From Teens to Sparklings

Chapter 3 Through The Tunnels

Bumblebee fired at the last Vehicon, faceplates shifting up into a smile. They had won this mine, and he was sure they could get a large quantity of energon before the Decepticons came back. He turned to the rest of the team, searching for the humans. He cast his gaze around the room. expecting to see them pop out from behind a rock. Fear began to stir in his spark when he realized that he couldn't see them. He scanned the area. 

 NO ORGANIC LIFE FORMS FOUND

...What?

He scanned again, and beeped in distress when the scan came up the same. Optimus stepped closer, face showing some concern. Bumblebee beeped frantically, asking Optimus to scan for the humans. Optimus's optics widened when his scan came up the same. He reached for his com. "Ratchet, what are the human's vitals?" He asked, doing his best to keep the growing panic out of his voice. Perhaps their scanners were glitching? Surely the humans weren't...

He heard Ratchet suck in a breath, and his spark dropped. "Optimus... their life signs... they've gone offline. I can't find any signs of a living organic. I'm..i'm sorry Optimus." the old medic said sadly. Optimus switched off his com, silencing the line. He bowed his head, sadness running through him. The other Autobots picked up on their leaders sudden mood change. 

"Optimus?" Bulkhead said quietly. Bumblebee's optics shrunk. He stepped backwards, refusing to accept what the silence was telling him. He scanned the area for something, anything. Optimus took in a breath, preparing to break the awful news to the team. "Ratchet has informed me that... that the humans have gone offline. He has scanned the area, as have I. There is no sign of organic life." he said somberly. 

The air was still for a moment. No one moved. No one could move.

The silence ended when Bulkhead turned abruptly and punched the wall. Clear energon pricked at the corners of his eyes. Arcee was still processing what she had just heard. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face, and she turned away too, not wanting the team to see her tears. Bumblebee was still scanning the room, not willing to accept the fact that the humans had died. That Raf had died.

A rock fell as he walked, but it didn''t clack against the ground. Instead, it made a splash. Bumblebee turned his head, looking across the large room. Slowly, he made his way across the room, peering at where the rock had gone. He beeped in surprise when he saw a large hole in the floor. Optimus and Bulkhead looked over. Arcee was still turned away, refusing to acknowledge anything. Bee peered into the hole, searching for any signs of life. The water looked like it had been disturbed recently...

He turned and beeped at Bulkhead. The green mech nodded and came over. Bulkhead jumped down into the lake below. Optimus turned back to Arcee. "Arcee, Bumblebee found somewhere that the humans might have fallen into. Are you com-" he cut himself off as Arcee ran towards the hole, jumping in. He waited for her to be out of the way, before jumping in himself.

Bulkhead climbed out of the lake, shaking off the remaining liquid. He pulled up his sonar, like Bumblebee had asked, and stomped the ground. Something came up on his scanner. The computer text voice announced the scan.

SPARKLING LIFE FORMS DETECTED

 Everyone froze. 

"Okay, now i know the scanner must be busted." Bulkhead said, closing the sonar program.

Bumblebee glanced around the small sandy beach. He beeped at the group, pointing down. Small clawed footprints led into a tunnel. Optimus readied his blaster. If whatever was in this cavern had taken the humans, it would pay. The group, as silently as possible, tracked the footprints through the tunnel. Glowing blue energon crystals lined the cave walls, but it was not normal energon.

"Optimus, is this... formulated energon?" Arcee asked, peering at the crystals. The large red mech broke off one of the crystals, examining it. Indeed it was. Formulated energon was what sparklings and beans were given until they were old enough to have low grade. Formulated energon was easily distinguished from any other kind of energon because it was lighter and clearer, almost like tinted water. 

Optimus's attention was pulled away from the crystals when something moved up ahead. Tiny, light, uncertain footsteps barely echoed in the huge tunnels. His thoughts flashed back to the message the sonar had played. He looked back at his team, not surprised to see surprised faces. It seemed that they were all thinking the same thing. 

"Optimus, you don't think..." Arcee said quietly.

The mech nodded, turning back towards where the footsteps were. They would need to approach this carefully.

Arcee stepped forward. "Il go." she whispered. "I'm the smallest and i would probably seem the least threatening." the femme reasoned. Optimus nodded.

Arcee gently crept forward, making her way to the bend in the tunnel. The blue Autobot held her breath as she rounded the corner.

She almost cursed in disbelief.

There, taking another shaky step forward, was a sparkling. A living, breathing sparkling. The femme exhaled softly, before taking in a deep breath. She took a step forward, allowing her presence to be known.

The tiny sparkling jumped and spun, frightened blue optics locking with her own. The sparkling stared for a moment, before opening its mouth.

"Arcee?" it asked in a oh so familiar voice.

...

"Oh. My. Sweet. Fucking. Primus." she cursed quietly. 

That wasn't just a sparkling, it was her partner!

Jack stepped towards her, tiny form shaking. Arcee knelt down and Jack ran over to his partner. She scooped him up in her arms, able to hold him easily. He was even smaller now, smaller than Raf had been. The poor thing was still shaking, mind probably not fully sure how to handle the situation. She pressed her face into his small form, relieved that she hadn't lost another partner.

She stood, holding Jack close to her, who was looking much happier now, and went back around the corner.

As soon as she did, the other Autobots gasped, even Optimus. Bumblebee beeped excitedly, while Boulder and Optimus just stared. Arcee smiled. "Guess who i found." she said, shifting Jack slightly. The small sparkling smiled and waved. "Hi guys." he said in a somewhat shaky voice.

Bumblebee stopped beeping, and Bulkhead's jaw fell open. Optimus blinked and knelt down. 

"Jackson? Is that you?" he asked in somewhat masked disbelief. The sparkling smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, it's me. No idea how i got like this though. Last thing i remember is me, Miko and Raf falling into a lake, pain, and then waking up alone, looking like this." he said, gesturing to himself.

Arcee knelt down again, Jack turning to face her. 

"Jack, where are Miko and Raf?" she asked. Jack frowned, a sad look coming over his face.

"I-im not sure. I've been looking for them, but i can't get very far. Im not really used to this body. I keep tripping." he admitted. 

Optimus turned to Bulkhead, who was still in shock. "Bulkhead, do another scan. If Jackson has been changed, then i have a feeling Miko and Rafael have as well."  Optimus said, glancing down at Jack.

Bulkhead silently nodded and did another scan. It came up the same. This time, however, Bulkhead pulled up the map of the area. Two small blue dots appeared on the screen. The screen flashed red for a moment, and suddenly a Decepticon symbol appeared in a tunnel close to them. 

Bulkhead snarled and turned, racing back down the tunnel, following the map. Bumblebee shot past him, his smaller frame allowing the scout to slip past the tank. Arcee grabbed Jack, who gave a surprised click as he was suddenly grabbed. Pain shot through his tiny form, and without meaning to, he gave a sharp chirp of distress.

Arcee dropped him suddenly out of shock. Optimus's hand swiftly shot out, and Jack fell into the large mech's palm. Arcee winced. "Sorry Jack! I didn't realize you were so delicate!" she apologized. Jack hissed in pain but nodded. Optimus passed the small sparkling back to Arcee, before running after Bumblebee and Bulkhead. No one caught the concerned look he cast back over his shoulder.