When All Lights Go Out I (TFP)

Chapter 36

"Okay, so here's the next question..." Azura looked at Miko when the girl spoke with a confused expression. "You said these things eat metal, right?" Ratchet looked back at the girl and nodded. "Why did you grab Azura like she could be eaten? She's a human, too! She cannot be eaten!"

Azura tensed and whimpered a little as the girl questioned why Ratchet had grabbed her protectively, and she didn't like it. Ratchet sighed deeply before he spoke. "As much as you might like to believe that she is a human, Azura is not." The girl looked at Ratchet, placing her hand on his cheek and the medic softened his expression. "Azura, I am sorry. I know you wanted to tell them in your own time, but under these circumstances, we have no choice." She frowned and looked down, taking a deep, nervous breath as she knew what was about to be said. Jack was looking at her sympathetically, while Miko and Raf waited for the explanation. "And I am afraid it is a long story, but understand that Azura did not know until three years ago. She is, well..." He glanced down at her briefly before looking at the three kids. "She is Optimus Prime's daughter."

Miko frowned in confusion and Raf widened his eyes in shock. Jack seemed to be happy, though he didn't show it as Azura's eyes well with tears. "I knew it!"

Miko looked at Jack in surprise. "Wait, you knew?! How?!"

"Well, I've known Azura for about three years and she used to tell me she was an orphan," The boy explained gently. "But after we were brought to the base, and we saw that Azura was already here, I noticed small things. I noticed that the bots were affectionate towards Azura. And I mean they seemed to adore her as though she were a child. I didn't understand, until I asked some questions, and I became suspicious as she and Optimus seemed to have a different bond to the others. Especially with how Optimus holds her."

"You are very intuitive, Jack," Bulkhead said with a gentle smile. "You figured it out based on what you know of Azura, and by observation. We appreciate that you did not come out and ask directly, as Azura had wanted to tell you in time." He glanced at Azura as she let out a few soft sobs. "But...as Ratchet said, this is a different circumstance. We will tell you the full story later. We need to figure out what to do now regarding the scraplets."

Miko stared at Azura as she watched the girl cry softly. She didn't want to believe it, but it seemed like a genuine reaction. "Hmm, okay. I'll believe you for a bit, but...she looks like she has flesh! Won't the scraplets ignore her?"

"I am afraid sparklings are extremely vulnerable when it comes to scraplets. And while it looks like her skin is flesh, it is actually a very soft, metal membrane," Ratchet explained as he stood up. Bulkhead helped Bee to his feet and the medic turned to walk into the hallway, gesturing for the others to follow. "And scraplets happen to love that type of metal more than us."

Azura shivered and buried her face into Ratchet's chassis, feeling very frightened about this situation. She had thought it would not be terrible, but it seemed she was wrong. Ratchet rubbed her back gently as he walked through the hallways to the large room where the pod had been placed. And she realized this was probably how the scraplets got into the base.

Jack, Miko and Raf all found items to use to hit the scraplets if they ever come across any on the way. Miko was staring at Ratchet with a frown. She was so curious about how Azura could be Optimus's daughter, who her mother is and why she looked like a human. Jack was more concerned on how vulnerable Azura was to scraplets, and he did not like it at all. And if what Ratchet said was true, he hoped that they could protect her well enough.

"So..." Jack looked at Miko when she began to speak to him. "I still don't get how you figured out that Azura was Optimus's kid. How did you figure out?"

"Well...uh..." Jack grimaced a little as he knew that Miko might not believe Azura was a Cybertronian sparkling. "When I first met Azura three years ago, she seemed to be in a low place. While she enjoyed spending time with me, I remember seeing her stare outside with a sad expression. When she told me she was an orphan and had just been adopted from an orphanage in Wyoming, I had assumed she was simply missing Fowler. He actually portrayed the act of being her adopted father."