Chapter 2 – A Little History, Color, and Water
Sunday evening…
"What did you say they were called again?" Miko asked.
They were finally back at base after a long drive as there had been no one to operate the ground bridge. Although they had found that trying to contain four little squirming bots in a truck cab was no easy task. Bumblebee kept smashing his face plate up against the window trying to watch the scenery and Ratchet was fussy because Bulkhead was nearly sitting on him due to the cramped space. The kids had barely been able fit themselves, Miko and Jack were squished into the corners and Rafael had been stashed atop the dashboard. Optimus had had quite a time just trying to stay on the road as his steering wheel kept getting bumped into or grabbed. All the while baring the constant discomfort of small treads and servos digging and pushing into his doors, seats, floor, and dash. And more than once his horn had accidently gone off which Miko apologized for each time. Never had the Prime been more ready to transform back into bot mode and stretch his aching parts after finally being able to unload his passengers.
He now stood by the platform, watching Rafael type on his laptop having connected to the Autobots' main terminal. The relic sat next to the young boy hooked up with wires running to the computer panel. For the last hour or more they had been trying to determine exactly what it was or how it worked. So far there hadn't been much luck. Meanwhile, Jack and Miko had been entertaining the four little bots on the ground floor.
Optimus turned briefly to the girl as he answered her question. "In Cybertronian culture they are referred to as 'sparklings'."
"Oh yeah." She waved a hand at the green mech. "Hello little sparkling Bulkhead." Bulkhead giggled and mimicked her wave. "Awww! How cute!"
"Exactly how old would they be?" Jack asked. He rolled a soccer ball to Arcee who happily swatted it back.
A corner of the Prime's mouth pulled back slightly. "While I am far from being an expert in matters of this sort, judging from their behavior and size I would estimate them to be approximately a few weeks old."
Miko clasped her hands under her chin. "They're practically newborns! Just very big newborns."
It was true. Even if only young sparklings, they were large compared to the children. Bulkhead was the biggest of them, literally the same height as Jack.
"Well after all Miko, they are Cybertronian so of course they'd be big even when little," Jack said. He chuckled when Arcee squeaked while batting a servo at the ball. The ball rolled off in another direction and the little femme quickly crawled on all fours after it with Bumblebee and Bulkhead scooting after her.
"I think I've got something." The young boy's voice brought Optimus's attention back.
"Good work, Rafael. What have you found?"
"Well, I've been going through records in the computer data regarding Cybertronian history and its different known artifacts and relics. They talk a lot about the ones we've already been able to collect, but there wasn't anything close to this or what it did." The boy gestured to the object in question. "So I expanded my search to myths and legends and came up with this." Rafael's finger taped on the laptop keyboard and an image appeared on the large monitor from his screen for Optimus to see. Jack and Miko leaned in to get a better view. The screen had Cybertronian script all over it that the kids couldn't read along with a computer diagram of a triangle-shaped object that looked very similar to theirs. The Prime looked at it easily as though it were all in English.
"I have heard of this relic the legend speaks of," Optimus said after a moment of scanning. "Though I admit, I never took the account seriously."
Miko waved a hand with a waggled of her head. "Um, hello? Some of us can't read alien you know. Translation please?"
Rafael pushed his glasses up his nose, still staring at his laptop screen. "This particular script talks about a mysterious relic that supposedly dates way back to near the beginning of Cybertron itself. There's other small similar mentions of it throughout other records but this is the closest. It also talks a lot about a certain Cybertronian called Vector Prime and his relation to the relic."
"Wait, you can read that?" Miko asked in surprise, pointing to what her brain made out as gibberish on the monitor.
Rafael gave a sheepish grin. "Not really. I've been trying to learn but Ratchet helped me install a translator into my laptop so I could read through the history files they have."
"So who is this Vector Prime exactly?" Jack asked.
Optimus's blue optics turned downwards to the boy as he began to speak. "One of my predecessors and one of the first 13 original Primes who were created by Primus, the creator of our kind. Each Prime had a specific role to help the expansion of our race. Vector Prime was appointed the guardian of time and space, gifted with the unique ability to be attuned to its flow. Among the strongest of the Primes, he wielded a mighty sword constructed from ethereal properties which only he could control its mighty force. A blade so sharp its edges could slice through the fabric of time itself, opening portals to anywhere at any time in space and even other dimensions. It is rumored he also possessed the power to control the flow of time, being able to turn it back and altar events. With his temporal mechanics analyzer, he was able to observe all that happened in each linear pathway; whether it be in the past, present, or future. His great power allowed him to navigate across the multiverse at mere will, allowing him to track and record events across the countless streams of realities. Millions of timelines where any decision we may have chosen different is a world all its own."
Miko's eyes were wide. "Wow! Now that is one cool dude bot."
Jack looked equally impressed. "So did you know him?"
"I did." Optimus gave a nod of his helm. "Many years ago, during the time when the wars were just beginning on Cybertron. He was a great warrior and a powerful ally – and a good friend. He was also once the carrier of the Matrix of Leadership."
"The same one you have in you?"
Optimus's servos lightly touched at his chest plates. "Yes. Though he left it in the care of the Autobot leaders when he later left Cybertron to guard the space time continuum."
"So what does time-travel Prime have to do with our bot-shrinking doohickey?" Miko asked, hands resting nonchalantly on her hips.
Rafael looked back at his laptop. "This says that when the Cybertronians began to grow as a world, Vector Prime worried about the safety of their race in the future millennia to come should anything happen to him. So he went to Solus Prime, one of the other original 13, and asked for her to create a device that could hold the same power as him. Solus Prime used her great forge to construct a relic of incredible power simply referred to here as a 'key', able to connect to any space bridge where it could the open up portals do any point of time in space or reality."
"And that's this?" Miko pointed up where the relic sat on the platform above her. "So it's like real sci-fi time travel? Just in a metal triangle thingy?" The phraseology could have been better, but technically was still correct. Rafael gave a nod.
"Basically, it's a time displacement device to replicate Vector Prime's power. At least, I think so." The brown eyes flickered up to the large mech at the platform's edge, looking for approving conformation.
Optimus saw and put the boy at ease. "I concur with your conclusion, Raff."
Jack's brow furrowed. "So how did it get here on earth?"
"This says," Rafael continued to summarize, "that after activating it with his own power, Vector Prime took the relic to a safe hiding spot until it would someday be needed. I guess that spot was earth."
"But if that is the device, why didn't it do what it was designed to do? Why did it de-age Arcee and the others instead of creating a space-time portal?"
"The record does state," Optimus began thoughtfully, "that the relic was created to be used with a space bridge mechanism. It is possible that without it, its power is unfocused and unreliable. It must be controlled in order to function properly."
Rafael adjusted his glasses. "When it was dropped it activated but, not being controlled, instead of creating a time warp, it somehow pushed time through the bots. Which is what caused them to become sparklings again." He looked somewhat apologetically at the red and blue mech. "I've studied the relic, but that seems to be about all I can learn or really do. I know electronics but this is way too advanced. I've tried to learn some about Cybertronian technology, but I just don't understand it all yet."
Optimus gave the young boy a gentle reassuring smile. "Do not concern yourself, my young friend. As it originates from my home world, I will greater understand that area better. You have done well and I am impressed with how much you have been able to gather. It will be of great help as I continue to study the mechanics of the device."
Rafael's face brightened. Anyone would admit it was nice to receive praise from the Autobot leader. He closed his laptop, setting it aside as he hopped off his chair.
Jack stepped up a bit. "Do you think you'll be able to figure out how to return our friends to normal?"
The mech's optic brows tightened slightly. "I cannot say for certain, Jack. Only that I will do everything that I possibly can to restore them."
"That's good enough for me," the raven haired boy smiled up.
Optimus's reply was only a soft one of his own in return. The outlook was dim. He didn't know how or even if he would be able to fix this, but the faith and trust in the children's faces helped feed new hope.
Miko tapped a finger on her chin. "Maybe Wheeljack could help us out."
Jack gave her a strange look. "Are you trying to make this situation worse?"
"True."
"Maybe we could get some help from the Rescue Bots?" he suggested. "I mean Cody told us about when they helped watch over that robo-baby."
The girl's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Are you kidding? Have you heard Chase sing? The last thing we need is a bunch of sparklings traumatized by off-key lullabies."
Rafael nearly snickered as he came down the stairs. "Yeah. From what I heard, that didn't quite turn out the greatest."
"So I guess we're on our own with this," Jack said uneasily. A hand gestured to the closest of the large blue treads beside them. "Of course we do have one of their own kind still here so at least we're not totally in the dark."
High above, the Prime quirked a brow with a strange expression. "Umm…"
"But how are we going to–" Rafael started but was interrupted.
"Guys! Guys! C'mon, stop worrying so much," Miko interjected with a confident grin. "Trust me, this'll be easy. How hard can it be to watch over a few sparklings?" Jack just smirked. Like Miko knew even the slightest thing about all this.
Rafael looked around. "Umm… speaking of. Where are they?"
"Huh?" the black and pink pigtails whipped right and left. But there wasn't a sparkling in sight.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the large concrete silo that made the kids jump. A clattering followed like more metal hitting the floor.
"It came from back there!" Jack sprinted off with the others and Optimus right behind. Seconds later, they rounded the corner of the platform and skidded to a halt. Jaws dropped and Miko gasped.
Bright splotches of red, orange, yellow, and two shades of dark and light blue paint were slowly spreading across the floor, and four little sparklings were right in the middle of the colorful scene. Arcee, who was now mostly yellow, sat atop a small crate with a paint can in her little servos, dumping the remains of the butter colored contents out onto her lap. It rolled from the puddle between her legs, down the side of the crate, and onto the floor. The rest of the paint cans lay strewn on the floor in their respected colors. Miko had left those paint cans there from when she had worked on her school project with Bulkhead that one time in case she ever needed them again, and had forgotten all about them. Obviously, the sparklings had discovered them sitting on top of the crate and Arcee had managed to climb up, knock them down, and rip the lid off the one she now held. Bulkhead was lying flat on his back in a mix of yellow and oranges making what could only be described as paint angels, a bit of stray red making a pinkish yellow smear on one "wing". The pail that had once contained the dark blue Ratchet had between his little legs, repeatedly reaching inside and scooping out what was left. Paint dripped from his arms as he flung it into the air like confetti, his helm nearly as blue as Optimus's. Bumblebee was amusedly rubbing his servos through the slimy substance, slowing turning the lighter blue and red he sat in into a type of lavender purple. He slapped at it and bleeped a giggle as it splattered on his faceplate.
In short terms; it was a mess.
"You were saying a moment ago?" Jack muttered.
Miko's jaw hung open. "Oh. My. Gosh!"
"How did they even do all this so fast?" Rafael mused in wonder.
"How could you let them wonder off like that?!" Jack snipped at the Japanese girl. "You were supposed to watch them!"
Miko's finger stabbed at the boy's chest. "Hey! Don't blame this all on me! You were on baby bot duty too!"
"There is no one person to blame," a calm baritone interrupted. All eyes turned up to the tall mech behind. "We were all careless in our attention to them. Now that we have learned of the consequences that can come from such negligence, let us simply attempt to not repeat our error." The kids looked down in guilt.
"Yeah, you're right," Jack admitted. "I guess we really should just focus on…" he eyed the mess with a sigh, "cleaning all this up."
Miko groaned long and loud with a roll of her head. "Not how I planned on spending my day."
"Well the first thing we need to do is get them cleaned up before that stuff dries on them," Rafael said in a get-down-to-business way. "Plus they're all filthy from being out in that canyon." He looked to Bumblebee who still had smears of dirt on his chrome faceplate from his dirt snack along with the lavender spots. "Then we focus on cleaning up this spilled paint."
"In other words," Jack smirked, "it's bath time."
Optimus and Jack left the others to watch the sparklings while they rounded up supplies. Optimus found some empty oil drums in the storage room which he sliced in half with his fist blade to make four perfect little bot-sized tubs. Jack collected bottles of soap that they had for when the Autobots needed a wash (as none of them were fond of going through car washes), some sponges, soft brushes, and lots of towels. They met back at the main room where Jack filled the tubs half full with warm water and squirted a generous helping of soap in each. Then they were ready.
But pulling four happy sparklings away from their fun proved to be more difficult than expected.
"C'mon Bulk," Miko tried to entice from the edge of the colorful puddle. "Don't you want to get all nice and clean?" She yelped in disgust as drops of orange and pinks splattered her face. The little bot just giggled in delight at the reaction. Miko wiped her cheek. "Uck! They're never coming out. And I am not stepping in that!"
"Bee," Rafael tried. "C'mon, Bee. Come and – Ugh!" He quickly covered his face with an arm, trying to shield his glasses as lavender and red splatted his shirt.
"We're going to need baths by the time we get them out of there," Jack groaned. With no other way to get there, he tiptoed through the slippery mess, coming up to the crate Arcee sat on. She was busy trying to stick her helm in the much smaller diameter paint can. "Time to come down now." He reached his arms up, hoping it might entice her from her perch.
The femme took one look and, before Jack had a chance to even react, thrust the paint can over his head. Jack sputtered in surprise and nearly fell. Outside the thin tin he could hear Miko laughing hysterically. He spit as he quickly removed his unwanted hat with a gasp. His raven black hair was nearly solid yellow.
Miko hooted another laugh, holding her stomach. "Maybe she's trying to tell you she'd like you better as a blond!"
"Ha ha," Jack blandly threw back. He shivered as wet slimy paint dripped from the back of his hair and down his back. He wondered what his mother would say when he got home. He wasn't even going to think about how he was explain his whole day yet.
"Allow me to assist." The Prime's large servo reached down and scooped the little femme off the crate, then picked up Bulkhead who came without any complaint.
"Couldn't he've done that before I got my face painted?" Miko grumbled to Rafael.
Optimus's other fingers picked up the lavender and yellow sparkling, who bleeped sadly at having to leave the fascinating substance. Ratchet was having a tussle with Jack who was trying to get the paint can away from him. With a whine, Ratchet wrenched it away, causing the boy's feet to slip on the paint and he went down to his hands and knees.
"Oh great," he grumbled. "Why don't I just save myself the trouble and just roll in it?"
Gently transferring Bumblebee to his other servo with Arcee and Bulkhead, Optimus picked up the sparkling, paint can and all. Ratchet tried to get down but the grip was firm. Realizing he wasn't going to be allowed back to his fun, the little mech suddenly gave a howling wail and threw the can with all his stubby arm's might. It hit Optimus square in the chest plates, and, even though mostly empty, little speckles of leftover blue shot up across the large windshields and he grimaced, feeling some even reach his face plate. Optimus just blinked, not sure what to do.
Both of Miko's hands covered her mouth. It was hard to tell whether it was out of shock or trying to hold back laughter.
"Well, this outta be fun," Jack mumbled taking off his shoes that looked as though they had been tie-dyed so he didn't track it everywhere and also his socks. He set them aside and went barefoot to where Miko and Rafael waited with sponges in hand. "Okay, bring them over."
Gently, Optimus placed a sparkling in each of the homemade washtubs. Jack noticed the Prime glance at the multicolored residue left on his servos and the blue splattered up his front.
"I'll help you wash that off later," he offered and the Prime gave a nod of thanks.
Rolling up their sleeves (the kids that is), they began to vigorously work at removing the sparklings' new paint jobs. At first the little bots weren't sure what to make of the water, but quickly realized how fun water and soap could be. Since there were four and four, each member took a sparkling to work on. Rafael took Bumblebee, Jack – Arcee, Miko – Bulkhead, and Optimus – Ratchet.
Miko dipped her hands in the soapy slightly pinkish orange colored water then held them up, making a circle with her fingers. "Hey Bulkhead. Look at the pretty bubble." She blew into it and a big glossy bubble floated out and flittered around in front of the green mech's face. He stared with wide blue optics. Fascinated, he reached out a finger and touched it. It instantly popped. Miko laughed at Bulkhead's astonished expression. "Don't worry. Here, I'll make more." She began dipping and blowing as fast as she could. Bulkhead began to giggle with glee, waving his servos at the floating orbs.
Rafael was glad they had used warm water as Bumblebee thought splashing was the greatest fun and the front of his shirt and pants were soon drenched. "Hold still, Bee." Bumblebee just bleeped again and patted at the water that was now dull grayish lavender in color, sending more splashing out. Rafael couldn't help but laugh, for the yellow sparkling's actions were pretty cute. He tried to wipe away the droplets from his glasses before beginning to scrub just under and behind the audio output, which Bumblebee seemed to enjoy. He wiggled his little treads, making the water swish back and forth as he closed his optics in a moment of bliss before trying to scoop up all the tiny soap bubbles floating around him.
Arcee was being a sweet angel. She sat quietly as Jack gently scrubbed her metal shell, contentedly playing with an extra sponge he'd given her.
Poor Optimus, it seemed, had gotten the worst of the lot. He was down on one knee plate, doing everything he could just to keep the sparkling in the tub. Though it seemed Ratchet didn't mind sitting and playing with the bubbly water, it was the scrubbing he didn't like, and the white and orange sparkling, already unhappy about being taken from his fun, was not in any better of a mood. He kept whining and struggling against the Prime's hold, especially when Optimus tried to wash the blue from his helm. A lot of scuffling had once drawn the kids attention and they had looked up to see Optimus quickly snatching up the little mech who had somehow managed to bail out and was attempting to escape, crawling at full speed across the floor. It was quite a wail Ratchet had given when he was forced back into the tub. Optimus never displayed any vexation or frustration, but the subtle expression clearly told he was quite outside his normal comfort zone. His large fingers didn't make his job any easier trying to scrub a small sparkling with a tiny sponge.
Jack knew the Prime was trying his best and couldn't help but feel amusedly sorry for him. Since she had behaved so well, it wasn't long before he had finished giving Arcee a thorough scrubbing. He handed the femme an empty soap bottle he'd used up. "Here, Arcee. You can play with this too. Now stay right here."
Arcee's little smile lit up her faceplate as she eagerly took the new "toy". Jack left her tub, hearing the giggles behind as the sparkling discovered how the bottle could float. He came up to Optimus as he again caught Ratchet before he could jump out. The large mech's blue gaze turned to the boy as he approached. Jack wasn't sure if he was imaging it or not, but it seemed those optics were quietly pleading the word "help".
"I'm finished with Arcee so I came to help you out."
The Prime gave a small vent. "Thank you, Jack." A ton of gratitude weighted the simple words.
Optimus handed over the sponge and the two worked together to clean the fussy Ratchet. Optimus held him in place while Jack did the scrubbing. Miko and Rafael even left their bots for a bit to help out when the sparkling decided to have a major fit. But many wails and splashes later, the little mech was once again his normal white and orange coloring.
When all traces of paint had been thoroughly removed, the sparklings were taken from their tubs and gently doused in clean water to rinse away any leftover dirty water. Then all grabbed towels and began drying them off. Ratchet was non to pleased about that either but seemed to have gotten most of his tantrums out while in the bath.
"Their metal is so soft!" Rafael said in amazement as he rubbed Bumblebee's helm. The little yellow mech pushed into it, enjoying the sensation.
"All newborn sparklings' shells are softer," Optimus explained. "As they mature, the metal will began to harden as more protection is required."
"That's amazing!" Jack said as he too stroked Arcee's blue metal.
Miko tilted her head as she noticed something. "I thought it was just because they were dirty but their colors don't seem as bright as I remember."
It was true. All the sparklings color schemes was duller then when they had been full grown. Bulkhead was a very drab olive green and the white on Ratchet had a grayish tinge to it.
"A perceptive observation, Miko," Optimus answered as he finished drying a squirming Ratchet. "Just as with their shells, their colors will brighten again to what you remember. Though that will be some time from now."
Rafael had still been scratching the yellow sparkling. He gasped in surprise as Bumblebee suddenly scooped him up in small arms and hugged him tight against his chest, optics happily closed.
Miko clasped her hands. "Awwww! He thinks you're a teddy bear." Rafael gave a nervous laugh.
"Wait a minute." Jack listened carefully. "Do I hear … purring?" A soft droning vibration resonated from the little mech's frame in steady rhythm.
"Sparklings will often produce this sound when they are content," Optimus explained. "Or when with ones they trust and know. Often the parents of sparklings will return the sound as part of a bonding process."
Miko's eyes couldn't get any more puppy dog wide. "AWWW! It's just like kittens!"
Jack began prying the little servos from his young friend who was finding it rather difficult to breathe from the affection. "Alright, Bee. Time to let Raff go now." After a bit of tugging, Bumblebee finally freed him a bit sadly. Rafael took in a gasp of new air. Jack grinned. "Quite the hug."
The younger boy only smiled. "He's just trying to say he likes us."
While Miko and Rafael wiped up the water that had splashed on the floor, Jack kept his word and helped the Prime rid himself of the spots of blue paint still stuck to his chassis and windows. He made sure to be extra gentle when scrubbing them from the chrome faceplate. Most of the colorful patches on his servos had washed off with Ratchet's bath and didn't take long to finish.
When done, the kids cleaned up all the washing supplies while Optimus dumped the all the odd paint colored water from the tubs down one of the silo's floor drains. Then he and Rafael kept a watch on the sparklings while Jack and Miko went to clean up the paint spill in the back. The thick layer was crusted over top but still wet underneath so it was an easy task to spray it away with some extra hoses down the drain. But even after scrubbing it a bit with a rag, there was still a faint rainbow-like swirl stained into the smooth concrete.
"Yeah, I don't think that's coming out anytime soon," Jack shook his head.
"Hey, look at the bright side. This place needed a bit of pretty flare."
Jack chuckled. "Like a stain on the ground is enough to be considered flare? And I don't think the bots are really into 'pretty' anyway."
Miko rolled her eyes. "Fine if all you guys are going to be such sticks in the mud…" She grabbed the crate and grunted as she pulled it over the stain until it disappeared beneath. She stepped back while wiping her hands together. "There! You wouldn't even know it existed."
Jack nodded with a shrug. "That'll do. Though I'd love to be around when someone finds it in ten years' time."
The two went back to find Rafael playing with the sparklings, tossing the soccer ball around the open area and letting them chase after it while Optimus stood by watching. Jack looked at his wristwatch.
"Wow, I didn't realize it was getting that late. I should probably head home."
"Me too," Rafael agreed while looking longingly after the sparklings, wanting to stay longer.
Optimus stepped forward. "All of you should. It has been a busy day and you three need rest."
Miko smirked at Jack. "Though I recommend going back to your old color before hitting the sack."
"Yeah, no kidding," Jack laughed, but it turned to a groan as he patted his hair. "Ugh! This is gunna take forever to wash out." The yellow paint had dried to the black mop, making it stiff and a bit uncomfortable.
Miko smirked. "At least it's not like permanent marker. I don't think I could get used to a blond Jack."
He couldn't help but snicker. They all looked a quite a sight with patches and flecks of a variety of paint colors across their clothes which were now soggy with drying water. His own pants knees were completely covered in orange and blue hues with a few flecks of pink thrown in the mix.
Jack looked up to Optimus. "But what about the sparklings? Will they be okay?"
"There is no need to worry about their safety," the large Autobot replied. "I shall watch over them and keep them protected. You have my word."
The teen rubbed his neck. "Well, that's great but … I meant more like, will you be alright watching them on your own? Not that I doubt you or anything, but babies can be a real handful. Are you sure you can handle it?"
"I thank you for your concern, but I am sure I will have everything under control."
Rafael spoke up as he grabbed his backpack with his laptop from where it sat at the bottom of the platform stairs. "Tomorrow's a school day, but we'll come right after to help out if you need it."
"If you wish to."
"Are you kidding?" Miko squeaked. "There is no way I'm not spending every micro second I can possible get with these adorable little guys!"
A tight frown knitted the Prime's brows. "I do have another concern. Unless we find a prompt solution to this problem, I am afraid you must acquire other means of transportation from school."
Jack lightly waved a hand. "It's okay. We managed before we met you guys, and we can do it again. That's what bicycles are for you know."
"It is not only that, but your safety that I am concerned about. The Decepticons know there are humans associated with us. If they were to find were you live…" The concern in the blue optics finished the sentence for him.
"Don't you worry!" Miko spoke right up. "If we do meet any, they're the ones who'd better watch out because I've been trained by the best on how to smash tin bumpers!" She smacked a fist into her palm. One of the Prime's brows raised slightly in doubt.
Jack made a face at the girl as he quietly hissed, "Not helping." Then looked up. "Don't worry, Optimus. We'll be extra careful." The others nodded in agreement.
"Very well. There is not much we can do to remedy this situation for the moment anyway." Optimus went to the control panel and began typing in some co-ordinances. "I will set the bridge to open in your garage, Jack. The others can get to their homes from there."
Miko turned to wave at the sparklings still batting around the ball. "Bye little bots! Bye Bulkhead! See you guys tomorrow!" Though more interested in their play at the moment, the green mech did pause to mimic the girl's wave before crawling after the others.
Optimus pulled the lever, activating the ground bridge. "Contact me when you're ready tomorrow and I will open the bridge in the same place."
"Right!" Jack saluted with a finger. "See you tomorrow then." They said their goodbyes and the three kids started out.
Miko jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Think he can handle it?" The smirk on her face already told what she thought.
Rafael bit his lip trying not to smile. It was a serious situation, but he had to admit it was rather hilarious.
Jack grinned, almost sympathetically as he snuck a glance back at the unsuspecting red and blue Autobot. "I've got a feeling we're going to come back to quite a scene tomorrow."
Miko grinned. "This outta be good." She snickered as they disappeared into the green swirl.
A big thanks to Greendogg who let me use her idea of sparklings' metal being softer and hardening as they grow. I loved that idea! Also for coming up with Miko's line referring to Chase's singing from one of our favorite Rescue Bots series episodes "Four Bots and a Baby".
Miko – "Are you kidding? Have you heard Chase sing? The last thing we need is a bunch of sparklings traumatized by off-key lullabies."
Thanks Greendogg!