Incoming Combiners

Sandor Vandeven

In Juneau, Alaska, there lives the Vandeven family of five brothers and two fathers. Growing up, Sandor always knew he was different from the others. Part of it was because when they would go on rides involving heights, he wouldn't go on because of his fear. Oh yeah, in the Vandeven household, Sandor is the youngest of five. His four older siblings have either black or brown hair while he's a blond. As he grew up, Sandor grew his hair to his shoulders, which he usually pulled back into a ponytail. At the age of five, the blond walked up to the bearded male. "Father?" He asked. Green eyes looked down at the boy peaking out from behind a wall. "Yes Sandor?" The father, named Matthew, asked. "I was, um, I was wondering..." Sandor started. "Where does my name come from?" "Come here buddy," Matthew said. Sandor immediately ran into Matthew's open arms with a huge smile on his face. "So, you want to know where your name comes from, do you?" Matthew asked. A nod from the blond five year old. "Well, it's Greek, Hungarian, and Slavic," Matthew said. "Know what it means?" There was a shake of the head from Sandor. "Defender of mankind." At that, there was a bright smile from Sandor.
--
When Sandor was fourteen years old, he managed to join the track team and set every record, even breaking it a couple times. And for a freshman/9th grader. Not only that, but he was in the choir. So, on top of having track meetings every day in fall and spring, he had to practice for choir also. "Look at you," Aaren said and ruffled Sandor's hair. "Youngest of the five of us and yet you seem to be the most productive of us." That made Sandor smile brightly and get a hold of Aaren's wrist. "And what have you done with your life big brother? Besides, as I recall, you and the others moved out and left me with dad and father," Sandor said. "Yeah, because we're all old enough, shorty," Aaren told. "Hey," Sandor whined at the nickname.
--
Six years later, at the age of twenty, Sandor and his four older brothers, Aaren, Bobby, Maverick, and Daniel, all met up at one of the restaurants in their city of Juneau. "So, the baby of the group graduates college tomorrow," Bobby said when Sandor sat down after having gone to the bathroom. "Yup. And after years of hell and cross country, I'll be done with it all," Sandor said, smiling. Daniel took off his red and white jacket and draped it around Sandor's shoulders, bringing a look of surprise from the blond, who looked at the eldest of them. "You're giving me your Air Force jacket? Really?" Sandor asked. "You earned it Bolt," Daniel said with a smile. Sandor smiled brightly at that and put his arms through the sleeves. "Fits like a glove. Thanks Danny," Sandor said. Daniel only nodded in response. "Oh yeah, that reminds me," Maverick said. "We all got you something as well." Sandor blinked and looked at the other three. "Oh yeah? What is it?" He asked with a smile. Maverick was the first to hand Sandor a present. In fact, he seemed pretty happy to hand it over. The blond noted the size of it when he took it from the elder. When he opened it, his smile widened when he saw it was an acoustic guitar. "Aww yeah. This is sweet," Sandor said, looking it over. "Look who it's signed by," Maverick said. Looking at the body, Sandor found it's signed by none other than Peter Cullen and Charles Adler. If he could smile wider than he already was, he would do so. "No way!" He looked at Maverick. "You didn't." Maverick smiled and nodded a bit. "I did. They were more than happy to sign it for you." "Not only that, but one of them was more than willing to come here and meet you," Bobby told. "What? Really?" Sandor asked. "Yes really," Bobby said. "But hey, while we wait, why don't you test out your guitar?" Aaren asked. Sandor nodded and put the guitar strap around his neck and got a pick. Within moments, the restaurant was silent as they listened to Sandor play the song If Everyone Cared on the guitar, accompanied by him singing the lyrics. Hell, Bobby even played the piano part from his phone. Aaren had taken Sandor's phone to record the present giving, as well as meeting either Peter Cullen or Charles Adler. What none of them realized was that the latter had shown up and was looking directly at the Vandeven brothers as the song was being played. He had soon made his way to the five and took a seat at a nearby table. Aaren was the one to take notice and waved at the older male, who in turn waved slightly. When the song was over, Sandor looked up and smiled while there was applause from everyone else in the restaurant. "You have a great voice young man," someone said and tugged lightly on Sandor's ponytail. Upon hearing the voice, Sandor immediately froze. There was a chuckle from Bobby and Daniel. "And it seems he just now realized who's here," Aaren said as he switched the camera to where it would take pictures. Sandor slowly looked over his shoulder to see Charles Adler. "You," was the only thing that escaped his lips. "Yeah, it's me," Charlie said. "Your brothers said you've been wanting to meet me for quite some time, so I figured why not." At that, there was a nod from the blond male. "Sandor, right?" Charlie asked. Another nod and then the two launched into conversation, one happy beyond belief.  Aaren got a few pictures of them talking. Even in the pictures, one could feel the happiness radiating from the blond. The final picture taken was of Adler signing the back of Sandor's Air Force jacket while Sandor was giving a thumbs up and smiling like the fanboy he is.
--
Sandor was one of the final ones to be called up at the college graduation the next day. Underneath the graduation gown he was wearing was the Air Force jacket signed by Charlie Adler. In the crowd was Sandor's brothers and parents. When Sandor got a hold of the diploma after his name was called, someone got a picture of him. That someone being Aaren.
--
The blond male looked around his room. He had recently moved out of the house he grew up in. It may have taken a while, but everything he had brought with him had been cautiously placed where he wanted it to be. "I feel like there could be more," Sandor said to himself. After thinking for a bit, Sandor nodded and, leaving his guitar on the bed, left to go to the store. Of course, he didn't know the events that would take place when there.
--
Luckily he didn't live too far away from the store. What he was wearing something simple. A plain white t-shirt, yellow jeans, white boots, and the Air Force jacket Daniel gave him and that Charlie Adler had signed. Not to mention a pair of black fingerless gloves and a bracelet that has two charms on it; one a single bolt of lightning and the other being a peace sign. The entire thing was made of sterling silver and had some sort of coating that made it so that it didn't rust or turn his skin green. When Sandor walked into the store, he got a shopping kart and noticed something shining from the toddler seat. It appeared to be jammed in it. A face was made and a tilt of the head. Reaching out, Sandor attempted to pry it out, gaining success after a minute of trying. Curious, he twirled it in his hand. Whatever it was, it appeared to be a shard of something. All of a sudden, a beam of light came from it and it changed the peace charm into a key of sorts. At that, Sandor was surprised. "Woah..." He then jammed it into the pocket of his jacket and walked further into the store, hoping no one saw that ordeal. The blond didn't seem to notice a red boombox sitting just outside the store. By the time Sandor had everything and was leaving the store, he was carrying three bags in one hand and two in the other and the red boombox was gone. However, when he got home, he saw said boombox sitting on his front porch. "Huh, I wonder who left this here," he said before putting down the two grocery bags and pulling his house key from his pocket, unlocking the front door and opening it. After putting the key in his jacket pocket, he picked up the bags and the boombox and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Sandor didn't get to put up more than two decorations before a random voice spoke to him. "I saw you put that shard in your compartment." Blue eyes of Sandor's widened and he looked around to see no one there. "On the table," the voice said. Sandor looked to see the red boombox. When did he put it there? Slowly, the blond walked to the boombox. "You can talk?" He asked. "Oh yeah. Put me on the softer ground and I can show you something that'll blow your processor," the boombox said. Of course, Sandor obliged and put the boombox on the carpet and stepped back. Before he knew what was happening, there was a full blown robot standing in front of him. And then he collapsed on the ground in a dead faint.
--
As soon as Sandor woke up, he found he was lying on his couch, his head resting on a throw pillow. The blond jolted to a sitting position and looked around, spotting the red mech sitting on his floor staring at him. It was also then that he noticed the red symbol on the mech's chestplate. "Who are you exactly?" Blue optics brightened, the bot realizing Sandor was awake and talking to him. "Name's Blaster. I'm an Autobot from the planet Cybertron." Sandor's eyes widened at that. "I've heard of the Autobots!" He exclaimed. "There's five living in the city of Detroit!" "Prime and his team, no doubt," Blaster said. "I was wondering what happened to them." Remembering what was in his pocket, Sandor shoved his hand into the jacket pocket and pulled out the object he found earlier. "You said you saw me out this in my pocket. Do you know what it is?" Sandor asked and showed it to Blaster, who looked it over. "Yeah, that would be a shard of the All Spark," the red mech told. It was then that Blaster noticed the key tied to Sandor's wrist via the bracelet. "What's that?" He asked and poked at it. "Seems to be a key of sorts. The shard changed it from a peace charm to the key," Sandor told. "You know what this means, right?" Blaster asked. There was a shake of the head from Sandor. "You now possess the power of the All Spark. It chose you for that role because it senses something special in you." Sky blue eyes widened at what Blaster said. "So this means I can help you in your fight against the Decepticons?" A nod from Blaster. "As long as you stay away from the battlefield." Sandor nodded and put the All Spark shard in his pocket again.
--
Sandor had gotten himself a pair of inline skates and was currently testing them out as he made his way to where his brother Daniel lives, Blaster in one of his hands in boombox mode. It had been a week since the bot and the human had met and since the shard had been found. Of course, the key on his bracelet was hidden by the sleeve of Sandor's jacket. When the blond was at Daniel's door, he took off his skates and put them under his arm before knocking on the door of his eldest brother. Shortly after, the door was opened to reveal a male with stringy, black hair that reached his shoulders, green eyes, and kind features. "Hi big brother," Sandor greeted with a smile. "Sandor!" Daniel said. "What a pleasant surprise. Come on in." Sandor stepped inside and placed his skates just inside the door. "What do you have there?" Daniel asked when he shut the door. "A boombox, what does it look like?" Sandor asked. "I can see that, but why'd you get it?" Daniel asked. "Because I like it," Sandor told and looked at Daniel. The elder shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Anyway, what brings you here?" Sandor chuckled a bit. "What? I can't visit my oldest brother because I felt like it? Maybe tell him it's been a week since I moved into my new house?" Daniel chuckled a bit. "Has it really?" He asked. Sandor nodded. "Yeah, it has."
--
The two brothers talked for a while, even walking around town. Well, Sandor was more or less skating still, though he went at a pace where Daniel kept up with him. This didn't last long because out of nowhere, a shuttle flew within range and started attacking the city after transforming to root mode. People were running and screaming, though Daniel and Sandor stood in place. "What is that thing?" Daniel asked. "Astrotrain!" Came from the boombox in Sandor's hand. Knowing what to do, Sandor threw said boombox into the air and it transformed to a robot smaller than the one attacking. Daniel was surprised to see this. "Yo, Decepticreep!" Blaster called out to the bigger mech, who turned to look at the other. "If it isn't the Autoscum Blaster." Sandor looked at his older brother. "Let's get somewhere safe." Nodding, Daniel climbed onto his youngest brother's back when told to do so so that they could hide faster. Where the two ended up hiding was in some abandoned building. "We should be safe in here," Sandor said and let Daniel climb off him. It didn't last long though because with a couple stray shots, parts of the roof started falling. Both Sandor and Daniel dodged to the best of their abilities, but ultimately the blond was knocked unconscious when a large piece landed on his head and left a particularly nasty scrape that sparked. Daniel was immediately at Sandor's side, holding he younger close and noticing the circuitry on his head. "The fuck?" He asked quietly, eyebrows crinkling together in confusion.
--
When Sandor came to, he found himself cradled in Daniel's arms and Blaster nearby. Not only that, but there was the sound of sparking circuitry. "What... What happened?" He asked when he found his voice. Green eyes of Daniel looked at the younger yet taller male. "Part of the roof hit you on the head and knocked you out," Daniel informed. "Did you know about the circuitry though?" That made Sandor tilt his head in confusion, sitting up in the process. "What circuitry?" He asked. "The circuitry in your head," Daniel told. Sandor froze at that and a hand flew to his head, feeling a bit before finding the circuitry. Sky blue eyes looked at Blaster. "What am I?" He asked the red mech. "Rewind, we could use your help," Blaster said before the slot on his chest opened and a cassette ejected from it. The cassette transformed into a small black bot with a white helmet and orange mask. What he first saw was Sandor sitting there, hand on his head partially touching sparking circuitry. Rewind walked over to Sandor and looked up at him. "May I?" He asked politely. Nodding, Sandor removed his hand and lowered his head. Rewind then drew out a scanner and scanned the circuitry. A moment later, something popped up on the screen, causing Rewind's optics to widen. "I don't believe it!" The cassette said. "What? What is it?" Blaster asked. Sandor and Daniel look at the small mech expectantly. "His circuitry is Cybertronian," Rewind informed and looked at the three, of whom were surprised to hear that. "So, wait, my baby brother is one of your kind?" Daniel asked. "That's exactly what I'm saying," Rewind said. Both Sandor and Daniel look at each other. "The others need to know this," Sandor said. Daniel nodded at that. "It could still be dangerous for him with his kind of information," Blaster said. "I find it best he still stay away from the battlefield." Rewind looked at the scanner when it pinged. "Hold on a moment, the scanner picked up four others who share the same Cybertronian DNA as Sandor here. And they're all younger than him." Sandor blinked, expression blank. "Just when I thought my life couldn't get weirder I find out I have four other siblings that are younger than me."
--
Sandor sighed as he waited for his other brothers to show up. He and Daniel refused to tell their parents of what was going on until Bobby, Maverick, and Aaren showed up. The blond had switched his skates for his white boots and slung his guitar around his shoulder. Maverick was the first of the three to show up, drawing Sandor into a hug when he saw the look on the blond's face. Brown eyes looked over at Daniel, seeing the same look on his face. "Uh-oh. Something's up." "Yeah, something we didn't know of until recently," Daniel said, green eyes looking over at the brunet. "We'll tell you when Bobby and Aaren are here." There was a nod from Maverick. After what seemed like forever, Aaren and Bobby had joined them. "What is it you wanted us to know?" Matthew, the bearded father, asked. Sandor looked at the others and revealed the spot in his hair that held the circuitry. There was several gasps at that. "Circuitry? How is that possible?" Aaren asked. "I'm part Cybertronian," Sandor said. "Which would explain why there's no birth record, certificate, social security number, and all that for our baby brother," Daniel told. While Daniel was talking, Sandor removed the key from his bracelet. "And why I'm going to use this on myself," he said. "I'm going to use it to upgrade myself." "What if you overload your circuits?" Devon asked. "That's why Blaster and his cassettes are around," Daniel said. Sandor nodded and held the key to his chest, where two panels opened up to reveal where the key was to be placed. A strong wind blew through the room and Sandor placed the key in the slot. His legs were the first to transform, revealing yellow and grayish armor with a hint of black. Then were his arms with the same colors, grayish winglets protruding from the spot where the black armored shoulders meet the body, not to mention the hands being black. The armor of his chest was both red and grayish while the armor from the bottom of the chest to his waist was yellow. Two grayish wings protruded outward from his back, as well as a tail fin. His helmet and mask are grayish as well. The techno-organic male looked around when it was over to see six looks of surprise directed at him. "Something feels wrong here," Sandor said. "Maybe it's the wings," Aaren cracked immediately. "What? Wings?" Sandor asked, eyes widening. Looking over his shoulder, Sandor found it to be true. "Fuck. Me. Running." "Well, that's the irony of things, I guess," Aaren said. "Afraid of heights and that's the one thing you get." Sandor glared at the other, transforming to human form and removing the key from his chest. "Shut up." None knew he could glare like that. Aaren immediately shrunk back. "Besides, I have to go about finding my other siblings." "Want me to go with you?" Daniel offered. "Nah, I'll have Blaster and his cassettes," Sandor said. "But... You don't have any other siblings," Devon interjected. "That's not what Rewind said," both Sandor and Daniel told, looking at their dad. "Rewind said that I have four younger siblings just like me," Sandor informed, "And I fully intend on finding them, wherever they may be." "Stay safe, will ya?" Matthew asked, placing a hand on Sandor's shoulder. The blond smiled at the older male. "Other than what happened earlier, when haven't I been safe father?" Sandor asked, attaching the key to his bracelet. Matthew chuckled a bit. "You have a point." It was then that he drew Sandor into a tight embrace, one of which the others joined in on. Sandor's eyes softened and he placed his arms around both parents. "Where is it you have to go first?" Aaren asked when everyone pulled back. "Eastport, Maine," Sandor told. "To find Seff Taylor. I'll be back when I can. I promise." And with that, Sandor took his leave, picking up Blaster's boombox form on the way out.