Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Immortals ❯ Chapter 1

The being watched silently as Quintessa slunk around on Earth. His other half joined him, optics roving over her fair human face.

"It is dangerous," the older one said.

"She won't defeat them," the younger replied. "Bumblebee won't go down."

"He is not indestructible."

"No. But he doesn't have to be."

"You cannot protect him," the elder male replied. "Not forever."

"I won't let him die."

They stood in silence, the ancient one studying his youthful component. They hadn't planned on being this way, but the acts of the selfless being had brought them together. It had been a long, hard journey, one they still weren't entirely comfortable with, but they had no choice. Power, raw and throbbing, oozed from the younger one, and the elder ached to have it in himself, but the transfer hurt them both badly, and they could only take it in little doses.

And now there was Quintessa, and, worse, Unicron. Their sparks pulsed as they thought of their two enemies.

"We must help," the youth whispered.

"I do not know if we can," the older creature replied. "You do not know how to, and I do not have the power."

The young one began to cry. "But what will happen with Bumblebee?"

Arms were settled on thin shoulders as their essences melded. "We shall see."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Izabella was pretty sure the shapeshifter was male, even though half the time he appeared as a female. He was in a different form each time, from children and teenagers, to men and women, young to old, he could appear as anything. In fact, she was sure that the blue-eyed dog, and occasionally a cat, was him, watching her. At first, it creeped her out. Now, though, she was used to it. She glanced at Sqweeks, who beeped that they were alone. On cue, a boy about her age walked up, exuding shyness, but there was confidence in his eyes.

"Hi."

"Heya, Shifter," she said.

"Izzy," he replied. "How are you?"

"Fine. Cade talked to Tessa today. They're glad to be together again."

"Yes. They are fond of each other." Sqweeks buzzed, nuzzling him. He smiled and pet him affectionately. "And hello to you, little one."

Izabella watched, curious. Most people thought Sqweeks to be ugly and annoying, and she still hadn't managed to fix his transformation system, so he was constantly in bipedal mode. She refused to go anywhere without him, though, and everybody around her had gotten used to it. But this thing, whatever he was, spoke to him tenderly, as her father used to speak to her. It was bemusing, to say in the least. Shifter looked up at her.

"You are thinking again."

"Who are you?"

That same mysterious smile appeared, and his blue eyes twinkled merrily. "Oh, that's not fun."

"Papa said to never talk to strangers."

"And yet you regularly spend time with aliens from another planet. Nobody stranger than that, is there?"

She shrugged, and the boy studied her. After a moment, she shifted. There was something about this creature that made her feel like a toddler, and it always bothered her. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. How's Hound?"

"He's fine. He's been using haybales for target practice."

"And Drift?"

"Still trying to find inner peace."

"And failing," the boy said in amusement.

"Of course."

"And how is our resident Prime?"

"Disturbed. Unicron's horns are growing."

Something dark flashed into his eyes. "Yes, I know. And Bumblebee?"

"He's glad to have his voice back."

Izabella hesitated for a moment. She had never dared to ask about Unicron, what with the cold anger that always radiated from her friend at the mention of his name, but she needed information.

"So, what do you know about Unicron?"

The shapeshifter pursed his lips. "Let me treat you to lunch, and I'll tell you some of what I know."

Half an hour and a basketful of chips later, Izabella sucked on sweet tea while the boy nibbled on a single chip. She swallowed.

"So?"

"Unicron is a planet."

"What?"

"How do you think Earth came to be?"

"I failed history."

Shifter nodded, stirring his straw around his untouched drink. "Yes, well it's fascinating. Unicron has been in stasis for thousands of years, and, because of events you would find tedious to remember and that I find tedious to repeat, Earth formed out of of him. You are all on his outer shell. If he wakes up, there is a good chance he won't like being lived on, and if he transforms, no more Earth. Simple as that."

"But who is he?"

Shifter sat back, his eerie blue eyes thoughtful. He seemed to be debating with himself. He finally sat up as their food was set in front of them.

"You gonna eat?" Izabella asked, taking in a mouthful of fajita.

He shrugged, and she swallowed.

"I've never seen you eat anything. I don't think you can."

The boy smirked and took a bite of enchilada. Hunger exploded on his face, and within ten minutes, everything on his plate was gone, and they needed more chips and queso. He watched her eat lazily, more relaxed than she had ever seen him.

"Unicron is Primus' counterpart."

"Who is Primus?"

"You've never heard any of the mechs talk about Primus?"

"No."

"Hm. Interesting. Primus is their creator."

"I thought Quintessa was?"

"She was one of his early creatures. She grew proud and exalted herself above her brothers. They are the knights. She was once their leader, and she was great, but power, as it so often does, corrupted her, and they, realizing her to be conceited and dangerous, stole the staff that Primus gifted her, one that held some of his creation powers."

"Where was Primus?"

"As you would say, he was asleep, deep in recharge to regain the energy he had used when putting Unicron to sleep. He thought she would reign fairly and honorably. He was wrong."

Izabella shook her head. "I don't understand."

"It's a lot to take in."

She finished her meal and they got dessert, tres leches cake. He finished in record time again then sat back, observing her.

"Unicron and Primus were brothers, just as Megatron and Optimus were. In the same way, their ambitions led them in different directions. Primus had a spark of life, and decided to use it to create others, while Unicron had a spark of darkness, and could not do as his brother did. As the years passed, he grew jealous, and that caused him to act rashly. He tried to drown his brother's light, but they could gain no upper hand against the other, as they were perfect opposites.

"So, one day, Primus decided to take them both out of the equation. The universe could not stand them fighting one another as they were, so with a great effort, he put Unicron to sleep, draining most of his power into the task. He then went into a deep sleep for a few thousand years. Before he'd done that, he passed on the staff to Quintessa."

"So…Unicron's starting to wake up?" At a nod, she frowned. "What about Primus?"

"He's tired, but awake, trying to piece Cybertron back together. He never imagined that his precious world would be so scattered when he awoke. Nor did he expect you humans to be on his brother's body. That complicates things."

"So…are you Primus?"

Another mysterious smile and, in the blink of an eye, he stood and placed money on the table. By the time she had run out of the restaurant, he was gone. Sqweeks hurried over to her, and she placed a hand on his head. She got a call from Cade, then she started back. On the way, she noticed a cat with bright blue eyes trailing her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bumblebee was cleaning himself idly. He watched as Izabella played a game with Drift. She was so bright, so clever, just as another he'd known. That same person would give him baths, laughing about stupid things. He missed him.

"Bumblebee?" Optimus asked gently in their native tongue, startling the yellow mech.

"Yes?" It felt good to be able to actually answer him.

"Are you well?"

"I'm thinking of…old things."

"Sam?"

Bumblebee flinched. He'd never talked of what had happened to his precious boy, not even to Optimus. The others didn't care, at least not like the young mech would like, and, besides Ratchet, who was long gone at this point, didn't ask about the whole reason Optimus had come to Earth. Bumblebee sighed heavily as he finally nodded. The Prime inclined his head.

"Are you ready?"

"There's not much to tell."

"I would still like to hear it."

Bumblebee looked down, his spark aching with the depth of his sadness. "They took him and executed him in front of me. Shot him right here." Bumblebee placed a finger against what would have been the temple on a human. "He just…He went limp. His mother was screaming, and his father didn't move. They were shot, too, but I didn't see that. All I saw was him, laying on the ground with no pulse, no light in his eyes."

Optimus nodded solemnly. He, too, had felt the loss of their closest human companion, but he hadn't seen it like Bumblebee had. For a year afterwards, the yellow mech had a hollow look to his optics, and he fought differently. He hadn't even used the radio to speak for a month. It had been very hard on him, and the Prime realized that none of the others really understood his pain and sorrow. They had known war for far too long, and they hadn't really known Sam as he and his team had. Even now, Crosshairs was looking with contempt at the yellow mech. Bumblebee stood and shook his head.

"But it's all in the past, right? No need to feel anything about it."

"Don't let them bother you. There is a reason I picked you, Bumblebee. Your emotions keep proving I made a good choice. You cannot be an emotionless Autobot. Even they can feel."

Bumblebee suddenly had the most bitter expression on his face. "Yeah? Sometimes I wonder."

With that, he walked away. He saw Izabella working on Sqweeks, and he sat down to watch. One of those funny creatures, a little cat, stared at him. He tapped his knee, and, to his immense surprise, the feline obeyed. It laid down, purring contentedly. Bumblebee laughed softly, carefully stroking it. It arched to his touch, the amazingly Autobot-like blue eyes stared at him, and the young mech felt content to scratch him for a while. He finally scooted the creature along, and he noticed Izabella stick her tongue out at the cat.

"Does he have a name?"

The young girl smirked. "I call him Shifter, don't I?" The cat inclined his head, and she snorted. "He won't stop following me. I don't know what he wants."

The cat casually walked over and rubbed her legs. She smiled then caught herself. "Estúpido," she said fondly.

Bumblebee chuckled as he watched. The cat was nice, and he decided then and there he would keep him.

Time marched on and on, and the fighting waxed and waned. Still, the cat stayed near him and Izabella. It enjoyed snuggling on cold nights, sunbathing on top of Bumblebee, in any form, on sunny days, and it happily lapped milk from a saucer whenever they put one down. He was a content kitty.

But there was something that bothered the Cybertronian, and he finally went to Optimus with his pet.

"Optimus?" he asked in English.

"Yes?" the Prime replied, turning to look at him.

"This is Shifter."

"Stupid kid's got a pet now," Crosshairs muttered.

"Frag off," Bumblebee growled.

Optimus made a single gesture, and the fight was over before it started. "What do you need?"

"Look at him for me. See if you see it."

Optimus held out his hand, and the small creature thought about it a moment before strolling into the large palm. Optimus scanned him, looking him over, not really sure what he was supposed to see. The stripes on his back suddenly caught his optic.

"It looks like an ancient Cybertronian glyph," he said in surprise.

"Are you serious?" Hound gasped as they all gathered around the feline.

"I can't read it, but I recognized it," Bumblebee admitted. "And look at his eyes. Look at their color. They're not just blue sometimes. Sometimes they look gold."

"That's ridiculous," Crosshairs grumbled. "Why would Primus come back as a cat?"

"I don't know, but you must admit there's something about this creature," Bumblebee said, sounding a little angry. "He doesn't fear us at all, and he knows things."

"He's a cat," Drift said with a dismissive wave. "Even humans admit they are strange."

"But…" Bumblebee snorted. "Fine. Just give him back if you don't believe me. I'm just the stupid kid."

"Now you're gettin' it!" Crosshairs encouraged.

"Watch this cat, Bumblebee," Optimus said gently, handing the small organic back to his soldier. "There is something strange about him."

The fact that Optimus sorta believed him didn't help him feel any better. The cat looked at Crosshairs and growled loudly. When he was looked at by the surprised mech, he hissed, his hackles raised.

"Stupid little bugger."

Bumblebee sullenly went to recharge that night, but awoke halfway through his cycle when Crosshairs screamed.

"Dumbass cat! Get back here!"

He laughed to himself as the cat suddenly leaped on top of him and settled down to sleep. He had a pretty good idea of what had happened, and the smug look on the cat's face confirmed it.

"Good kitty."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bumblebee was hit hard, and he felt his vents stutter at the pain. It hurt. Badly. He collapsed and the cat, who had somehow followed him, hissed and dashed through the battle to leap on top of him. He was clearly upset.

"It's alright," Bumblebee whispered, dragging himself to sit up. "I can take it."

A deep growl of distress came from the creature, and he began to cry. Bumblebee was surprised. Could cats cry? He wasn't sure. The Decepticon who had hit him stalked up, fire in his optics as he loaded his gun. The cat yowled and there was a noise. A weapon clicked into place, and Bumblebee stared in shock as Ironhide placed a cannon on the side of the Cybertronian's head.

"Punk-ass Decepticon," he snarled, then fired. Ratchet knelt down beside Bumblebee and began repairs without a word. Jazz stood there with the black mech, guarding them.

Bumblebee was shocked to see his companions alive again, but they didn't seem bothered. At least, not until Hound walked up.

"Hey, Prime! Get over here!"

"How are you alive?" Crosshairs demanded in shock.

"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked, looking up.

"You were dead!" Hound exclaimed.

All three of them twitched violently then placed their hands on their heads, moaning. "I can't remember dyin'," Jazz said with a head shake. "But I know I was dead."

"How are we alive?" Ratchet queried, looking down at his hands.

"What do you remember?" Optimus asked cautiously.

"That cat," Ironhide said, pointing at the creature lying on Bumblebee's shoulder, staring at them intently.

"The…cat?" Drift asked blankly.

"He told me to fix Bumblebee," Ratchet said. "And I couldn't say no. So I just had to come back."

The odd answer caused the other two to nod, and Ratchet began to repair again. Optimus' optics landed on the cat, and he studied the creature. Could it be? No, certainly not. And yet there were three of his closest friends, all of whom he knew to be dead. Bumblebee stroked the feline, smiling at him.

Later that night, he did a quick search. As it turned out, cats couldn't cry at all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One by one, their fallen brothers came back, and they had no clue how. All they remembered was the cat. Izabella was fascinated, and Bumblebee kept close watch on the feline. He caught the girl talking to him once.

"Come on, Shifter, you gotta tell me who you are! Clearly, you're Primus!"

The cat licked his paw and cleaned his ear, ignoring her.

Everything went well for a while until Bumblebee got damaged again. This time, the Decepticon grabbed the cat when it bounded over. It yowled and hissed, struggling in his grip.

"This is the creature with the energy?" Megatron demanded disdainfully.

"He is very fond of Bumblebee," Barricade replied, glaring at his foe.

"Then we just have to…"

Bumblebee cried out then went limp, energon oozing out of a large hole in his stomach. The cat froze then screamed, and it wasn't an animal noise. It was a human shriek that shattered every window around them, drawing attention to the Decepticons, who were suddenly paralyzed. Another shriek and it blasted them back. The cat hit the ground and struggled out of its skin to run over to Bumblebee, staring in shock and dismay at the yellow mech. Optimus couldn't believe it.

"Sam..." he breathed.

The Decepticons sat up, and Megatron snarled at him. "You!"

Sam looked up, his blue eyes spitting hellfire then he shrieked again, the sound wave carrying out and deafening everybody. Bumblebee's body healed quickly, but he was still unconscious. Another deep boom sounded out, and Megatron hid behind Optimus at the sight of the mech that appeared in front of Sam.

Their audios were still ringing, so they couldn't hear what they said to each other, but Primus eventually picked up the human, who glared at Megatron, then they both disappeared. The battlefield rang with silence for a moment then the Decepticon leader shuddered as their hearing came back.

"I…think we're done for today."

Optimus wordlessly nodded, and they parted.

"Who was that?" Crosshairs asked, incredibly subdued.

"Samuel James Witwicky."

"That kid that Bumblebee cries about?"

Optimus spun and glared at him. "You don't understand what their relationship was. Bumblebee was his guardian. If I hear one more word about it, you won't like your punishment. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," Crosshairs said, his optics turning white.

"Ratchet, go check on Bumblebee."

"So that cat…was Sam?" Ironhide asked, confused.

"It seems that Sam has ties to Primus, which would explain a lot. For now, I don't know."

They watched as Ratchet tried to rouse a drowsy Bumblebee, who looked a little ill, but the medic passed him. With that, they silently headed back to base, thinking on what had happened.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bumblebee had taken the news that Sam was somehow, in some way, alive quite bitterly. He didn't understand why his boy hadn't come to him, to which Optimus asked what if he couldn't. Bumblebee spat back that the cat had clearly come to him then spun away and sulked by himself. The young mech didn't understand at all. The appearance of Primus confused him even more. When the cat strolled up to him, he glared at it.

"Go away."

"You should not be upset at him, Bumblebee," the cat replied mildly. "He can hardly contain his power most of the time, and because of the rapid outflow of power he has used recently, he now can hardly move."

"So…you're not Sam?" Bumblebee asked, noting the feline's eyes were gold, not blue.

"That…is a difficult question."

"It seems simple to me."

"Then the answer is difficult."

"You either are Sam, or you aren't."

"What if I am both?"

Bumblebee considered this. "I don't understand."

"I am Primus, and have been for thousands of years. But about ten human years ago, Sam was joined to me when he absorbed my spark, the Allspark, into himself. We did not know it, not really at least, until his physical body's death three years ago. What you would call his soul was combined with mine, my spark, the moment the container was destroyed in Megatron's spark. Ergo, I am Sam, and he is me as well. We are two halves of a whole, neither complete without the other. It is hard to imagine I was without him for so long."

"So…why didn't he come back?"

"At first, he could not become physical," the cat replied, leaping up onto his knee. "And when he could, his power sparked uncontrollably, so I recommended against it. I believe he now fears you would be angry at him for waiting so long, though that is my fault, not his. And you were angry."

"Yes," Bumblebee admitted, knowing he couldn't lie to this mech. "But the explanation helped. May I see him?"

"He is not in the physical realm right now. He is tired, yet his power pulses. It is our curse. When he is strong enough, we shall visit. Until then, know that he has missed you fiercely. Tell Optimus and the others of what I have told you, and tell Izabella that Shifter wishes for her to speak of what we told her of Unicron. Until then, goodbye."

The cat leaped up to a fence and dropped down out of sight. Bumblebee knew he wouldn't see the cat again for a while. He pondered what he had been told for a few minutes then stood and went to find the others.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

His first sight of Sam made his spark flutter with emotion. The boy was pale, but whole and healthy. Exhaustion was plain in his face, but a kind smile curled his lips as soon as he saw Bumblebee.

"Hey, Bee," he greeted.

Just the sound of the boy's voice helped Bumblebee to relax. "Sam," he replied fondly.

"Good to actually hear your voice."

"I concur."

Sam stayed seated, watching his guardian approach. He reached up imploringly, and Bumblebee picked him up, petting him gently. Primus sat silently at the computer, keeping his seat, though he barely spared them a glance. He was busy staring at pictures of Unicron's horns. Optimus hesitantly approached.

"Sir?"

Primus peered up at him. "Yes, Prime?"

"I can brief you on what we know."

Sam laughed out loud. "We know much more than you!"

The silver and gold mech huffed. "Sam, you know better than to speak like that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I like knowing something the great Optimus Prime doesn't know," Sam said dismissively, causing everybody to gape at him at his brazen words to the mech who had made their sparks.

"Still, you must be kind and considerate. Do not make fun of lesser knowledge. You were as they are once."

Sam rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. "Unicron's going to shift in a second."

The Earth suddenly heaved beneath their feet. Within ten minutes of the shaking, news sites were talking of a worldwide earthquake. Sam watched in mild interest. The mechs were talking amongst themselves as Primus watched the news.

"We must speak to our brother," he said softly, glancing at the boy.

Sam shook his head. "He wouldn't listen to me, and I doubt he'll acknowledge that I am part of your twin bond."

Primus sighed and covered his face with one hand. "True. Brother is not fully awake yet. It would be best to summon him now when he is less dangerous."

"Summoning him is a good idea?" Crosshairs asked disdainfully.

"I need to speak with him," Primus replied evenly.

"If you think it is wise," Optimus said, clearly unsure.

When the golden mech appeared, he looked very sleepy. He glanced around then his gaze landed on Sam. He was immediately beside him, trailing his large fingers over the smooth skin.

"Fascinating creatures," he murmured.

"Yes, and delicate," Primus said cautiously.

"You fear I will kill them," Unicron said bluntly.

"Yes."

"Why should I?" Unicron demanded, causing everybody's mind to skip at the unexpected answer.

"Brother?" Primus asked, confused.

"I finally have creatures that I made. Why would I want to kill them? Do you wish to kill your creations?"

"But you are shifting! You are destroying their cities! Their civilizations!"

"I feel as if I need to stretch a bit," Unicron said crossly. "I've been sleeping in the same position for so long…But I won't transform. I enjoy having my own creatures! And now we have a new bondmate!"

Sam grinned at him. "And he's one of your creatures! Just…with a few added benefits."

Unicron nodded then the earth shook again. He grunted. "I'm very stiff."

"Sleeping for that long will do that to you," Sam teased.

"Please, you are scaring the humans with all your moving about," Primus said. "Stop shifting. I will help you to get more comfortable."

Unicron snorted then nodded. "Very well, brother. I will let you help me."

The mech suddenly let out an undignified yelp, his mental projection fritzing.

"Frag that terrible glitch of yours!" he barked angrily. "She's trying to get me to transform!"

"Quintessa's angry," Sam said, leaning against Bumblebee. "We need to deal with her."

"We will later," Primus said. "I shall let you be with your friends. I must help my brother. I will return soon."

With that, the two immortals disappeared. Sam grinned up at Bumblebee.

"Would you like a bath?"

"Very much," Bumblebee replied.

With a surprising pop, Sam disappeared then reappeared at the doorway. "Come on, Bee! Maybe I'll get Izzy to help!"

Optimus shook his head in amazement as Bumblebee rushed out to get cleaned up. Sam paused and suddenly turned into a cat, staring at Crosshairs with his gleaming blue eyes. The green mech swore in realization.

"You did do it on purpose!"

There was laughter as Sam simply flicked his tail and sauntered out after his guardian, feeling giddy with relief that he had reunited with his old friends. It also didn't hurt that Bumblebee was howling with laughter over the thought of his little trick.

"Good kitty," he said slyly, and Sam grinned.