Sam's Snippets.

A Total Reboot.

Summary: What if the AllSpark had not wished to be destroyed or be used to destroy any more of it's creations? What if it stopped things a different way?

Rating: T for safety

Disclaimer: None of the Transformers or their squishy companions/opponents belong to me, they belong to people with a lot more money.

A/N: To avoid treading on toes, I'm using Sanjuno's sparkling-protection Seeker programming as a way of avoiding plagiarising a fellow writer's idea.

A Total Reboot.

Sam scrambled to avoid the feet and other parts of the two faction leaders as they fought above him. In a battle, a mis-step could be fatal, and knowing Optimus hadn't meant to step on him would be scant comfort if he were dead.

"Shit!" he muttered as a shadow fell over him, and he dodged just in time to avoid being stomped on by Megatron. Again, it would not have been intentional, the Decepticon and the Autobot were equally matched, and neither could allow themselves any distractions, but unlike Optimus, Megatron would certainly not regret it.

Sam managed to drop into a trench in the road, created, he guessed, by bombs or weaponry. Water from broken pipes flowed, creating a shallow but muddy river. Sam stopped for a moment to catch his breath, catching water trickling from the pipe to splash on his face.

As the two massive figures clashed again, and the Air Force rained down its missiles on Megatron, Sam felt the Cube in his hands grow warm. Looking down, he saw it didn't look any different, but then he felt the warmth spreading up his arm, could see the almost-invisible blue energy as it progressed up his body.

Panicked, he tried to drop the Cube and found he couldn't: as the energy raced up his neck he felt something poking at the barriers to his mind. He fought it, terrified of this alien intrusion, but then he felt a reassuring mental caress, an unspoken assurance that everything would be alright, he would not be harmed, he was needed for just a moment.

Realising it was futile to fight the presence, as it had already gained entrance, and wanting to trust the other in his head who seemed to understand he was scared and wanted to help, he sighed, and let it do what it wanted.

His last thought before blackness took over was to wonder just what the AllSpark wanted him for.

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Nobody noticed the human stop and his eyes glaze over, as everybody was too busy fighting or - in the case of Ratchet and Ironhide - trying to save the Spark of the torn-apart Jazz. Nobody noticed him straighten up, with the AllSpark clasped between his hands and held aloft above his head. What drew their attention was his loud shut of "Enough is enough!"

It was not just the volume of the shout, nor the content, but the language it was spoken in, that made everybody stop and turn to stare at the human boy. The language he had spoken in was slurred but recognisable Cybertronian, sounds that generally had no business coming from a human throat. Several sets of optics registered the human boy standing tall, with the AllSpark held aloft, registered the corona of white that briefly outlined his body.

There was no change in Sam's stance, no other warning, but the AllSpark gave a sudden and powerful pulse. Two thick blue tendrils of lightning leaped out from the Cube, each streaking unerringly towards a mech. They struck the battling leaders, one striking Megatron in the back, the other hitting Optimus' helm, and the two were lit up, then fell to the ground, still holding on to each other.

Sam sagged as the light left him. He lowered the AllSpark, staggered back, and sat down. Confusion clouded his eyes and he shook his head, staring at the Cube in his hand. He could feel its warmth, was aware that time had passed, but his memory of the incident was a blank. The Essence had left his mind, leaving him, as promised, unharmed, but very confused.

"What…what happened?" he asked. The fighting seemed to have ceased, although he could hear whirrs and clanks and clicking sounds. Tucking the Cube beneath his arm, He climbed up cautiously.

The first thing he saw was Ratchet, who was crouching down and looking at something in front of him. The only Decepticons in sight appeared to be dead.

Sam climbed out of the trench and approached Ratchet. As he drew level with the medic, he saw what he was looking at.

"What the hell?" he blurted out. "What happened?"

"You did," Ratchet explained. "You and the AllSpark. I theorise that the AllSpark figured that as Optimus and Megatron were squabbling like sparklings, that it might as well make them just that."

Sam stared at the two small mechs in front of him. On their feet, they would probably stand just a little smaller than Sam was himself. At the moment they were sat on the ground, clinging tightly, their arms around each other, looking frightened and confused. Although smaller than they had been, and their features more soft and child-like, they were recognisably the ex-Lord High Protector and the Prime. As Sam watched, the Optimus-sparkling gave a squeak of fright and buried his face in Megatron's faceplates, clicking in distress.

"Hush, hush, I know he's ugly and soft, but he won't hurt you," soothed Ratchet.

"Ugly? I take offense at that," Sam said.

"Like all Sparklings, it seems anything they see as different is odd or at worst ugly," Ratchet explained. "It seems their memories, of you and the conflict on this planet at least, have been removed." As Optimus risked a peek, Ratchet started his engine in an attempt to calm the little Prime, as he continued to address Sam. "He finds you frightening because you're so different. The Internet tells me that human sparklings are not so different in their reactions to the unusual and unknown."

At that moment, there was the sound of descending jet engines, and Sam scrambled backwards, looking for cover, as Starscream landed nearby and scuttled towards them. He actually stopped closer to Sam than the boy was comfortable with, but even Sam could see that he only had optics for the sparklings.

"Is that Optimus and Megatron?" he asked, reaching down digits to caress the face of each sparkling in turn. The two looked upwards and cooed at the gentle touches.

"It is," said Ratchet, who seemed all too relaxed for Sam's liking. Starscream could easily grab at Optimus and kill him, Optimus was all but defenceless. Although the gesture was almost useless, Sam moved to stand between Starscream and the sparklings, holding the cube.

"If you try to hurt them, you'll have to get through me," he said.

Starscream could have laughed or taken Sam's challenge up, but he did neither. He trained his optics on Sam and put a hand to his chestplates.

"Sam, I would never harm either of them. They are sparklings. What do you take me for?"

"You're also a Decepticon, and from what I understand, you have no love for Optimus. I won't just stand here and let you do something to him while he's defenceless!" Sam stated sharply.

"Sam, if anyone tries to hurt either of them, I will rip them limb from limb," Starscream stated with such sincerity that Sam could not doubt him. Looking around in confusion, Sam caught sight of Ratchet's face, and the big grin spreading over it.

"What's so funny?" he asked. He was beginning to wonder if he was the butt of some private joke.

"Sam, Starscream won't hurt either of them," Ratchet explained, turning to the confused human. "Seekers were originally programmed as sparkling-protectors. That programming can be suppressed or overlaid to an extent, but the moment sparklings are present, that programming becomes active and associated programming destroys any attempts to overlay or overwrite it." Ratchet used a hand to indicate the Seeker's alertness and body language, even as Starscream bent to coo at the little ones again. "Those sparklings are safer now with him here than they were before he arrived."

Starscream turned just his head to look over his shoulder at Ratchet as he let the sparklings grab at his fingers.

"Let me take Megatron, and raise him." Starscream said. "You know I'll be a capable Creator. Megatron never had much of a sparklinghood, he told me once. Let me give him that, at least."

Ratchet nodded slowly. "Very well, but if you have any problems with him, repairs needed or you can't get fuel, I want you to bring him back to me, and I'll help you out."

"Thank you," Starscream said, gathering the sparkling-Megatron in his arms. Both he and the sparkling Optimus whimpered, and Ratchet moved to scoop up Optimus as Starscream stroked and soothed the little Megatron.

"It's okay," the Seeker shushed. "You can see your friend again soon." He looked at Ratchet who gave a short nod and said something similar to Optimus. A few more promises to the two and some more comforting words later, and Starscream left, Megatron cradled in his long arms, held securely against his chest, just over his Spark.

Starscream had no sooner left than Ironhide came over with the inert pieces of Jazz. The Weapons Specialist put the two halves and broken-off limbs on the ground, saw the sparkling in Ratchet's arms, and demanded an explanation. It wasn't long before Bumblebee, Mikeala, Lennox and Epps joined them, and Ratchet went back to the beginning to explain.

Warmth in his hands startled Sam, and he looked down at the cube he still held to see it glowing. A gentle tendril of light wandered down to touch Jazz, and as Sam watched the torn metal began to twist and repair itself, the detached limbs became reattached. Then Jazz's visor lit up and he sat up and said "Hey! What's goin' on? Did I miss the battle?"

As everyone gathered around Jazz and asked what happened, Sam explained it from his perspective. It was Ratchet who called a halt to the hubbub by sounding his sirens for attention.

"Everyone, I think it is unwise to stand out in the open discussing this. I suggest we find some shelter and sort it out," the medic stated.

"My Government can get you a permanent place, but for now I have just received authority from SecDef Keller to allocate you a spare hangar at Nellis as a temporary base," Lennox called up to the assembled 'bots. "They too would rather you were away from prying eyes."

"Then may I suggest that we finish this discussion once we get there?" Ratchet asked. "With Optimus no longer able to command, I'll take command temporarily. Bumblebee and I are both captains, we'll sort out any other hierarchy later."

He turned to look at Ironhide.

"Ironhide, you take Will and Epps and lead the way to Nellis," he said. He pointed to Jazz. "You're behind him, you can carry Optimus, then it's me, I want to keep an eye on you." He pointed to Bumblebee, then indicated Sam and Mikaela. "You take the children, with the Cube, and bring up the rear, the other human Army personnel can guard your rear in their car. Any questions or objections?"

There were none, and within fifteen minutes the convoy was ready. Lennox looked out, raised his arm out of the window and said "Okay, let's get moving." He dropped his arm, and at that signal the whole convoy began the long trip back to Nellis.