Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Spoilers: See first chapter.

Warnings: Language, out of character, AU.

A/N: Given the amount of support given for me to continue this fic, I will be doing so. The first chapter is still up for adoption, and the story ideas in the 'second chapter' are still free for others to use as well. It would be interesting to see what others do with these ideas. In any case, I will be continuing this fic, but the progress will be sporadic. So, without further ado, here is the fourth installment of 'Who Said The All Spark Only Created Cybertron?'. That title is really long. ^^;

Note typed by Orion.

Word Count: 5,474
Published: 6 September 2009
Status: First chapter up for adoption, second chapter ideas up for grabs, sporadic updates, in progress.

Chapter Four:

Staring up at Ironhide, Will knew that he was not going to enjoy the next several hours. Sure, it was hard to read the expression that the mech wore, but he could tell that the weapons specialist was looking uncomfortable. He almost thought that something bad had happened to Orion, but dismissed it just as quickly. The Autobots would have gotten Orion to a hospital in record time if something unexpected had happened to the teen. No, Orion was alright, but something obviously had happened to the teen. Glancing at Epps, he could tell the man had reached the same conclusion he had. This was going to be a really long afternoon.

Standing in Ironhide's palm, Will tried not to smirk in amusement as he saw the stunned expressions on the small group that had come with them to deliver everything. They were also acting as Keller's bodyguards. Epps didn't even try to hide his amusement as he snickered quietly next to him. If this was how they reacted with prior knowledge of them, Will would have hated to see how they would have reacted had they been in Mission City.

"Sideburn, X-Brawn. This is Defense Secretary John Keller. Ironhide has Captain Will Lennox and Sergeant Robert Epps. Sideburn and X-Brawn are our newest arrivals. They'll be helping Ratchet with unloading the supplies."

Looking over towards Optimus, Will noted that the mech was moving away with Keller in his hand. It took but a few minutes before the three humans were placed down in front of a computer that Jazz was staring at. Before he could get a close look at what was displayed on the screen, Optimus spoke, his voice serious. "Yesterday morning, Ironhide and Jazz found Orion awake. Only, Orion was no longer a human, but a Sparkling. Ratchet has already confirmed that Orion is perfectly healthy, but we have no idea as to why he is no longer human. Although Orion is fine, he is incapable of speaking at the moment, so communicating with him will be slightly difficult. Orion has a theory as to why he changed. If the three of you would read what is on the screen, we can discuss what is to be done."

Scanning what was displayed on the screen, Will now understood why Ironhide was looking so uncomfortable. The mech probably felt guilty. Hell, he felt guilty. Orion was just a kid, and yet he had been the one to spur the adults into action when Hoover Dam had been attacked. He had been the one to demand if it was possible for them to evacuate the Cube. He had stayed calm as he took the Cube from Bumblebee and asked if they could get away before Megatron woke up. Hell, Orion had been the one that not only destroyed the Cube, but Megatronas well. And then he had risked his life to somehow save Jazz. The kid was tough, but he was also just a kid.

"Is it true that you guys won't be able to return to Cybertron?"

"It is Will. The All Spark was the only thing that would have saved our planet. With it destroyed that is no longer possible. But, we had accepted this possibility. Even if it meant its destruction, we would never let the Cube fall into Decepticon claws. Optimus made the right choice in asking Sam and Orion to place the Cube in his chest to destroy it in case Megatron won. Your planet would have been destroyed if he had gotten his slaggin' claws on it. Orion saved Optimus' life, as well as Jazz's. We owe him a debt."

"Wait, hold on. You're telling us the kid's no longer human? He's like a mini version of you guys?"

"Orion is what we call a Sparkling, the term we use for the young of our race. He is in his first frame, essentially an infant or toddler in human standards. He is very young and will need to be protected. His body is not capable of taking the same amount of damage as we can. If you were to fire a single bullet at us, it wouldn't do more than maybe leave a dent or scratch. If Orion were to be hit, it could prove fatal. He is very fragile in comparison to us, and can be easily hurt."

"Where is he now?"

"Ironhide has him. Seriously 'Hide, are you sure you didn't have a Sparkling before?" Rolling his optics at Jazz, Ironhide kneeled down so that when he opened his carrying hold, the humans would be able to see inside.

"What do you mean Ironhide has him? I don't see him."

"That is because Orion is currently resting within Ironhide's carrying hold Epps. Normally, when a mech decides they will care for a Sparkling, they will have a carrying hold installed. It is where Sparklings rest whenever transported over long distances. It is also a safe place they can hide should they be in danger. Once a Sparkling acquires their second frame, they no longer need the safety of a carrying hold. Ironhide, if you would."

Feeling Orion stirring from his rest, Ironhide promptly opened his carrying hold, bringing his hand up just in time to catch several cushions and Orion as the small mech tumbled out. Shutting his hold, Ironhide looked down at Orion with amused optics. The little black mech was twittering softly, the chirps and clicks sounding decidedly disgruntled. It would appear that the little one wasn't happy. Glancing up at Optimus, he found light blue optics mirroring his amusement. Orion was such an adorable Sparkling.

Staring at the tiny figure in Ironhide's hand, Will couldn't help but smile. The vivid green optics were definitely Orion's, and the mech was only slightly larger than the teen had been when he was a human. Moving closer, Will could hear the soft twittering clicks and chirps which he was fairly sure would have been curses judging by the tone. He had to arch an eyebrow at that.

"Orion." Hearing the gentle scolding tone come from Optimus, Will felt his grin widen, especially when Orion chirped something especially rude sounding and gave the Autobot leader the middle finger salute. It would seem that Orion wasn't a morning person.

"Looks like someone's grumpy."

Will fought back a grin when Orion suddenly turned around, his green optics narrowed in a dangerous glare at Epps as he hissed and whirred rapidly, undoubtedly insulting the man, and rather creatively too by the tone. He wouldn't say anything though, since as far as he was concerned, Orion deserved some slack. The poor kid had not only gotten involved in an alien war, he wakes up after nearly dying to find he's no longer human. It was rather admirable how well the kid was keeping it together.

"It's good to see you too." Epps grinned when Orion's glare darkened, but the former human teenager didn't respond to the teasing tone. Instead, he grabbed a cushion and flung it at him, his glare turning into what could only be called a pout. Insulting someone didn't really work if they couldn't understand what you were saying.

"Hey now, I was only teasing, no need to sulk."That seemed to just make Orion pout even more, drawing chuckles from Optimus and Ironhide.

"How this happened, I do not know, but I must agree with Orion's theory. It is most likely that the All Spark is responsible for his change. His body was not meant to deal with the Cube's energy. Since the city wasn't leveled in the Cube's destruction, the energy must have entered Orion, which would also explain why he was able to save Jazz from offlining."

"Do you know if this change is permanent?" Scrambling off of Ironhide's hand, Orion moved to the computer, quickly typing what he couldn't say.

I don't think it is. I'll probably change back once my body is no longer in danger of being overwhelmed by the Cube's energy. I may even be able to shift between being human and being a robot. For now though, I'm stuck like this.

"That's possible. Ratchet, is there anything you can do to help him speak?"

"No, but it shouldn't last for long. My scans reveal that there is nothing wrong with him. I believe that his body is still sorting itself out from the change. He's a bit awkward in his movements, but that is slowly changing as he adapts to his new body. He can speak, as you've heard, but he hasn't quite grasped how to use the language he wants. It is surprising that he isn't having more problems than just speech."

Staring up at Ratchet, Orion suddenly remembered something Sirius had once told him about being an Animigus. Once he had managed the change, he had needed to learn how to control his body. A lot of it was instinctual, but some of it had needed a concentrated effort for him to do consciously. Sirius had compared it to his ability to talk to snakes. When confronted with a snake, he spoke the serpent tongue without thinking, but like in his second year when he had tried to find the Chamber of Secrets, he had to focus on the image of a snake and believe that it was alive. Maybe, if he focused on speaking in English, he would speak it.

Looking up at Ironhide, Orion decided to focus on saying his name. After several tries, with nothing more than clicks, Orion decided to try a different approach, instead focusing on how he made the noise. That failed miserably. Crossing his arms, Orion tried to think of another way to solve his speech problem. Speaking with a human didn't change it, so it wasn't exactly similar to his Parseltongue ability. Pacing in a small circle, Orion twittered quietly to himself, trying to see if pronouncing each letter would help. It didn't, but Orion refused to give up. He would find a way to speak, even if he fried a few circuits.

That thought had him stopping in his tracks. He was no longer human, so that had to mean he processed information differently. All he needed to do was find the 'program' that allowed him to speak and switch the language to English. That thought seemed to unlock something in him since he felt a brief surge go through his vocal processors. Crawling back into Ironhide's hand, Orion decided to give speaking one more try.

"Ironhide." His voice sounded strange to him, but he had definitely spoken in English.

"Aww, isn't that sweet. The little one's first word is Ironhide. Aren't you happy Papa Ironhide?" Turning, Orion glared at Jazz.

"Slaggin' heap of scrap metal, shoulda left your aft to rust you weak-Sparked wannabe Autobot." Orion was prevented from saying more as Ironhidecarefully placed a finger to his mouth, covering the lower half of his face completely, as well as most of his chest. Getting the hint to stop talking, Orion gave Jazz a dark glare as he scowled.

"Orion, where did you learn such language?" Grinning evilly, he pointed at Jazz, the silver mech giving a yelp when Optimus turned narrowed blue optics onto him.

"Hey, the little menace is lying."

"No I'm not. I heard Jazz say that as soon as Ratchet gave him the okay, he was going to hunt down any slaggin' Decepticon scum that dared to show themselves and kick their afts so badly they would willingly crawl into the Pits out of embarrassment. He also said that the slaggers would be lucky if he didn't shove their heads into their afts once he got his hands on them." And it was true. He had heard Jazz muttering to himself about it.

"Jazz!" Even though it wasn't his name that had been yelled, Orion gave a quiet screech as Ratchet stormed into the hanger. Jazz was slowly edging away from the approaching mech, blue optics wide.

"Using such language in front of a Sparkling. I should remove your vocal processors. And you, don't think you aren't in trouble." Squeaking, Orion hid behind Ironhide's fingers. Ratchet was scary.

"Ratchet, you're scaring him." Hearing the amusement in Ironhide's voice, Orion tumbled out of the mech's hand and over to Optimus, holding his arms up to the large mech. Sure, it may have been amusing that he was afraid of Ratchet when he had faced Megatron, but Orion didn't think that Ironhide should laugh at him.

"They're being mean, I don't like it." His voice sounding pathetic, Orion trailed off into sad twitters and clicks as he looked up at Optimus with dim optics. In moments, he was lifted into a large hand and held against the Autobot leader's chest. Curling into a ball, he cuddled the cushion that Optimus handed him as he rested against his chest.

"It's alright little one. Go ahead and take a nap, you'll feel better when you wake up." Chirping quietly, Orion decided to listen to the large mech since a nap did sound like a good idea. He needed all of the rest he could get. Saving Jazz had drained him of almost all of his reserves, which were still quite low considering how much rest he had already gotten. Soon enough he found himself in a sound recharge.

Once he was sure that Orion was asleep, Optimus gently tucked the sleeping Sparkling into his carrying hold with a majority of his cushions. With Orion safely tucked away, Optimus gave each of his Autobots a harsh look.

"Need I remind each of you that he is a Sparkling? Orion has taken not only our existence remarkably well, but his sudden transformation. Primus, did you forget what he wrote? His change happened after he had a nightmare about Megatron. He was helpless and had no hope of being rescued. He admitted to being terrified, to wanting to be allowed to be a scared youngling. He had managed to speak, but that was before he became distressed at your teasing."

Looking chastised, the three Autobots kept their gaze downcast. It was second nature to them to tease each other, and they usually knew how far they could go without really offending one another. They had teased Orion, simply responding to how the little Sparkling had teased them. They would need to be careful in the future, especially with what they teased him about. Ironhide was feeling especially guilty. He had been there to witness one of Orion's nightmares. He needed to make it up to the little mech, and apologizing just wouldn't cut it.

"Does Orion's change affect his mental age? I mean, if he's the equivalent of a human child, does he possess the same mental capabilities he did as a human? 'Cause, what he just did reminded me of a little kid."

"I agree with Epps. You said something about Orion being in his 'first frame'. I get how he's more vulnerable physically, but what other differences are there between him and you guys?"

"That is a very good question. Ratchet, can you answer it?"

Looking around at the gathered group, Ratchet shifted a bit uncomfortably. "In terms of how Orion is different from an adult of our race is fairly similar to how a child is different from an adult of the human race. In a sense at least, it is similar. There are three stages, so to speak, that a human goes through; a child, a teenager, and an adult. A child grows both mentally and physically, learning what can be considered basics, such as how to walk and speak. A teenager then builds off of that foundation of basics as they shift from being a child to being an adult. They adapt to their almost grown body and begin to shape their opinions of the world and the things around them. Adults physically stop growing and their bodies will only weaken as they get older. Mentally, adults are capable of more complex reasoning, logic, and thought processes than a child."

"Basically, your saying a kid's brain usually hasn't developed enough to really understand more complex things. Like trying to teach them how to do Calculus when they haven't learned Algebra."

"Not the best example to use, but it works well enough. Our race has three stages of 'growth' as well, so to speak. Sparklings, younglings, and mechs, not necessarily the right terms to use, are the equivalent of a child, teenager, and adult. Although, the term youngling can refer to any one that is not an adult, or sometimes to just any one that is younger. And mech is a general term-"

"For the purpose of your comparison, we will ignore the other ways the terms can be used for the moment." Blinking at Keller, Ratchet sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He had been getting off topic.

"Right. Physically, we do not grow like humans. We go through what we call, 'frames'. There are three of them, and they are how we differentiate between, a Sparkling, a youngling, and a mech. The first frame is where a Sparkling learns the basics. They learn how to move, what programs do what, how their different systems work. A Sparkling is so vulnerable because the first frame is made up of only the most basic systems and programs. Their processors aren't advanced enough to handle the more complex programs and systems that are incorporated in the second and third frames."

Furrowing his brow, Lennox held up a hand to stop Ratchet from continuing. He was slightly lost. "Using Epps math example from earlier, a Sparkling's processor is able to handle basic math, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but not algebra or geometry?"

"You could look at it that way. Using that example, in the second frame, a youngling is capable of algebra and geometry, but not calculus or trigonometry. A mech, in the third frame, however is."

"So, y'all get upgrades with each frame. How are the second and third frames different? Besides getting bigger and weapons."

"The second frame, besides having more programs and systems, is when a youngling learns to transform. They gain more parts and aren't nearly as vulnerable as they were as a Sparkling. The strength of our Sparks often determines how large a frame we can support. For example, Jazz's Spark wouldn't be able to maintain Ironhide's frame so it is fully functional. It doesn't have the same power output. Ironhide's Spark on the other hand, would be capable to maintaining Jazz's frame, with enough power to spare for a handful of weapon additions." Pausing in his explanation, Ratchet carefully considered his next words.

"The strength of our Sparks doesn't directly translate to how strong a mech is. It just determines how large or small a frame we will have."

"Kinda like how our genes determine what we look like, what kind of build and body type we will have, how tall or short we'd be. It's not something we control, it just is." Looking at Epps, Ratchet nodded his head. That was actually a fairly good comparison to use.

"Exactly, except we have some choice. There's a limit on how big or small we can be because of the strength of our Sparks. Jazz can actually have a larger frame if he really wanted, not as big as Ironhide or me, but fairly close to Bumblebee. The second frame is usually the size in the middle of what their Spark can maintain. In the third frame, we chose how large or small we want to be, as well as the tools or weapons we want. Of course, it's possible to make changes later, or to get 'upgrades' as you put it, but these changes are minimal as this is our final frame. There are some mechs that decide they want to be bigger or smaller, but those are personal choices, and can be a bit of a hassle to make the change. I don't believe we will need to worry about creating Orion's second frame for a while, he is an extremely young Sparkling."

"I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing."

"Think of it as a good thing John. Although each Sparkling is different, there does come a point when a Sparkling is unable to stay in their first frame anymore. A Sparkling usually receives their second frame when their Spark begins to reach the point where it has grown too powerful to be contained in their first frame without threatening to short out something. Because Orion is so young, we will have time to properly build his second frame with the resources we have available to us. And it will take time."

"We won't have to worry about his second frame for a while Optimus. When I told you that Orion was an extremely young Sparkling, I meant it. He's just barely old enough to no longer be considered newly Sparked. In human terms, it is comparable to the difference between an infant and a toddler."

Looking at the three gaping humans, Optimus realized that Ratchet never really answered the original question. "Ratchet, do you know if this change has affected Orion's mentality?"

"It obviously has, but I couldn't tell you to what extent. Or even begin to guess. From what I've seen and heard about Orion, he was both very mature and collected. That was before his change. Right now, he seems younger instead of older. His actions and responses aren't as guarded or controlled. When he went to you Optimus, he was clearly a young child seeking comfort. In his notes however, it is clear that his mind wasn't that of a child, but could be compared to an adult. It is entirely possible that he will switch back and forth, or slowly regress back to a younger mentality. It is even possible that he will react as a child to the same insecurities he had as one."

Remembering how Orion had written about never being allowed to show his fear, the group stood in silent contemplation. They would have to be careful in how they acted around Orion, but if they were too careful, they risked causing just as much harm as being careless. It was going to be a fine line to walk. They would also need to be upfront with Orion and his situation. He had earned the right to be treated as an equal, as well as their respect as an individual. Of course, Optimus could already tell that it wouldn't stop any of them from treating Orion as a Sparkling and spoiling him, not to mention protecting him.

Glancing at Ironhide, Optimus suppressed the urge to hit the weapon's specialist over the head with Ratchet's wrench. It was easy to tell that the weapon loving mech was feeling guilty over teasing Orion about being scared of Ratchet. Ironhide had already adopted the little Sparkling when Orion had been human, now he was feeling guilty over hurting the little one.

Feeling said Sparkling curled against his Spark chamber, Optimus had a feeling that when Orion woke, all would be forgiven and forgotten. That wouldn't stop Ironhide from trying to make it up to the little mech. It would probably have the opposite effect and make him even more determined to do something for Orion.

"Fear's a sore topic for the kid. Well, there's one thing we know we have to be careful about." Interlacing his hands behind his head, Epps stared at where Orion was hidden from view in Optimus' chest. This was going to be a learning experience for all of them. He could only hope that Orion wouldn't get hurt too badly.

Then again, as he looked around at all of those that were present, it was very unlikely that Orion would even scrape his knee, or the equivalent of that for a Sparkling. A grin splitting his face, Epps barely kept himself from cackling. Being assigned to the Autobot base was going to be fun, especially with Orion around.

Looking at Epps, Ironhide wondered why the human was smiling. The situation was far from something to grin about, and yet the man was smiling so widely, he looked like he had won the lottery. It didn't make sense, Orion's change was a serious matter. He was essentially an adult that was turned back into a child. A Sparkling.

Optics widening, Ironhide found himself grinning as well. Epps was looking at the situation the right way. From what Orion had admitted, he didn't have a normal childhood. This was a second chance for Orion. And they were the ones responsible for Orion's well-being. Ironhide now knew how he could make it up to the little one for teasing him about being scared of Ratchet. He would make sure that Orion enjoyed himself, regardless of whether or not he remained a Sparkling or turned back into a human.

"Ratchet, how long until Jazz will have the all clear?" Practically humming with excitement, Ironhide hoped that it would be really soon. He had plans and would need Jazz's help on more than half of them.

"If he cooperates, agrees to take it easy and submit himself to check ups, I can give him a clean slate in two days. But that's only if I get everything set up today and can work uninterrupted. If not, it will probably take me a month to have him fully repaired. Why?"

"That's good. Bumblebee will be here with Sam and Mikaela tomorrow afternoon, sometime between two and four, depending on traffic and what not. Sam said something about having a three-day weekend and having only a half day. They'll be able to distract Orion on Monday, as well as for most of the weekend. Jazz, you better cooperate with Ratchet or I'll give you another reason for needing to be in his care." Satisfied that Jazz wouldn't delay his recovery by being his usual stubborn self, including being the one of the worse patients ever to exist, Ironhide began to quickly skim through what he knew they had on the base.

He was going to turn one of the smaller hangars into a personal playground for Orion. It was also going to be human friendly since like Orion had said, it wasn't guaranteed that he would remain a Sparkling. Luckily for him, the little one was the size of a human still, which made it easier to turn the playground into something that Sam and Mikaela could enjoy with Orion. The hangar would not only be Orion's playground, but his room as well.

Half of the hangar he would build an obstacle course in. It would not only help Orion get used to moving in his body, it would be perfect to play paintball or laser tag in with Sam and Mikaela. Good training for all three of the younglings. The other half of the hangar, he had no idea what he really should do with it, aside from having a portion set up as a sleep area, as well as having an entertainment area of some kind. Maybe he would need to ask for help. Jazz would be very helpful in designing and setting up the obstacle course.

Deciding that he would ask Ironhide what he had planned later, Optimus turned his attention back to Keller. "Thank you for getting things here so quickly. It will be a relief when Jazz is no longer in danger of something coming loose."

"That is good news. As surprising as Orion's situation is, it is good to know that he is awake. The other reason why I came here personally, besides to see how Orion is doing, was to tell you that Lennox and Epps have been assigned to your base. Others from their unit may also be assigned here in the future, but for now they are being assigned elsewhere. I want to keep the knowledge of your existence as quiet as possible right now. Lennox and Epps will be here to accept deliveries of the less conspicuous items that you may order. Anything else that will raise questions, will be delivered like it was today, but it is unlikely that I will be there unless my presence is absolutely needed."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet. For the next few months, Orion will be staying here so you can monitor his health in case of any adverse effects from destroying the All Spark. After that, I will need a reason for why Orion is still staying here with you. People will start asking questions, and there's only so much I can do to keep them at bay."

"I understand. Hopefully, in the coming months, we will have a solution to this problem." And they would need one. Optimuswasn't naive enough to think that there wouldn't be humans out there that would want to experiment on Orion, not to mention Decepticons. Orion would need to be a closely guarded secret.

Leaving Optimus and Keller to discuss politics, Ratchet set Jazz to helping him fine tune some of the smaller parts that he would need while he directed both X-Brawn and Sideburn in the setting up of his med-bay. Ironhide opted to take both Lennox and Epps out to pick up some of the things they would need on the base that they hadn't brought with them. Things like toilet paper, food that wasn't MREs, and anything else that caught their eye, including cleaning supplies. The base may not have been uninhabitable, but it wasn't exactly quite livable just yet. There would need to be some serious cleaning done, especially with how much dust there was present.

By the time Ironhide came back with Lennox and Epps, Keller and the other humans were gone. Given the fact that the sun had set a few hours ago, that was to be expected. Especially since Ironhide had spent more than a few hours arguing with both men over some aspect of Orion's playground. Ironhide hadn't been able to keep his idea secret, not when he needed the two men to buy some needed supplies. That was how 'Operation Disneyland' began. Orion's playground had changed from a single level obstacle course/playground to a mini amusement park. The basic sketches he had come up with had been fleshed out quite a bit by the two soldiers, Epps even commenting on how Ironhide would need to consider whether or not he would make it possible for the mechs to enter the hangar or not.

Which was why an aisle large enough for the Autobots to walk down would divide the hangar in half from the door to the very back. The playground bit of Orion's hangar was taken care of. That just left the other half of the hangar. Which Epps had already claimed. All Ironhide and Will heard was that he would be getting help from Mikaela and Sam and that they were to leave it to him. Something that Ironhide was more than happy to do. He had no idea what Orion might like and he wanted this to be perfect. Will didn't care that he wouldn't be helping. 'Operation Disneyland' was much more interesting, especially since he had convinced Ironhide to make a portion of it more than one floor. There was a reason why Disneyland was so popular, and it wasn't just because kids enjoyed going there.

A/N: The ending may seem a bit abrupt, but I didn't want to start 'Operation Disneyland' until the next chapter. I'm going to have so much fun with that. If you want to see something specific, feel free to make a suggestion. If I use the idea, I'll be sure to give credit to you. Because the next chapter will be dealing with not only Orion's new 'playground', but Sam, Mikaela, and Bumblebee's reactions as well, it will most likely be the longest chapter yet. I hope that I didn't confuse anyone too badly, but I wanted to establish that Orion will behave a bit erradically in the coming chapters. His mind may be older, but his body is physically younger, and will impact how he reacts at various points.
In any case, I thank all who have left such nice and encouraging reviews. I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter and will look forward to the next when I have gotten around to finally getting it written and posted. Thanks for reading, and reviews always make me smile. Cookies to all my readers, with brownies for all my reviewers.