates, the people walking turned their attention towards the mechs, the sound of their alt-forms an almost purr. It didn't help that Lamborghinis were very beautiful cars too, so there were bound to be gawkers.

Eventually, we reached one of the smaller lakes, which was also the quietest of the four in the park, and we climbed out. I didn't waste any time pulling off my shoes and socks and rolling up my jeans enough that I could step into the warm water.

I wiggled my toes, burying them under the sand. I didn't turn when the other two followed, but only one actually entered the water. I twisted my head to grin at Sideswipe when he stopped next to me.

I pouted over my shoulder at Sunstreaker as the Sideswipe turned to face his brother, resting an arm on my shoulder. "Not coming in, Sunny?"

He sneered, arms crossed. "Don't call me that, but no, I'm fine where I am."

I grinned, laughing as Sides pouted. "Howrude."

Sides turned to me, sharing my grin, eyes twinkling in amusement. "He never joins in with anything fun like this, Doll! He's so asocial and cantankerous!"

I snorted in a vain attempt to avoid laughing, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the sound.

"Sideswipe!" Sunstreaker snapped. "Just because I don't want to get into the water doesn't make me either of those things!"

I batted at Sides' arm that was on my shoulder, then once he'd done so, stepped back and—

—kicked.

Sideswipe yelped at the sudden splash of water and stumbled back, so unbalanced that he lost his footing and ended up sitting in the ankle-deep water, gapping like a fish.

I laughed boisterously. Sunstreaker himself burst into laughter.

"Your face," Sunstreaker sniggered.

Sideswipe glared at him, but then that look was transferred to me. The look turned into something else—somethingdevious.

Oh, no.

I turned tail and ran out of the water with a squeal, listening as Sideswipe scrambled to his feet and ran after me. Sunstreaker continued to laugh; at some time, he'd fallen to the ground, almost wheezing as I did a complete circle around the lake, Sides never far behind me.

"Sunstreaker!" I squawked. "Help!"

He grinned, getting to his feet just as I approached. Before I could even question what he had planned, helifted me from my feet. I gasped in surprise as I found myself slung over his shoulder as he himself turned and started running.

I looked up to see Sides grinning so widely that ithadto hurt. He laughed at my perplexed expression—I hadn't expected to be swept off my feet!

Eventually, our playing trailed off when my muscles began quivering again (stupid things), leaving us lying on the grass, watching as the sun was beginning to make a noticeable descent toward the horizon.

It was Sunstreaker who broke the peaceful silence. "I have to admit, I might… dislike the amount of dirt this planet has, but it's beautiful."

I directed my gaze toward him, the sun catching his form at just the right angle to create a pretty scattering of shadows. My chest suddenly felt heavier, my heart beating a bit faster. I then turned my gaze forward to keep my composure.

"Tell me about Cybertron," I asked to distract myself.

That seemed to surprise them, both glancing at me.

"Really?" Sides asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Ratchet said I'd probably end up knowing quite a lot of Cybertronian later because of the AllSpark but I wanna hear it from your perspectives first."

They shared smiled.

"Well, obviously, it's a completely metallic plant," Sides started, "So different from Earth, yet at the same time, they're both so similar with all the wildlife."

"It has one sun, much like your solar system but we have two moons. A large silver one, Ukla, and a small pink one, only one-sixth the size of Ukla called Thos."

"Pink?!" I gapped and they laughed.