Birth of an Angel

Sparky was going nuts by the time we reached Mission City.

I wasn’t much better, but I also wasn’t running all over the dashboard and yelling at the top of my lungs.

Careful of the sharp points on his armor, I scooped up the panicking little robot and held him to my chest.

Even though my heart was beating a little fast, he relaxed, chattering softly as Guardian relaxed on her shocks.

I heard the roar of a jet, and looked up to see a military plane fly overhead.

“Um…G?”

“ Yes, femmeling? ”

“Military jets aren’t supposed to fly below buildings, right?”

Her entire frame seemed to tense under me.

“It’s Starscream!” Ironhide warned, transforming in a flurry of metal.

“ Femmeling, get out! ”

Swinging over the door, I crouched down to shield Sparky’s delicate little body as Guardian swiftly transformed.

Bumblebee was helping Ironhide lift up a van to use as a shield, and Guardian used her body to better shield all of us as Starscream doubled back.

“Back up! Back up!” Ironhide ordered.

“RETREAT! FALL BACK!” Lennox shouted.

“INCOMING!”

Even though the van and Guardian’s sturdy frame took the brunt of the explosion, I was still sent flying, tumbling head-over-heels with Sparky screeching in fright.

Forcing myself to a stop, my ears rang and my vision swam as I sprawled across the cracked asphalt.

I didn’t want to get back up…

“ Creator! Creator, are you okay? ”

My entire body throbbed as I was pulled back to reality, and I groaned.

“I’ve been better…Are you okay?”

“ I’m still fully functional. ”

…

I hoped that was robot for “I’m fine.”

Sitting up, I lifted a hand to keep Sparky against my chest as I scanned the area.

Cars were overturned, chunks of concrete were blown out of place, and soldiers were running around, shouting to each other.

Pushing myself up, I waited for my Jell-O knees to stop wobbling before heading back towards the others.

“ Are you truly alright, creator? ” Sparky worried, climbing onto my shoulder.

“ Your cloth covering is badly torn. ”

I managed to look over my other shoulder to see what he was talking about, and my eyes widened.

My tank top was nearly ripped in half, with huge gaping holes held together by a few bare strands.

But…

I wasn’t hurt.

“ Keara! ”

Looking up as Guardian bounded over, leaping over debris and soldiers, I forced down my own panic as she checked me for injuries.

“Where’s Sam?” I worried, scanning the street again for a glimpse of my brother.

“ …He is with Bumblebee. ”

Her hesitation didn’t help my panic.

“Where are they?”

Slowly, she turned and nodded her head to a mountain of rubble.

I ran towards it without a second thought, clambering over the sharp pieces of concrete until I was at the top.

I froze.

There was Bumblebee, dragging himself out of the debris (Oh my God, his legs, what happened to his legs?), and Sam was panicking, covered in dirt and scratches he hadn’t had before all of this happened.

“Sam! Bee!”

Using gravity, I ran down the slope as fast as I could, stumbling to a stop against Bumblebee’s shoulder.

He chirped in surprise, curling a hand around my back as I moved towards his face.

Looking up at his bright optics, I couldn’t stop the tears from pricking my eyes.

“Oh, Bee…”

Clicking softly, he raised his other hand and gently wiped one of those traitorous tears away.

“Come stop your crying/It’ll be alright…I will protect you/From all around you/I will be here don’t you cry…”

As his radio went silent, Bumblebee nudged me towards Guardian, who clicked worriedly to him.

The cat-bot straightened, ears swiveling as she took in the sounds of battle.

“ Femmeling, stay here. I must help the others. ”

Not wanting to leave Bumblebee’s side anyway, I nodded, watching as she rushed off to a battle I couldn’t see.

Sparky chattered excitedly as a tow truck pulled up, and Mikaela swung out of the driver’s side.

Sam immediately went to help her, and I tried to smile so Bumblebee wouldn’t worry.

“It’s gonna be alright, Bee. You’ve just gotta sit up and let them hook you up, okay?”

Whirring in acknowledgement, the Camaro-bot managed to push himself up and onto the edge of the tow truck’s bed.

Mikaela immediately went to work, winding the chain securely around the Autobot’s chest to keep him from falling off.

I noticed the AllSpark, sitting innocently on a slab of concrete on my right, and carefully picked it up.

My palms tingled almost painfully on contact, and I shuddered at the surge of adrenaline in my unthreatened system.

“ Creator? Is something wrong? Creator! ”

Sparky’s chatter was distant, even though he was on my shoulder, as I stared down at the glyphs etched into the Cube’s surface.

It might have been my imagination, but…

I thought the AllSpark was glowing with pride.

“Keke!”

The jolt back to reality was painful, and I clenched my jaw to hide it as I turned towards Lennox.

“All right, I can't leave my guys back there, so here, take this flare-.”

A red tube was pressed into my free hand as Lennox pointed down the ruined street.

“Okay, there's a tall white building with statues on top. Go to the roof, set the flare-.”

Panic filled me as I realized what he wanted me to do.

“Will, I can’t-.”

“Signal the chopper, and-.”

“Will, I can’t do it!”

He took hold of my arms and gave me a sharp shake.

“Listen to me, you're a soldier now! All right, I need you to take this Cube, get it into military hands while we hold them off, or a lot of people are gonna die.”

I bit my lip, realizing that he was right, and nodded.

“…Okay. But I need Sam to come with me.”

Lennox seemed ready to protest, but my tears stopped him.

“I-I can’t do this alone.”

I think that was the first moment Lennox realized I was only thirteen years old.

“…Alright.”

Stepping back as he moved on, I wiped my eyes as Sparky chirped worriedly.

“ Creator? ”

“I’m fine.” I replied, trying to pull myself together.

“Sam!”

The boy instinctively jumped away at my shout, and a small part of me was proud of the fear I had instilled in my older brother.

“Come on! It’s time to go!”

Tossing the flare, I giggled as the tube bounced off his forehead and was juggled in the air before Sam actually got a hold on it.

“We will protect you.” Ironhide promised, cannons charging as Ratchet and Guardian nodded.

That was certainly comforting, and I gave the three aliens a smile before hugging the AllSpark to my chest.

The tingle I had once felt only in my palms spread through my entire body pleasantly.

Grabbing Sam by the arm to make sure he kept up, I launched myself down the street, Sparky clinging to the torn remnants of my top to keep from falling off.

It was hard-going, thanks to the uneven ground and Sam’s constant tripping, so I sighed in relief once we reached an undamaged area of the city.

The AllSpark pulsed in my arms like a warning shriek, and I dropped down, pulling Sam with me.

Something flew by right over us, so close that it’s passing sent goose bumps down my spine, and Sparky screeched in fright.

Guardian roared, pouncing on Starscream while he was mid-transformation and slamming him into the ground so hard everything trembled.

“Keep moving! Don’t stop!”

As my bones rattled, I scrambled to my feet and dragged Sam up with me.

The asphalt heaved under our feet as the battle raged on behind us, and Sam’s clumsiness at one sudden jolt made me fall-

And the AllSpark sent out a jolt of energy as it hit the ground.

Nearby technology jumped with new life, and I kicked Sam in the arm.

“You couldn’t run straight for your own life? Really?”

Cursing under my breath in as many languages as I could remember (I’m very curious about foreign swear words, you see), I stood up as a nearby SUV, a Mountain Dew vending machine, and a freshly-bought X-Box 360 transformed.

All of them sported red optics, and I had to remind myself that technology was reverse-engineered from Megatron.

“ What’s going on? ”

“ Where am I? ”

“ Why is it so loud? ”

Repositioning the AllSpark under my arm, I stepped towards the closest robot, the SUV.

“It’s alright, sweetie.” I cooed, remembering Sparky’s initial panic and violence.

“ Cr-Creator? ” She replied, looking too hopeful for me to argue.

Besides, I was holding the AllSpark at the time…

“That‘s me.”

She seemed so relieved, pressing her smooth black head against my chest with a purr so I could hug her.

“ Are you my creator, too? ” The little X-Box-bot wondered, skittering forward on her insect-like legs.

“ And mine? ”

Smiling at the wary creatures, I felt Sparky finally relax against my neck.

“Yup.”

They scampered over like excited puppies, leaning against me for comfort and support.

I felt a prick of something in my chest, like four little beams of sunlight where I could feel Guardian connected to my heart, before the ground shook.

Fear filled me from four different places, but I forced myself to stay calm.

I had a job to do.

“It’s alright. I need you three to follow Sparky and get a safe distance away, okay?”

Reluctantly, they let go, and Sparky climbed onto the SUV-bot’s shoulder.

“Stay safe.”

I made sure the odd herd made it down an alley before turning to Sam, raising an eyebrow at his stunned face.

“Keke-.”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just get your ass up so we can get this over with.”

Once he was standing, we took off running again, the AllSpark tucked safely against my chest.

The building, a dirty white and topped with statues shaped like angels, came into view just as Megatron hit the ground behind us.

My ears rang as the AllSpark shrieked, and my first instinct was to shove Sam to the ground.

The next moment, I was smacked into a parked car.

Metal buckled upon impact, and my back seemed to be kicking my nerves for being so mistreated.

Pushing myself up, my spine cracked as the vertebrae realigned and I tested my flesh for wounds.

I didn’t even feel blood.

“KEKE!”

Sam’s shout startled me into action, and my feet were already carrying me towards the building as Megatron flipped away the car he had tossed me into.

“Give me the Cube, girl!”

Struggling to stay upright, I felt the AllSpark pulse against my chest as Sam yanked me through the chain-link fence surrounding the building.

The door was half-rotten, hanging off its hinges like a tired thing, giving way easily under our combined weight.

Thank every deity in existence for that, since stopping was not on my list of things to do at that moment, right next to dying and just to the left of getting caught.

The inside was massive and empty, with flimsy stairs spiraling up from the far side towards the roof.

My legs felt like lead, but I forced myself to keep running.

“You’re not gonna get us-You’re not gonna get us-!” Sam muttered under his breath like a mantra as we reached the steps.

A window exploded behind us, and I hoped Sam was right.

“I can smell you, girl!”

I would have been insulted if all of my energy wasn’t being focused into running for my life.

We had barely passed the second floor when Megatron burst through the flooring.

“MAGGOTS!”

“JACKASS!” I shouted back, anger encroaching on fear.

I have a bad habit of getting angry when I’m scared, like when Guardian and Bumblebee had been captured.

“Don’t insult the evil robot!” Sam yelled, pulling me up faster.

“I insult people when I’m stressed! Stop judging me!”

My irritation fueled my tired muscles, and the AllSpark thrummed as I passed Sam on the steps, yanking him along behind me.

The end was so close, and I wasn’t about to get beaten by a thawed popsicle!

My shoulder ached from bashing the door open, and sunlight burned my eyes as Sam hit the flare against a wall.

As it sparked and fizzled, Sam waved it wildly.

Once my eyes had adjusted to the brightness, I aimed us toward the roof’s edge, in-between two statues.

A gust of wind surprised me, and I faltered just before a military helicopter came into view.

Hopping onto the raised edge, I felt Sam grab me around the waist as I leaned out to hand over the AllSpark.

Their fingers just brushed the corner-

And then Guardian’s roar warned me of danger.

Whipping my head around, I saw Starscream a few buildings down as he fired.

“WATCH OUT!” I screamed, pulled back by Sam.

The copter burst into flames, and my breath caught as the sharp blades came close enough to graze the AllSpark before the entire thing fell.

Terrified, I rolled off of Sam, curled over the Cube, and caught his panicked eyes.

What were we going to do now?

I shrieked when the roof shook, and was already on my feet as Megatron began to burst through.

Sam yanked me towards the corner of the roof, where an angel statue stood guard, and I swung around to the other end so Sam could settle behind me.

Caged in by his body, I hugged the AllSpark close while pressing against the worn stone.

“Is it fear or courage that compels you, fleshlings?”

My heart tried to burst out of my chest and make a run for it as the Decepticon warlord drew closer.

“Give me the AllSpark, and you may live to be my pets.”

My temper flared at that, and I couldn’t help myself.

“I‘m not giving you the AllSpark! I have a gesture for you instead, but my hands are kinda full!”

“Keke!” Sam complained.

“And just so you know, the only one allowed to threaten, maim, or all-around hurt this human-.”

I made sure to gesture back at Sam.

“Is me, so you can forget about getting him as a pet! He’s my bitch, damn it!”

I decided to take advantage of Megatron’s outraged confusion.

Carefully transferring the Cube to my left hand, I felt that painful itch start up in my muscles.

“Hold on.” I ordered softly, glad that Sam didn’t hesitate to do so.

“And by the way…”

I couldn’t help smirking then.

“Fuck you.”

The pain nearly blinded me as my right arm reformatted and my back opened, though the transformations were quicker than before.

Taking quick aim, I fired, managing to nick him in the optic as I jumped off the edge.

Sam screamed like a little girl as the jetpack roared, slowing our descent to a messy death.

“God, what are you made of? Bricks?” I growled.

I was starting to wish I’d left him up there…

Both of us yelped when a large hand caught us, holding us up to a warm metal chest.

“I’ve got you!” Optimus assured.

“Hold onto the Cube!”

After all that, I wasn’t about to just drop the thing, so I secured my cannon arm over the AllSpark as it reverted back to normal.

I hissed as the metal shifted, the jetpack sliding back under my skin as Sam stared at me, wide-eyed.

“Keke…”

There was no time to even try to explain, because Megatron had landed on top of Optimus and we were all falling.

The landing was definitely a shock to my system.

Groaning, I lifted my head as Optimus lowered me and Sam to the ground.

“Sam, Keara…You risked your lives to protect the Cube.”

We shared a look.

“No sacrifice…”

“No victory…”

“…Then I will sacrifice myself to destroy the Cube.” Optimus decided, standing over us.

“Get behind me!”

Sam didn’t hesitate to pull me towards a trench in the street, and I slid down the incline, staring at the AllSpark.

The engravings were flashing, and something…

Something in me was trying to respond.

Then my chest started to open.

It wasn’t gory or painful really, more like metal plates moving away to expose my inner workings.

Sam noticed and panicked worse than I was, flailing his arms as a blue glow escaped from where my heart should have been.

I only had a moment to wonder what was going on when a thread of energy from the AllSpark connected with the light.

My senses returned slowly, the overload having scattered them, and I found myself in a world of…

Nothingness.

Well, maybe not nothingness; I could breathe, and everything was white, so there must have been something there besides me.

“Hello, Sparkchild.”

The voice came from everywhere at once, neither male nor female, and I practically jumped out of my skin.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“And where am I?”

“I am the sentience of the AllSpark. And we are in a portion of my consciousness at the moment.”

Well, I wasn’t really expecting that…

“But…”

“I don’t have much time to explain, Sparkchild. Give me a moment, and all of your questions will be answered in time.”

Biting my lip to keep from saying anything, I nodded.

“For millennia, I have watched my children suffer through this war. While on Earth, I have realized that it would not end without my intervention.”

The AllSpark stopped, almost like it was sad at the revelation.

“…So I brought you into the world, one of my last children. I could not create you the usual way, and was forced to bring you into being with an organic base.”

I was fairly certain that my brain imploded.

“You mean I’m not…?”

“You are what is called a techno-organic. As your ‘puberty’ progresses, more of your Cybertronian traits will show themselves. You have already activated your defense systems, if I’m not mistaken.”

Rubbing at my right arm, I sighed.

“Yeah, I kinda noticed…”

“Guardian was created to protect you until the time came for you to end this war. I’m sure you have already noticed the Bond.”

I was starting to understand, feeling a surge of worry enter my heart along with pinpricks of fear.

“I am proud of you, Sparkchild. Your bravery and loyalty have shown me that bringing you into this world was not a mistake.”

Slightly overwhelmed, I couldn’t help blushing at the praise.

“Most would call it recklessness and an inability to admit I’m wrong.”

“I can see what most cannot, Sparkchild. You may not realize it yet, but you are destined for great things.”

“Like getting stepped on by giant alien robots?” I wondered, smiling.

A warm chuckle filled the air, like a deep silver bell.

“I hope your Creator appreciates your humor as much as I do.”

“Creator?” I parroted, confused.

“I already have parents.”

“It is true that you have human Creators, but I have seen that they are not quite up to the task of helping you understand your new Cybertronian aspects.”

If ‘not quite up to the task’ translated to ‘run around like headless chickens’, then I couldn’t argue.

“And I believe he deserves a chance to be happy. After all that has happened, he has earned that much.”

“He? Who’s ‘he’?” I wondered.

“You will see.”

For a moment, the emptiness felt like an embrace, a parent holding their child.

“My little Sparkchild…”

I couldn’t think of anything to say, and just leaned into the warmth, searching for something I couldn’t touch.

“I have been unable to give you your designation, your Cybertronian name…It may help answer some of your questions.”

Blinking as my vision started to swim, I straightened, heart beating a touch faster.

“What’s going on?”

“It is almost time for you to go.” The AllSpark explained calmly, sounding slightly
muffled now.

“But first, your designation…”

The name was whispered into my ears just before the real world crashed down on me.

“Keke!”

My chest closed with an audible ‘SNAP’ as I realized I wasn’t in the ditch anymore.

Sam must have been dragging me away from the battle, pretty unsuccessfully, and Megatron had just noticed.

“I'll kill you! Mine... AllSpark!”

“Keara! Push the Cube into my chest, NOW!” Optimus ordered from behind me, where Sam was scrambling to.

The AllSpark thrummed against me, and I knew what I had to do.

Pushing myself up, and ignoring every ache I had accumulated over the past two days (God, had it only been two days?), I ran towards the danger instead of away from it.

“KEKE!”

“KEARA!”

The Cube glowed in my hands, giving me strength as I dodged Megatron’s clawed hands and skidded under his torso.

With a quick prayer, I shoved the AllSpark against his chest armor.

It was like a violent chemical reaction as the Cube fused with something in Megatron’s chest, super-heating the metal.

Something rushed into my own chest from the AllSpark, and my vocal cords froze in a silent scream at the fire rushing through my veins…

I really don’t know what happened after that.