"Once... " Light Gate murmured. "I was human."
The room was silent for a moment, then exploded into various conversations.
"Light Gate, I'd like to get a better look at your spark." Ratchet said.
"How did you overcome the synaptic degradation inherent in transferring a human mind into an Autobot body?" Preceptor asked, peering intently at her manifold.
"Are you willing to tell us more about your human life?" Prime asked.
"ENOUGH!" Light Gate shouted stepping away from the other Autobots. "Ratchet, nobody touches my spark. Ever. Preceptor, I don't know the technical details. Prime san, I don't HAVE a human life anymore." The agitated fembot backed up until she reached the door and then bolted for the outside.
Grimlock face palmed. "Bad, bad move guys."
"Hmm she used a 'san' suffice like the Japanese do...was she-" Preceptor was cut off by Grimlock giving him a nasty look as did Blaster.
"Don't ask, we ain't telling." Both Bots say in unison.
"Eagle Eye, follow her." Blaster said, hitting his eject button and allowing a blue and white tape to spring forth before transforming into a small avian mech which zipped out the door.
"Best to just leave her be." Grimlock said quietly from the corner. "As far as we're all concerned when Light Gate came online, her human self died."
"It's a sore point for her." Blaster added. "It's a reminder that she's between worlds. She's neither human or Cybertronian, and that hurts her. A lot."
Prime mused on this a moment before typing at the terminal. "Bumblebee. I want you to follow our new Autobot and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Prime ordered the little yellow Volkswagen. "Take Spike with you."
"Roger that Prime." Bumblebee replied on the com. "...If I can catch her... She's faster than Screamer!"
"Must 'a switched modes." Grimlock mused cryptically.
"No surprise there." Blaster said. "When she's hurt, she flies, usually in circles if she doesn't know the area. Start a spiral in the opposite direction 'Bee, and you should meet her."
"Um, well she's flying far off, looks like she's heading toward where Omega is resting after his last training exercise."
"Then you know where she headed. Get going." Grimlock said calmly.
Preceptor stared at the data. "Why do you suppose she'd be heading to see Omega?"
"We didn't exactly make her feel welcome, ya know." Ratchet said. "We treated her..."
"Like a curiosity?" Optimus said.
"Bingo." Grimlock said. "She'll cool off, but you three let curiosity get better of you. Me expect of Ratchet and Preceptor but you surprised me Prime."
"I'm not perfect Grimlock, I'm not immune to making a mistake."
Grimlock chuckled. "Good, me glad you still you."
"Huh?"
"Ran into a lot of alternate you's....and some really far out."
Ratchet grimaced at his behavior as he continued to pour over the available data on Light Gate. "Still, I wonder what you talk about with Omega Supreme."
***
Light Gate landed and transformed to her robot mode, slowly walking towards the large Guardian, Omega Supreme. Most of his alternates she had encounter were pretty stable, but there were the occasion trigger happy variant.
Slowly the Autobot Guardian turned his head. "Unknown Autobot signature, please identify yourself." He said in his monotone voice.
"Designation Light Gate." The fembot replied. "At least, that's who I am now."
Omega's scanners gave the fembot a once over. "Signature scanned and designated under friend and ally folder. What brings you out here Light Gate?"
Light Gate had crossed to a reasonable distance and sat down. "I came to get my circuits in order."
"Your mannerisms and energy signature indicates you are agitated. I will silence my vocal circuits as to not disturb you."
"Actually, I was hoping maybe you could give me some perspective. You've been online since before the great war, correct?"
"That depends upon if you mean when I gained sentience or when I was just an ordinary Omega Sentinel."
"Well, Sentience then." Light Gate said. "When did you begin to understand who you are?"
The large guardian seemed to ponder this. "... That is hard to compute... I simply... came online one day... and felt... alive... I could reason and think for myself... my brethren could not... Even though I have a Spark and the Autobots welcome me with open arms... still, I feel not of them for... I am still an Omega Sentinel yet I can think for myself... and I have a Spark which Sentinels do not... and yet I still feel not of them. I am not one or the other but a crossing at two crossroads..."
"Then in a sense we are kindred spirits. I did not always have this body, but once I was human. That body was destroyed, but my friends would not let me die. Illogical, I know, but I'm thankful for it. I was reborn, mind and soul in this Cybertronian shell. I am neither human, or Cybertronian. I, like you, am at a crossroads."
Omega looked at her, then out at the horizon. "Interesting...your friends must care for you deeply, while it is illogical, my Spark feels their act was out of love, not reason. Spike has said that love can make people do things that are very illogical, yet I at the same time he says that is what makes the emotion so special...it is an indefinable thing that makes people either weak or powerful."
"Why is it that some humans can search their whole lives for such wisdom and others just have it fall in their laps?" Light Gate mused quietly.
"Being human once yourself, would you not know the answer better than I?" Omega said with a hint of mirth.
"Yeah." Light Gate said. "I guess so. I had more or less come to terms with my dual existence, Omega but... I've been traveling with Blaster and Grimlock for a long time. Now I come home, and the Autobots, the family I thought I could rely on, the start looking at me like I'm a lab specimen just because I'm different from them."
"Do not think ill of them for it, you are unique, and curiosity sometimes even gets the best of decent and noble beings." Omega states. "In many senses Autobots and Humans have more in common than the other tends to think. We both have free will... the ability to love or hate... cherish or hurt people. No being in the universe save for the creator is perfect."
Light Gate chuckled. "Very true Omega."She said as a yellow VW bug came rumbling out of the dust. "Perhaps I should go back to the Ark, and try to work things out.
"Aw man!" Bumblebee groaned. "You mean after all that... we're going back?"
Spike leaned against the steering wheel. "Looks that way, buddy."
"I'm not evil Bumblebee. We'll rest here a while before heading back."
"Light Gate," The fembot turned to look at the Guardian. "If you ever desire my wisdom in the future, feel free to seek me out. Also I am not the only one who feels awkward among the Autobots... not in the unique way that makes us kindred Sparks...but none the less others will gladly offer their advice of lend a audio receptor to listen to your problems."
"Thank you Omega. I'll remember that." With that she gave a bow before turning to Bumblebee. "I'm Light Gate, and you must be Bumblebee and Spike. Nice to meet ya."
"Nice to meet you too." 'Bee said casually. "So what's your trans'?"
Light Gate smiled and transformed. "Hey Spike, you wanna fly back with me? Not many people get to ride in a military chopper."
Spike contemplated her offer for all of five seconds. "Later Bee!"
"TRAITOR!" Bumblebee honks his horn as his pal hops out of him and over to the Comanche.
Light Gate laughed as she lifted off. "Don 't worry! I'm just gonna borrow him. I'll even bring him back same as you gave him to me."
"Yeah yeah." Bumblebee grumbled, but good naturedly in a way that plainly told he wasn't really mad. "But if one hair is out of place, I'll kick your chassis all the way back to Cybertron." He responded, shifting into drive and heading back towards the Ark.
"Oh yeah? You and what army?" She laughed continuing the good natured banter as the pair returned home.
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(Posted Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:03)
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