Transformers Prime: A Sparkling Issue

Chapter 3 - Prime Sitter

Optimus just watched with an expression of satisfaction. At least they were all happy now. Leaving them to their play, he returned to the computer. Finally in a place he was comfortable, he turned his focus to the data on the monitors. His digits once again started working the keypad as the scans resumed.

But if he thought such peace was to last, the Prime was sadly mistaken. He had only had about an hour's study without any crisis when he felt something crawling over his tread and looked down to see a spot of yellow. Bumblebee craned his helm back to look up at the chrome faceplate high above, arms wrapped as far as they could reach around the thick leg. A soft whirr came from the vocolizer. Optimus wasn't sure but the aqua blue baby optics seemed to hold a slight sadness. He picked the little mech up.

"You must stay over here," he instructed gently, placing him back with the others. "I have to continue my research if I am to restore you to your normal selves." He gave the sparkling a light rub on the helm, which made Bumblebee purr in happiness, before returning to his station.

But as time went on they all seemed to become uninterested in play, growing fussier by the minute. They soon abandoned their toys scattered all across the bunker floor. Arcee and Bumblebee were underfoot almost to a dangerous point where Optimus was afraid to even shift his hefty weight for fear they would get crushed. They kept whimpering periodically while trying to crawl atop the large treads as the others restlessly moved from spot to spot beneath the great frame. It was finally evident this could not be ignored any longer.

Optimus looked down at them, at the monitor, at them, back at the monitor; then, with a heavy vent, paused the scans and picked up the sparklings. They squirmed in his arms, looking up with sad optics. He carried them to the middle of the room and put them down with their toys. But all efforts to get them to play were in vein as they just kept crawling back to him.

Ratchet had nearly become even more of a crank as a sparkling then a grown mech (if that was possible). When Optimus offered him the pile of gears and bearings, he roughly pushed them away with a scowling huff. Then, sitting with a hard thud, Ratchet let out such a howl that made the Prime wince and his audials ring. Little arms began flapping now and again as if demanding something.

Not knowing what else to do, Optimus rubbed a finger just behind Ratchet's chevron on his helm, like he had done Bumblebee, in an effort to calm him. The large mech started a bit when the sparkling suddenly grabbed his finger in little servos and began sucking viciously on the end of the digit.

"Of course," he murmured with soft understanding. "All little ones need nourishment."

That's why they were fussy. They were simply hungry.

Then Optimus faced a new dilemma. They had plenty of energon, but the sparklings couldn't drink from cubes the way grown Cybertronian's did. Their instinct was to suckle and they needed a method that would give them that; though sparkling care products were not something the team simply had on hand. Optimus thought hard. His optics happened to land on where Arcee had abandoned her container of rocks and an idea formed in his processors. He hurried back to the workspace, being careful not to step on sparklings on the way. He emptied four more containers, dumping their contents of soils and rocks onto the workspace (but each in their own pile so they could be replaced later), and also found some rubber tubing in a box of miscellaneous parts. After rinsing them out, he placed the containers in a row on workspace along with their lids. With a sharp tool, Optimus punched a small hole in top of each lid, though it took a bit of effort as they were designed not to be easily broken. As he worked, the little bots below climbed on and around his treads, continued to clamor with little bleeps and clicks as if asking him to hurry. Optimus then cut four short pieces off the tubing a few inches long, putting the rest aside. He took a moment to file down the rough edges where he'd cut, making sure the rubber was smooth so not to hurt sensitive little mouths. He wedged one of these into each of the holes and used an adhesive glue to make sure they would stay in place and also to fill any gaps to prevent leakage.