A Story Of Sparklings

"Bot"napped

Boulder woke up to a pounding behind his optics. The pounding lessened as he sat up and shook his head. Where was he? What happened to playing in the park behind the holograms?

You stay here, Boulder. I'll go find the ball. If someone comes looking, you know what to do.

Graham's voice echoed in his head. Oh yeah, they'd lost the ball they where playing with and Graham had gone outside the hologram shield to find it, telling Boulder to look around in the bushes in case it had rolled over there.

Then there was an electric charge not powerful enough to knock him out if he'd been his usual self, but perfect to subdue him in his sparkling form. He'd met the ground painfully, then blacked out.

Wait, if he'd been attacked, what happened to Graham? What if Graham had been attacked too!

There was a noise behind him and he turned, mentally groaning when he saw who it was.

"Well, hello, young creature, I see you have awaken. I trust you're feeling well!" said the notorious Doctor Morocco.

"Feeling fine, thanks." Boulder snapped back icily. "What happened?" What did you do with my partner?

"I found you unconscious in the woods. There was another human standing over you, he ran off when he saw me. I think he was trying to deactivate you. Can I ask your name?"

"I don't give my name to strangers. It's dangerous." Besides, you're trying to lie to me and say Graham was deactivating me when I know the truth.

"Well, that's right, young creature, did your parents teach you that?"

Boulder remembered Graham telling him that if someone did happen to catch him out of "robot mode" to come and get him immediately. Not to go off alone where no one could find him. When asked why, the engineer simply replied. "It's probably just big-brother instincts kicking in, but I've got a bad feeling about this. Just please, don't go off with strangers. Don't talk to them if you can help it, and definitely don't give them your name."

Graham was kinda like his parent. "You could say that."

"Well, I'm not a stranger, young creature, I'm a friend. I'm actually trying to help you." Morocco said, trying to be sweet.

Boulder's mind flashed back to when Morocco had captured them and erased their memories. He remembered how Morocco had floated up to the Burns' and tried to order them to help him get his boat to work again. Boulder remembered how Graham's eyed had narrowed dangerously, his entire body tensing, but trembling with the anger he held at bay. He remember how angry Graham had been with Morocco and when Graham and Boulder had been on call, Boulder remembered asking why Graham was so angry.

"It makes me so... so mad that Morocco thinks he can mess with your heads like that, and it's okay. It's not! It never will be!" Graham had tried not to shout at his partner. "He can't do stuff like this and expect us to be okay with it. It drives me insane!"

"Perhaps once our memories are restored, you and I can go on a walk or something to help you cool off?" Boulder had asked.

"Yeah, sure Boulder. Thanks."

If Morocco messed with Boulder, the green bot could handle it, but Morocco was screwing with his partner, and Boulder couldn't accept that.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to show me the way out. I need to get home, my family's probably worried about me." Boulder said.

Morocco's face fell when he realized he wouldn't be able to get the mini-sized rescue bot on his size. He sighed. "Yes, of course. I'll see you out."

"Boulder! Boulder!" yelled Graham as he ran through the hologram shield looking for the sparkling.

"Graham! Up here!" Boulder yelled back from on top of a hill.

Graham hurried to the top and scooped up the rescue bot, holding him close. "What where you thinking, running off like that, Boulder? I was terrified! Where in the world did you go?" Graham asked, pulling back and brushing some dirt off Boulder's treads.

"Sorry, Graham. I met an old friend and got caught up talking." Boulder replied.

"Okay, buddy. C'mon, let's go home. I couldn't find the ball, but how does a bath sound?" Graham asked, picking Boulder up as he led the way through the back trails to the firehouse.

"Lovely." Boulder replied, holding onto his partners shirt for security.

Graham noticed this, and the barely-there trembling causing Boulder to shake slightly. "You sure you're okay, bud? Maybe you're sick? Do bots get sick?"

"I'm fine, partner. Just tired from playing ball." Boulder replied, silently berating Dr. Morocco for causing his partner to worry. But he did have to admit. He did like baths. Maybe getting "bot"napped wasn't so bad afterall.