PART I: KATIE

chapter 2

 

            The trees were still, but their leaves still rustled slightly as Sprocket sat, his feet resting in the tadpole swamp. The water lilies brushed up against his ankle-joints and what few frogs were in the water made way for the giant’s digits. “I feel like I’m going through an internal war,” the human, Katie, said beside him, trying her best not to cry and failing miserably thus far. Sprocket put a beige hand on her shoulder, and she rested her head against it, her tears falling into his gearing and wires.

            “Aww sweetie, you know I can’t bear to see you cry. Is it about Juan?” he was cautious with the word ‘Juan,’ knowing the effect the lad had on this girl. She loved him so much; she hardly knew what to do with herself now that Juan was in the hospital. “Your dad says people with strokes don’t forget people…but that they just can’t tell you that they really do remember. His speech will come back. It just takes time.” Katie nodded. Sprocket lifted his finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. She had no idea how he could be almost two-stories tall and still be so gentle.

            “I was in love once. Remember me telling you?” Katie’s heart raced. “Wasn’t her name—” “Her name doesn’t matter now. Just the memories.” He smiled achingly at her. “I was a young sparkling when I first met her. She had all this chrome that she hadn’t grown into yet. I was volunteering at the army-commissioning site on Moon Base II then. She came in to demand we let femmebots fight along side the male bots in what was then the beginning of The Big One.” Katie smiled softly. He always called the start of any war “the Big One,” but guessing upon the timeframe he spoke of, he did indeed mean the Really Big One, when Megatron was rising to power.           

            “I was at the desk and I tried to explain how important femmebots where to society, and why we needed to keep them on Cybertron at that time. She was really mad. Her optics were the purest blue I’ve ever seen…but I’m slightly colorblind, you know.” He tapped his own hazel optic slightly. He had always missed one optic since Katie knew him. It was wielded shut, looking a little like a bunch of stitches. Sprocket continued.

            “I don’t really know how it happened, but she wanted to discuss the war and it’s politics with me over lunch the following week.” Katie smiled. “Are you purposely not telling me her name because you’re afraid I’ll reunite you?” she asked, cheering up slightly. Sprocket sighed heavily.

            “Silvershot died when she finally was drafted in the war, back on Dracon seven.” He frowned softly behind his facemask. He didn’t always have a facemask—but he had lost his dental plates long ago. But that was another story.

            “Anywho,” he started, his voice fading with the rising of the sun. “We were on this date, and I was so shy. I ended up telling her I never kissed a femme before, and you know what she did? She was always so much braver than I…she leans right in and kisses me!” Katie laughed. “Hey, that’s kind of like me and Juan…” But Sprocket had suddenly fallen asleep. Katie smiled. She could use some rest, too. She wondered how Bertha was. Bertha was Juan’s Transformer as much as Juan was Bertha’s human.

            With the sudden flush of red in the sky, Katie fell asleep next to Sprocket and hoped for the best.