Sam's Sacrifice

Sam's Sacrifice.

Summary: When Sam pushed the AllSpark into Megatron's chest, he saved the Earth and many other worlds from Megatron's malign influence. However, the one person he cannot save is himself.

Rating: M for safety

Warnings: Character death, mention of blood and injury.

Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Dreamworks/Paramount, not me.

Sam's Sacrifice.

A/N: Bold Type: the Essence. Italics: Bumblebee's thoughtspeak.

Ratchet, Bumblebee, and a doctor asked for Sam by SecDef Keller stood by the bed in Ratchet's medbay which contained Sam.

He was barely recognisable. His lustrous brown hair had all fallen out, and what of his skin was not covered in burns and ulcerated sores was wrinkled and grey. He had lost weight, and shook every so often, each shake damaging more of his thin skin. He coughed: the mucus was bloody, as both his lung tissue and gums broke down.

Nobody had realised that when the AllSpark was destroyed, some of its great energy had been discharged in a blast of radiation. It was two weeks since the battle of Mission City, and Sam was close to death. Radiation poisoning had taken its toll, his tissues breaking down and unable to repair themselves. The human and Cybertronian medic argued about many things but agreed on one: nothing either of them could do could save Sam.

Not even the AllSpark Essence could save Sam now: it had resided in Sam until a few days ago, when it had fled its ailing vessel into the form of his guardian, Bumblebee. Bumblebee had always had a special relationship with the AllSpark, he was one of the Sensitives who had been able to communicate with the Essence. He had pleaded with it to heal Sam before it had transferred.

That is not possible. Organic damage cannot be repaired. Cannot. it had replied.

"Is there nothing you can do?" he had asked. "Could you create a mechanical body to transfer him to?"

No. It is forbidden to replace the body now. The organic life has as much right to be as the mechanical. It is forbidden to replace one living form with another. it had told him.

Now Bumblebee faced losing the boy whom he had been both guardian and friend to. His body contained the power of the AllSpark, but he was powerless to save Sam.

Sam's lips moved. His voice spoke: pained, harsh-sounding, quiet.

"Bee?" He couched again: blood flecked his lips.

"Don't talk!" Bumblebee said. Sam shook his head.

"No…time."

Bumblebee wanted nothing more than to pick Sam up and hold him at that moment, but he did not dare: Sam's skin would have torn on contact, causing him more excruciating pain.

"Bee…love you." Sam said, reaching out one burned hand towards his guardian: a needle in his ankle was attached to a drip with morphine: Sam was not always this lucid, but for now, he seemed to know who he was, and who his visitors were.

Mikaela had stopped coming: seeing Sam deteriorate day by day was too painful to her. She still sent messages via Bumblebee in case Sam did have a lucid period, so Bumblebee delivered the message, for it was the same every day.

"Mikaela sends her love, Sam. She's promised to look after your parents."

"Thanks.." He coughed again. "Love…her. Bee…love you." The hand was still stretched towards him, and Bee briefly lay his speaker grille on it to hum briefly: Sam smiled and let the hand fall.

Then he began to shake and his eyes rolled back in his head: he coughed again, this time an alarming volume of red fluid exploded from his mouth. Bumblebee was pulled aside, the two medics working to keep Sam alive.

A few minutes later, Ratchet pulled back.

"My scans indicate that Sam is dead. I'm sorry, Bumblebee." He said, The human medic also nodded.

Bumblebee was about to raise his head to the sky and cry out in grief when the Essence spoke to him.

Now it can be done. Now he can be one of you.

"What?" Bumblebee asked. "You said it was forbidden!"

It is forbidden to replace one living form with another. the Essence stated. This form no longer lives. Now it can be replaced.

"You can give him a new body? Sam can live?" Bumblebee asked.

A pattern is needed, but he can live. the Essence told him.

Bumblebee knew what the Essence meant. Without the physical form, of the Cube, the Essence had nothing to base Sam's new form on.

"Use mine!" he told it without hesitation. He moved forwards, placing his big hand on Sam's ruined form.

The moment his hand made contact, Sam's body exploded in a bright white light: the human looked away and Ratchet automatically activated his heaviest optic filters and shuttered his optics.

When the light died down, a protoform Cybertronian lay on the floor. Bumblebee was startled: his optics met Ratchet's and Ratchet nodded as Sam tried to get up.

As Bumblebee folded down into his alt form, Ratchet grabbed Sam and inserted a data lead from his wrist into a dorsal dataport. Usually, Ratchet would not do such a thing, but Sam, in protoform, would have an overriding instinct to scan a disguise. As he knew neither how to walk nor scan, this was easier, and Ratchet was sure Sam would not mind. He transferred the information on how to scan, and how to transform, directly into his processors, then disconnected and stood back.

Sam scanned Bumblebee from his half-reclining position, tumbled to the floor, and folded into Camaro form. A moment later, they both resumed bipedal form.

"What? What happened?" asked one of the two identical mechs.

"Sam? Once your body had died, the AllSpark could give you a new one." Said the other.

Ratchet was giddy with relief. He hated death, but Sam had not quite died.

"Bumblebee? Teach Sam how to change his colours, or this is going to be really confusing." He said.