Shadowfire

Prologue

"Shh hush little Sparkling" the deception leader said, gently rocking Shadowfire in his arms. The little femme stopped crying and looked up at the bot holding her, optics wide as she memorised the face.
"I'm sorry I took you away from your carrier like that" he all but crooned at the child. She made an indignant click as if protesting that she wasn't a child to be patronised.
"Oh you're all grown up are you?" He said sarcastically.

There was a distant crash and Megatron's grip on the Sparkling tightened.
"I'm sorry little Sparkling" he said "your carrier's angry, but I can't let her take you from me, you don't need her really, you're not one of those organic insect children. I could do perfectly well raising you as my heir you know" he seemed to be trying to convince himself of this more than the child he held. "And I'm sorry about what I have to do" he continued "both to your carrier and to you" the door burst inwards and a very angry femme glared at Megatron.

"Optima" he said, features twisting into a cruel smirk "be quiet the Sparkling's in recharge" 
"Give me back my Sparkling Megatron" she yelled, wanting nothing more than to launch herself at him, but didn't dare in case she hurt her sparkling. In Megatron's arms the baby femme began to cry.
"See what you did?" He snarled, red optics glowering in anger.

::Optimus to Optima::
::Reading::
::Where are you? You'd better not have gone after your Sparkling alone and without backup::
::Guilty as charged, I might need some reinforcements though, I'm sending you the coordinates:: 

"Finally decided to shut up did you? Or were you talking to your no good brother? Is he sending a rescue team?"
"I don't need rescuing from you" she hissed, charging at Megatron. He shot her in the shoulder and she fell backwards.
"You don't want to put the child in danger do you?" He asked, picking the sparkling up by the ankle and hoisting her into the air, she began struggling and crying, beating at the hand holding her aloft.

"Let her go!" Optima thundered
"As you wish" the sparkling fell, Megatron catching her just above the floor.
"Pity you have to always get in the way" he said holding the sparkling by the throat as he readied his canons.
"No don't hurt her" Optima pleaded
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt her, I'm going to hurt you" he fired on Optima, bullets riddling her chassis, energon leaking from the dents in her metal.
"I'm sorry I had to do this Optima" he told the struggling femme "but I can't have you stealing my daughter away from her place with the Deceptions" the injured femme gasped, optics widening.

Megatron left the dying bot where she lay. Taking his daughter away from the corpse of her mother, soothing her into recharge.

::Optima to Optimus::
::Optima! We're nearly at your location, what's happening?::
::Optimus I'm hit, it's bad, get Ratchet here quickly::

A few klicks later Optimus, Ratchet and Ironhide appeared. "Optima!" Optimus yelled, pulling the injured femme against his chest plates.
"Optimus" she said, vocal processors only managing a whisper.
"Ratchet! Fix her!" The Autobot leader demanded. Ratchet examined the femme but shook his head.
"I can't Optimus" he said sadly, elbowing Ironhide signalling to give the siblings some space.

"Optima" Optimus said, holding his sister.
"Optimus, take care of Shadowfire"
"You know I will" Optimus promised
"She is Me-tron -" Optima struggled to get the words out, vocal processors failing.
"What?" Optimus asked, leaning close to his sister to hear what she was trying to say.
"Megatr-n is h-r -ath-r"
"I'll take care of her, I'll keep her safe" Optimus said, pretending to hear, knowing that his sister couldn't say the words but needed the reassurance. The femme relaxed, calmness spreading across her features, knowing her sparkling would be safe from Megatron with her brother looking after her. She recalled that night, the deception insignia on the mech's helm, she's assumed he was a disenchanted 'Con who'd needed a reason to leave, had wanted to be the reason. She'd never seen him again but had come to terms with the fact he'd fled from the responsibility of a Sparkling. It was possible it was Megatron, almost certain given his belief in being her Sparkling's father. But she knew Shadow would be safe in her brother's care. She could join Primus in peace.

An agonised cry tore from Optimus' vocal processor the moment his sister offlined. He clutched at the cold metal, fingers seeking her spark but finding it gone. He bowed over the corpse, crying silent tears for his sister.

"I'm sorry Optimus" Ratchet said, resting a hand on his leaders shoulders "if there was anything I could've done" he trailed off.
"It's not your fault Ratchet"
"I know you're mourning Optimus" Ironhide said "but I'm certain Optima left Shadowfire in your care, and the filthy 'Con that killed your sister still has your niece"
"Ironhide's right, the time for grief is later, once your sister's Sparkling is safe"

::Calling all Autobots, standby for rescue mission, Megatron has offlined Optima and taken Shadowfire::
Ironhide and Ratchet looked at each other, knowing the need to protect Shadowfire would be the only thing to get Optimus through loosing his sister. But it was their job to ensure he didn't kill himself trying to avenge her.

_____________________

After days of fighting Optimus had succeeded in recovering his sister's Sparkling, she was recharging peacefully in his arms, oblivious to the energon dropping from his multiple wounds.
"She'll never be safe here, not without her mother to protect her, you can't watch her all the time Optimus" Ratchet pointed it to his commander.
"I know Ratchet but where else could she be safe?"
"You could send her to Earth" he suggested "I know it isn't ideal but she'll be safe and far away from the war there" Optimus sighed.
"One day after the war we'll go to Earth and find you again" Optimus promised his niece, enclosing her in a pod and setting the coordinates for Earth.

_____________________

William Lennox, having recently joined the United States Army, was camping with his fiancé Sarah before his first deployment.
"Will be quiet for a second, can you hear that?" They could both hear a faint crying noise. They followed the sound and came across what looked like a meteor. A blue light shot out from the pod and scanned them both. The humans stepped back from the pod, approaching again when they were less cautious. What neither of them could see however, was the Sparkling inside remodelling itself to appear human.
"It's a baby" Sarah said, approaching the pod "the poor thing's starving"
"Stay back Sarah" Lennox pulled his soon to be wife away "it might be dangerous" scoffing Sarah pushed the pod open, and lifted the child into her arms. She looked at her fiancé.
"Can we keep her?"