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Post by Jared Miller on Sept 27, 2011 14:27:30 GMT -5
A feeling of sadness crept through Jared as his father explained what had happened to the once peaceful and beautiful Cybertron. War was never the right option, in his mind. It led to so many innocent lives being lost for no good reason, for simply being there in the wrong place at the wrong time. He memorized each of his Dad's adopted Sparklings, never wanting to forget them so he could share the burden of keeping their memory alive. He wouldn't let Jack handle that alone. Without a word he leaned against his father, working out how to send waves of sorrow and comfort through their newly formed bond, figuring that was better than mere words. That was going to be the special part; they would be able to communicate without even using speech. No one else would ever know what they were thinking about.
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 2, 2011 23:44:04 GMT -5
Wheeljack felt Jared reach for him and realized his son had seen the lost ones without his meaning to show him. He brought his hand up and gently hugged his young son close, offering gratitude and love through the bond to Jared. "I can tell you about them, all of them, if you want me to." he offered softly, sensing that Jared seemed to want to know, to share it with his father. In a way, sharing the pain with his son seemed to make it easier to deal with and despite his concern of overburdening the ten year old, Jared seemed willing to carry it for Wheeljack's sake. "I just... I miss them so much... I tried to protect them, but... I couldn't..." he whispered softly, closing his optics.
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Post by Jared Miller on Oct 8, 2011 11:59:42 GMT -5
Jared looked up at his father with a soft smile and patient eyes. "If it makes you feel better." He whispered quietly enough that only Jack would've heard it had anyone else been in the room. He wouldn't force his Dad to talk about anything, certainly not this. But he wanted to help him carry this burden; he'd missed too much time with him to not. Doing this would strengthen the bond they had, he knew, and he would not abandon Jack to deal with it alone, not after so much time together had been lost due to unavoidable circumstances.
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 19, 2011 8:14:54 GMT -5
Wheeljack vented a soft sigh and nodded a bit. "I... I need to tell someone... thousands of your years and I haven't talked to anyone about it... it just hurt too much... it still hurts so much... but... maybe sharing it... through our bond... it won't hurt so much anymore..." he offered haltingly. He then reached through the bond, offering the joy he felt when he took in each Sparkling, their names, how he loved and cared for them, and the anguish that tore at his Spark when the Decepticons came and killed them one by one.
The first one was a young mech who, when Wheeljack found him, had been no more than a hatchling crying, buried in rubble and shielded by his progenitor's body. He moved the debris off the curled up form and looked at the tiny hatchling cradled there, his Spark going out to him. He gently coaxed the small one to him, cradling him close against his chest. He looked to the dead mech laying there and gently laid his hand on the poor bot's shoulder. ~"I'll take care of him, I promise."~ he offered, and though the words were in Cybertronian, Jared could still understand their meaning. He had then carried the tiny little mech away, unable to help his progenitor and needing to get the small life out of harms way, knowing the Decepticons would soon be back to search for survivors to destroy. Wheeljack took the small one, who came to be called Highrise, to the Autobot base and raised him, taking care of him the best he could, giving him plenty of Energon and letting him cuddle up to his chest and fall asleep every night listening to his Spark. When it was time for little Highrise's first growth cycle, he was there, soothing the frightened little mech and offering him the Energon and raw metals he so desperately needed to grow bigger and stronger. Over time the young mech's confidence grew and he looked up to his surrogate father with great affection, and even into his juvenile stage he still liked to snuggle against Wheeljack's chest when it was time to recharge, which Wheeljack didn't mind at all. Then the day came when the Decepticons fell upon the base and one vicious Decepticon came tearing through the area where Wheeljack's lab was. The young mech, not quite fully grown, saw his adoptive father shot and knocked aside, and his scream of terror became a scream of defiance and rage as he attacked the vicious Decepticon only for Wheeljack to watch in horror as the young mech was knocked down hard, the Decepticon stepping on Highrise's legs, crushing them as the young fighter screamed in agony. The brute then reached out a clawed hand and tore open his chest, ripping out his laser core and crushing it, despite Wheeljack trying to shoot the heavy Decepticon to draw his attention away from his adoptive son. That was when other Autobots arrived and drove the Decepticon away, far too late to save Highrise. Wheeljack had managed to crawl to his son and pulled him into his arms, crying in anguish as he clutched his mangled form to his chest.
A few Deca-Cycles later, his pain was eased as one of the insurgent teams returned, Ratchet carrying a Sparkling in his arms. This one had just gone through his first growth stage recently, and had lost his progenitors mere Cycles later. Ratchet offered the small mech to Wheeljack, knowing how his Spark still ached for the loss of Highrise. He agreed, taking the little mech, named Skyline, into his arms and nuzzling him tenderly. The ache in his Spark did subside as he took care of the young bot, teaching him as much as he could. He loved Skyline as much as he had loved Highrise, content to let the young mech curl up with him whenever he needed the comfort. But before the young Skyline could reach his juvenile growth stage, the Decepticons attacked a nearby settlement and Wheeljack was called to help retrieve survivors and defend against the attackers. But the attack had been a decoy, and when Wheeljack returned to base, he found his lab had been hit and he ran, calling to his young Skyline only to find the small mech crushed to death beneath the debris. His Spark cried out for the little bot, moving the wreckage and debris off him, then carefully pulled the Sparkling into his arms, unable to move as he sat there wishing for Skyline to wake up.
Nearly two Ano-Cycles passed before Wheeljack found himself out with one of the long range patrols, searching for an Energon storage facility. What they found had already been ransacked and destroyed, but hiding in the rubble were two far too young little bots, one femme who was just coming to her first growth cycle, and her tiny little brother who was barely a Deca-Cycle out of his pod. Wheeljack reached for them immediately, picking up both little bots as Ironhide grunted softly. ~"Ya sure ya wanna do that?"~ he had asked, remembering how horribly devastated Wheeljack had been when he lost Highrise and Sklyline. ~"Yes..."~ he had murmured in response. ~"They need me..."~ and Ironhide didn't argue the point. He took the two hatchlings home with him, the femme called Cabochon, and her little brother Silverburn. Wheeljack was especially protective of the pair, nurturing and raising them together. He cherished them both, and as they grew he began to hope they would survive. But tragedy tore his life apart yet again as the Decepticons attacked the base, killing Cabochon just after her final growth cycle, leaving Silverburn clutching his dead sister's broken frame and crying in agony, having felt her die through their sibling bond. It took a long time for Wheeljack to get the young juvenile mech to finally let his sister go, and barely a Deca-Cycle later he saw Silverburn blown apart by a Decepticon fusion cannon.
Wheeljack remained in his lab, burying himself in his work trying to forget the four little ones he had lost, and nearly five Ano-Cycles went by before another Sparkling came into his life. This time, the tragedy was even more profound as a bot was brought into the med bay, badly mangled and dying. Wheeljack had gone to help Ratchet, and this one clutched at Ratchet, pleading for him to save the poor mech's Sparkling. At first Ratchet didn't know where to even begin, until a scan revealed that the dying bot was actually carrying a pod that was nearly ready to emerge from his Sparkling chamber. Wheeljack came forward then and held the poor mech's dactyl in his own, trying to offer comfort. ~"I'll take care of your little one, you just rest and let Ratchet take care of you, okay?"~ he offered, which seemed to calm the frantic bot down and he opened his chest, allowing the engineer to gingerly extract the pod from his chassis. He connected the pod's tendril to an Energon node and looked on as the poor hatchling's father went into convulsions and died on Ratchet's operating table, his Spark giving out. Wheeljack could only bow his head in quiet sorrow for the little one's progenitor, and he took the small pod to his underground quarters, tending gingerly to the tiny growing Sparkling inside. Upon hatching, Wheeljack was there to catch her in his arms, and joy filled his Spark as she looked up at him and churred softly. This one came to be known as Kilovolta, and she was truly a bright Spark, so incredibly inquisitive and wanting to know what everything was. Wheeljack adored her, cherished her, and she loved her adoptive daddy, watching with wide curious optics everything he did and asking questions. She grew even more curious as she grew in size, but she too was cut down by Decepticon hands as the Dreads caught hold of her and ripped her apart in gleeful abandon. Wheeljack had yet again been powerless to save the Sparkling he had adopted and cared for as his own, and she too had only been of juvenile age when she was so brutally murdered.
Wheeljack could no longer take the Spark ache of caring for a young Sparkling only to watch them die while he remained powerless to save them. Or so he thought, until he found tiny little Oreferous hiding in a dormant shuttle craft that had crashed near the edge of Iacon itself. Wheeljack coaxed the hatchling out with some Energon, eventually cradling the little mech to his chest. He took Oreferous home with him. He cared for this one like he had done with the other five, keeping this one close to him for fear of losing Oreferous like he had lost the others. But even him, even young little Orefey would not survive the Decepticon's raids, only half way though his Sparkling stage, just prior to his second growth cycle, even as Wheeljack cradled the young bot close and ran for cover, shrapnel from an explosion that threw Wheeljack several yards had lanced through the air towards Wheeljack. He tried desperately to curl up and roll to protect the tiny mech in his arms, but it was too late, and as Wheeljack looked down to check on his sixth adopted Sparkling, he saw that a shard of shrapnel had pierced his little body, killing him instantly. Wheeljack clutched little Orefey in his arms and lost himself in grief and despair as the war raged around him, rocking and crying out to Primus through his anguished Spark. Why did Primus take them from him? Why were they being punished for a war that was not their fault?
His Sparklings, though they were not of his own Spark, were ripped from his arms no matter how hard he tried to protect and care for them, and that unbearable anguish and pain shattered the white and blue mech's Spark. As he held his son Jared, Wheeljack could only cry and hold Jared to him, rocking and shivering in pain. He had finally done what he could never do before, he had showed his pain to another, had let someone see the guilt and torment he had suffered for so many thousands of years, pain he always tried to hide from the others. Now his own Spark spawned son had seen it, had felt it, he knew what his father had gone through, and yet there was still more he had yet to show, and with it would come a glimmer of hope.
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Post by Jared Miller on Oct 19, 2011 11:14:56 GMT -5
Jared watched and listened to each event in silence, constantly changing emotions as they passed. Happiness. Laughter. Concern. Horror. Sympathy. And not just those, but many more. He had never seen something so constant and reoccuring in his entire life. Did Primus, as he recalled his father saying in one disaster, really have something against the Scientist? And if so, what would happen to his newly found Techno Organic son? He'd never be allowed out of sight, he knew. But after seeing all of that, he really couldn't blame his Dad. He would happily stay by his side if it gave him peace of mind.
He leaned against his father's chest as he was hugged, eyes still wide with many emotions that had passed between the both of them. But he knew there was more, so he didn't say a word still. He understood that he was possibly the only person that had gotten his father to confess everything like this, to speak out every horrible darkness that had fallen on him. He could sense that glimmer of hope though. Maybe there were Sparklings that had survived and lived on as great Autobot heroes of today?
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 19, 2011 13:00:01 GMT -5
Wheeljack then came to a point in his life when the Allspark seemed to call out to Wheeljack, and when he went to the great bringer of life, an immense cube the Autobots guarded with their very lives, there was a burst of blue-white light from the side of the Allspark, and in that burst drifted a single pulsing Spark. It gently drifted down to Wheeljack and the Engineer slowly sank to his knees. As the Spark came to rest lightly in his hands, Wheeljack cried softly and opened his chest, his Sparkling chamber barren and empty. ~"I'll take care of you, lil one..."~ he whispered, barely able to even speak the words as he gingerly guided the little Spark into his Sparkling chamber and closed his chest protectively over that new little life he now carried within him. He cried as he clutched his chest, but his cries were of joy and hope, not pain, and he finally stood, returning to his duties with the new Sparkling growing its pod within him. When the time came for the pod to emerge, he had a ready supply of Energon waiting for his little Sparkling. Soon he felt the Allspark's call again, and again he went to the great cube, receiving a second tiny Spark to carry within him. Again Wheeljack cried with joy as he carried this second Sparkling. After this one's pod had emerged, a little less time passed and he was called back to the Allspark to receive a third Sparkling, then later a fourth, and finally a fifth shining little Spark. For Wheeljack it was like the Allspark heard his cries and had given back the little ones he had lost. The engineer remained close, curling up with the five pods laying on his berth when it was time to recharge. He was so very tender with them, gingerly caressing the pods and humming softly to them. These five little hatchlings were his hope, his dear precious little ones, his Spark's greatest joy. He believed he would never have a Sparkmate, believed he would never have Sparklings of his own, and these five were the closest he would ever have to that desperate wish.
The day they hatched, Wheeljack thought his Spark would explode with joy as each one stretched and tore free of his pod. He gathered them up as they hatched, one by one, cradling them to his chest lovingly, humming softly to them as they looked up at him and pawed and played with each other in his arms. Each one had a name and a bright and unique personality: Silverbolt, Air Raid, Slingshot, Skydive, and the littlest one, Fireflight. He played with them, taught them, and every night he curled up with them, listening to their soft little sounds as they slept. As they grew, he showed them and taught them all he could, encouraging them to stay together, always stay together no matter what. He also feared for them, and never left their side, always keeping them close to him, keeping them safe.
When they finally reached their juvenile growth stage, Wheeljack could see how strong, and big, they were going to be. His five precious Sparklings were fliers! That was when they learned to Transform, and that was also when something very unexpected was discovered as they seemed to huddle together, drawn to each other by an unseen yet irresistible force. Thus five young Autobots suddenly became one and Wheeljack discovered that his five Sparklings were actually six, the final one being their combined form - Superion. For Wheeljack, it was as if the six he had lost had been given back to him, and they were so much stronger, all of them together.
Then came the day after they were fully grown when Wheeljack's obligations took him from his precious ones. He was forced to run, last minute, to the shuttle before it launched, hardly having any time to grab anything. He tried desperately to reach his dear ones, calling to them, praying they would hear him, praying he would see them come flying up to escort the shuttle, to follow him wherever they were headed. But he never saw them, and in his Spark he cried for them, praying every day they would be safe and that they would find their way to him again, all of them. He loved them with all his Spark, and he desperately held out hope they would come to him.
He finally opened his optics then, looking at his young son. "They're coming here, your brothers..." he whispered softly. "Fireflight was the first to arrive a few days ago." he added and touched his forehead to Jared's, fighting the urge to cry softly, his Spark breaking, overflowing with joy.
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Post by Jared Miller on Oct 19, 2011 13:15:28 GMT -5
Jared's emotions promptly changed from hopeful to excited. Five Sparklings had survived! Five Sparklings that could come together and form a sixth! That was just beyond incredible. And they were his brothers? He was certainly going to be protected during his stay at the Autobot base. He looked up at his father, and his smile faded, remembering the loss that still lingered. He stayed close to 'Jack, his head still leaning on his chest. "Can I go and meet him sometime? And the others when they get here?" He asked, hoping that they would all get here, and be able to show him how they came together to form Superion. That would just be the coolest thing ever. Nobody in the world would have a bigger brother than him. Of course, he knew they had to stay a secret... but how on Earth would they be able to keep the giant combiner a secret?
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Post by Wheeljack on Oct 23, 2011 15:25:42 GMT -5
Wheeljack smiled warmly and nodded. "I think they would like that, and I would love for you to meet them. They grew very big, bigger than I am, but they will always be my little flybots, my little Sparklings." he said. He couldn't help but be excited and hopeful, his family finally coming together. He didn't know what would come for them in the future, but at least he knew his little ones would be with him, and hopefully he would find a way to forge a creation bond with the Aerialbots, a bond he had longed for since the day he began to carry each of their Sparks one by one. He was fairly certain they would welcome such a bond with him, it was just a matter of time to figure out how to make it happen, if it was even possible.
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Post by Jared Miller on Nov 26, 2011 12:13:00 GMT -5
Jared's smile promptly grew at the thought of his big brothers. If they were bigger than his own father, then they would certainly be something to see, and that meant the combined form would be even bigger. But the question of keeping them a secret still remained, though he figured that was for another time. Instead, he thought of Fireflight, the smallest of the group, and possibly the youngest. He knew they'd get along well, but what if the other four didn't like him? Then again, he'd worried about his father not liking him, and he'd turned out fine. Maybe he was just being too concerned. Everything would be fine, he figured. He just needed to get used to the feeling of having giant alien robots as his relatives.
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Post by Wheeljack on Dec 2, 2011 20:40:10 GMT -5
Wheeljack smiled, then decided to see if Fireflight was awake, reaching out to the young flier over the closed coms. <"Hey, little Flybot, are you awake? I... I have someone I'd like you to meet if you're up to it."> he asked, though he knew the answer already as he stood with Jared cradled close. "We can go meet Fireflight now if you like, then I think it'll be time to get some food into you, hows that sound?" he asked and turned towards the door. He was pretty certain Fireflight would be excited to meet his tiny little brother, as much as he knew Jared was excited to meet his big brothers as soon as the rest of them safely made planet fall. But he could meet one of them now, and Wheeljack didn't want to make his children wait any longer than they had to.
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Fireflight
Designated Decoy
Flying Disaster
"I got distracted by [insert thing here]."[A1i:2]
Posts: 67
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Post by Fireflight on Dec 3, 2011 17:07:44 GMT -5
Fireflight had been sitting on the tarmac outside the hanger that he'd begun to call "home," as far as sleeping quarters went, sunning himself in the early-afternoon rays. He'd decided that he very much liked sunlight, seeing as Cybertron had lacked any kind of star to orbit around. The warmth of the sun was at a comfortable level, and his solar receptors were taking in the small bit of extra energy to add to his systems. As he sat there, he kept his sensors focused on the sky, his processor in a daydreaming daze, which Wheeljack's comm shook him out of. <"I'm up!"> He replied cheerfully, transforming and shaking himself out before stretching. <"Who is it? Where are you?"> His excitement was quite evident in his voice.
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Post by Jared Miller on Dec 6, 2011 13:43:13 GMT -5
Jared's eyes promptly brightened, and he grinned with excitement. He would get to meet Fireflight? Now? His first big brother! "Sounds like a plan!" He nodded cheerfully, remembering what he had seen Fireflight look like in his father's memories, and keeping that picture in his mind. He remembered the Flybot's personality, how he always seemed cheerful and young. Perhaps the lives of his father's people were much longer than those of the humans, and the young had the opportunity to stay young for a considerable amount of time. Not like Earth, where it felt like one grew up far too soon. It would be ice to have someone like that around, he figured.
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Post by Wheeljack on Dec 6, 2011 14:33:44 GMT -5
Wheeljack couldn't help but laugh in response to both his young ones and hugged Jared close. "I think you two will get along just fine." he remarked with a grin and headed out and up to the ground level. <"We're on our way up to the main hangar entrance near the med bay, actually, and I'll introduce you as soon as we're there."> he offered Fireflight, happy that his two youngest would meet and get to know each other. Then all they had to do was wait for the rest to arrive, which Wheeljack hoped would be very soon. He walked up and over to the central entrance that led to the med bay, ground bridge, and JCS uplink and conference rooms, stepping out into the sunlight and carefully shielding Jared from the bright glare so his young eyes could adjust naturally without pain. He then looked around for Fireflight knowing the young yet very large mech would be there in very short order.
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Fireflight
Designated Decoy
Flying Disaster
"I got distracted by [insert thing here]."[A1i:2]
Posts: 67
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Post by Fireflight on Dec 7, 2011 15:24:15 GMT -5
<"Okay!"> Fireflight replied, fidgeting and twitching, trying to contain his excitement. As much as he missed his brothers, he was also excited to meet someone new. He'd already met Cira not long after he'd made planet fall, and had already decided that he liked her. She was fun, and loved to fly, and that made her okay in his book. By the time Wheeljack and Jared reached the main hanger entrance, Fireflight would be completely incapable of standing still.
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Post by Jared Miller on Dec 13, 2011 15:17:55 GMT -5
Jared smiled gratefully up at his father as he was shielded from the bright glare of the sun above. As soon as the hand was lowered, though, he was instantly looking. Looking for the large jet mech that he had seen in his Dad's memories. It didn't take long for him to catch sight of his slightly older - in human terms, anyway - brother, since he was possibly the tallest mech he'd seen thus far. Though he knew they would only get taller. He couldn't help but grin in anticipation, wondering what Fireflight was like, hoping Fireflight would like him. It was fairly unlikely that they wouldn't get on, he knew, but there was always the off chance, and he didn't want his father to feel bad about choosing between them or something like that.
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