Little Gladiator

Chapter 28: Date Night Part 2

The tip of Bumblebee's glossa stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he considered the puzzle piece in his servo against the incomplete picture in front of him. He had never played with a tangible puzzle before. All the ones he had were digital, downloaded onto his datapad. The fact that Alpha Trion had a puzzle he could actually touch and feel made him so old he was cool!

Alpha Trion turned to the sparkling on the floor and sighed. It had been so long since he had seen a real sparkling. Most Cybertronians these orns didn't want to go through the work it took to have to raise one. They rather choose a Well-born mech or femme. Only Cybertron's older generations knew the benefits.

"Finished!" Bee chirped from his spot on the carpet. He beamed up at the elder, his optics shining with a desire for approval.

Alpha Trion smiled at the sparkling. "Already? That's your third puzzle in five joors."

"Shockwave's been teaching me lots of smart things. I made a light-up sign just a few orns ago."

"Really? You must be very smart for a sparkling," Alpha Trion said. He wasn't kidding either. Back in the orn, most Cybertronian young couldn't figure out how to wire a circuit until they were almost adults.

"I even remember my carrier," Bee said. His doorwings fell as he said this. "But I don't know who my sire is, though. Maybe he left my carrier. Maybe he died. I just don't know." His wings suddenly shot back up again. "You're old and wise. Do you know who my sire was?"

Alpha Trion's optics misted over and his expression grew wistful as he replied, "I once knew him in my youth. He is a bit more... mysterious these orns."

Bumblebee climbed into the elder's lap. "Can you tell me about him?"

"Oh, there's not much to say. He is far, far away from here, yet always close by. He is always willing to help those who help others. He is kind, benevolent, wise, just wonderful in general."

"Ooh! Now I really want to meet him."

"Just look into your spark, child. Listen to it and believe."

'Odd choice of words,' Bee thought, but he did as the nice old mech said. He closed his optics and focused on his spark, the rest of the world seeming to melt away from his sensory network. He let the steady thumping of his spark full his audials and imagined the bright orb of energy in his processor.

And then he believed. He didn't know exactly what to believe in, so he believed in everything. He believed that Meggy and Scythe would bond and be his adopted creators. He believed that the low caste mechs and femmes would finally be free from the tyranny of the High Council one orn. He believed that Meggy and Oreo would spearhead that movement to the end. He believed in Primus, in Unicron, and in the Thirteen Primes triumphing over Unicron. He simply believed in goodness.

That's when it started.

Flashes of light, just tiny snippets of blue and gold, sparked to life in his processor. He could imagine them racing each other around his spark, giggling all the way. He focused on the sparks. One seemed to latch on to him and he saw a memory of -before-.

White light. Warmth. The feeling of a sire's unending love. A calm, deep voice handling his spark with such care.

Then darkness. More warmth. The feeling of a carrier's gentle yet fierce love. A soft, light voice cooing to him through the soft walls of his home next to her spark.