From Teens to Sparklings

Chapter 10 Two kinds of baths

Jack had decided that baths were the absolute most bad thing.

Ratchet had brought Jack to something called a river, and put him in it.

It. Was. Horrible.

The liquid, Ratchet had called it water, was freezing cold. It rushed over him, chilling every joint and wire. His wingtips felt numb, and he was pretty sure something had brushed over his back talons. Almost certainly a fearsome predator that wanted to eat him.

So of course he bolted.

He had tor out of the river so fast, Ratchet had gotten sprayed with cold water. Jack hadn't even stopped to laugh or apologize, he was only concerned with escaping the circuit numbing water.

Ratchet blinked in surprise before his processors caught up with what had just happened.

"Ohhhh no. You are not pulling a Bumblebee on me mister. Get back here!" He yelled, chasing after the fleeing sparkling.

Miko sat quietly, taking in her new surroundings. When they had woken up, she and Raf had almost immediately been given their first meal. Personally, Miko would like her energon to have more spark and less sweet, while Raf was the opposite, disliking the fuzzy feeling the energy gave him. After they had eaten, Bumblebee and Bulkhead had taken them to a place called "Outside" to learn about Earth.

*Hissssss*

Miko turned her head, optics searching what Bulkhead had called sand. What had-

The femme's thoughts were halted when something lunged at her, springing out from under a rock. Miko squeaked and acted on instinct. She punched her attacker, sending it flying. The femme then turned and bolted behind her guardian's pedes. Raf, who had witnessed the event, had decided to hide behind Bumblebee.

Bulkhead looked down, surprised to see Miko hiding behind his ped. Bumblebee was confused for much the same reason. He was about to ask what was wrong when he saw something slither away. A quick scan revealed that it was a diamondback rattlesnake, one of the 12 venomous snake species that lived in Nevada. He panicked for a second, before remembering that things like that were no longer a threat to their charges.    

"Heh, it's okay Miko, the snake can't hurt you." he said, rubbing her back soothingly.

Miko purred and wandered out from behind his ped. Bulkhead watched as she chased after the poor reptile, fear forgotten. Raf also stepped out of hiding, but chose to just sit on a rock close to his guardian. 

Optimus stepped out of the base, stretching. The planet's sun warmed him, the heat chasing out the cool feeling of their underground home. Arcee was not far behind him, the metal on her back fanning out as much as it could. One of Optimus's favorite things about this planet was the calming effect the morning sun had on Cybertronians, or at least the Autobots. Sunbathing was a luxury they often couldn't afford, but with the lack of Decepticon activity recently and the surplus of energon they now had, as he had returned to the mine with Arcee after Ratchet had left with Jack, now seemed like the perfect time for some much needed relaxing.

The two Autobots made their way to the secluded area the where rest of the team was. It was a small meadow like area that had a nearby small river, and plenty of rocks for the young ones to climb on. Plus it was hard for humans to get to, unless they had climbing gear. But the area was fairly far away from any civilization., so the chances of someone hiking out to this exact spot, in the summer, was very low.

Optimus transformed back into his bipedal form, walking over to Bulkhead and Bumblebee, who were watching Miko and Rafael play a game of what looked like tag. Rafael appeared to be winning, as he was faster then Miko. Arcee transformed as well, looking around.

"Where's Jack?" she asked.

Optimus opened his mouth to answer, only to be abruptly cut off.

"JACKSON GET BACK HERE! YOU WILL TAKE A BATH WEATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" 

Ratchet's yelling was immediately followed by chirps and squeaks of protest.

A blur of black and blue barreled into Miko and Raf, earning surprised squawks and chirps. The three sparklings ended up in a pile, Jack dazed on the bottom, Raf's legs squished in the middle, and Miko sprawled on the top. Miko growled in annoyance and bopped Jack on the head, yelling in their sparkling language. Jack whined an apology, before chirping in alarm when he saw a very ticked off Ratchet.

The predacon flattened himself in the sand, holding his breath. Ratchet huffed. Many sparklings had the mentality that if they held still and didn't make any noise, that they would become invisible. They learned pretty fast that they were quite wrong.

"Come on. You were only in there for a second, and i see no reason for you to be afraid of a catfish." he muttered, arms crossed. 

Optimus stepped forward. "I'll take him. Perhaps he will listen to me better." he said, reaching down and grabbing the sparkling, who latched onto his digits.

Ratchet threw up his servos. "Sure. Fine. Whatever. Just don't be surprised when he tries to bolt." he said, scowling.

Optimus smiled fondly. "He pulled a Bumblebee, didn't he."

"Yup."

After Optimus had convinced Jack that the water was not the worst thing in existence, he didn't just put him in the river. Even he thought the water was a bit cold, as the sun had not been able to warm it yet. Instead, he cupped the water gently in his servo and heated it so that it was pleasantly warm. Then he slowly poured it over Jack, who decided that he liked warm water. The little Predacon snapped at the falling water, spitting it out in surprise when it didn't taste like energon. 

After he finished washing Jack, Optimus scooped the sparkling into his servo and transformed into his vehicle mode. Jack was surprised at first, and a little cautious, but soon he found great enjoyment in sticking his head out of Optimus's window. When they reached the meadow, Optimus transformed back, setting Jack down.

Jack watched his Sire transform, changing into his normal form. Jack looked down at himself. Perhaps he should try and get used to his other form, then he would fit in better!

So he closed his Optics and focused on shifting into his Alt form. His wings folded back, his arms and legs shifted and turned, and his horns slipped back, his visor coming out. He opened his optics and grinned. His insides didn't feel squashed anymore, and he could actually breathe. He looked up at the shocked faces of the Autobots, and his grin faded. Had he done something wrong?

Optimus, as if reading Jack's thoughts, smiled and reached down, petting Jack's head lightly. Even though they had seen him do it before, it was still surprising.

"That is very impressive Jack, most sparklings can't do that until they are a bit older." he praised.  

Jack's grin returned, this time wider. He purred at the affectionate touches, loving the attention.

The team settled into their spots, getting comfortable. They were in their vehicle modes, just incase. Miko leaned up against Bulkhead's right back tire, preferring to recharge in the shade. Raf was resting snugly between Bumblebee's and Ratchets front tires, liking the close feeling. Jack was sprawled out on a rock between Arcee and Optimus, wanting to be as close to the sun as possible. Optimus cast one last look around before slipping into a sun filled recharge.

Perhaps if he had looked harder, he might have noticed the silver Mini-Cassette circling far above them.