The next morning Optimus was in his normal mind set and had figured a few things out. He concentrated on keeping his mind intact as he used a data pad to type a few things down. He was doing his best to help his team. He had to remind himself his frame was smaller and needed more attention.

This frustrated him a little and he didn't like how small he was. He was so used to looking down to see people, now he had to look up. Not that it was bad. It was an interesting predicament to say the least. He furrowed his little optic ridges as he forgot what he was doing and slowly faded back into a sparkling again.

Smokescreen walked over and stopped suddenly as he looked at the little Prime. He frowned and crouched by him.

"Um... Optimus sir.... I don't mean to tell you how to do your job.... but I don't think you're supposed to... eat the data pad." He muttered and gently took it. Optimus looked at him as tears filled his little optics. He reached for it and gave the speedster puppy eyes.

"You... uh... can't have it." He said hesitantly and looked at the others. Optimus choked back a sob and buried his face in his servos as he cried.

"What did you do?!" Ratchet snapped angrily and looked at him.

"He was eating the data pad!" Smokescreen shouted back and stood up. The sparkling reached for it again as he sat there and cried. He saw a wrench by him and picked it up. He started chewing on it and held it tightly.

"Optimus don't eat the wrench." Ratchet said as he sighed in exasperation. The sparkling just looked at him innocently.

Smokescreen hesitated then took the wrench away as well. The little Prime looked at him as if he had destroyed his world. He started to cry harder and reached for both items.

"Low..." he sobbed. They looked at him and Ratchet scanned the little bot. He frowned.

"Has he had any energon since he got back?" He asked and shot them a nasty look. They glanced at each other and shrugged slightly. The medic sighed in exasperation and drug his servo across his face plate.

"We uh.... didn't think about it." Bulkhead muttered and rubbed the back of his helm nervously.

"I don't think the bots know how to take care of babies." Miko said quietly as she glanced at the others. The Autobots all looked at her and glared.

"Thats where you're wrong. We know perfectly well how to watch a sparkling." Arcee muttered as she glared and folded her arms.

Bumblebee looked at the crying sparkling and he whirled sadly. He ran to the energon storage room then came back with a cube. He cocked his helm slightly and punched the energon until tiny shards fell off.

"Bumblebee! You're making a mess!" Ratchet snapped as he walked over. "Besides he probably can't consume it this way." He muttered.

::He seems to be doing just fine to me.:: he beeped as he narrowed his optics and gestured to the Prime. Optimus looked up at them as he munched on a small shard. They watched him quietly for a few minutes.

"Well... don't let him hurt himself." Ratchet muttered and walked back to the computer.

Bumblebee rolled his optics and sat by the sparkling. He watched him carefully as the Prime consumed energon. The others wandered off to make sure the base was still safe for him.

::I wonder if you can understand me as a sparkling.:: he chirped quietly. ::You always understood me.:: he whirled sadly and rested his chin in his servo. He stared at the opposite wall for a moment.

Optimus looked at him then grabbed a few shards of energon before sitting in the scouts lap. He blinked a couple times and stared at the little one.

"Bee...." he said quietly as he looked up at him and hugged his arm. "Here..." he whispered. Bumblebee smiled slightly and hugged him tightly.

::I know you're still here.:: he whirled. Optimus hugged him around the neck cables as he munched on the shard.

A half hour later Optimus finished consuming what he could. Bumblebee cleaned up and walked out for a few minutes to finish crushing the cube. The others were still busy and the kids were doing homework.

Optimus came back to his senses and looked at his little servos. He furrowed his optic ridges and wondered what he could still do. He rubbed his helm as it hurt a little and looked at Ratchet. The medic was busy working on something. Optimus stared at his peds and then concentrated on his servos again. He grunted quietly as he focused on the task. His servos transformed into cannons and his optics widened in surprise. Then he slipped back.

Ratchet sighed quietly and rubbed his face plate tiredly. He had no idea where to even start. Maybe if they snuck onto the Nemesis and tried to get information from them. He shook his helm and gripped the console. That wouldn't work.

"Put your... servos up." A tiny voice said. Ratchet sighed in exasperation and rolled his optics, he was not in the mood to play.

"Look, I'm busy and don't have time to play with you." He grumbled as he turned to face him. "Why don't- AAAAHH!!" He yelled and backed up against the console. The sparklings cannons were ready to fire.

"O-Optimus, how did you figure that out?" He asked shakily as he tried to remain calm. It wasn't his fault he was holding the medic at gun point.

"Do you want... to play now?" He asked as he smiled happily. Ratchet furrowed his optic ridges. He was using sentences now. That wasn't possible, was it?

"Not with those." He muttered and hesitantly knelt by him. The sparklings cannons were probably still pretty powerful. He didn't want to find out though.

"Why?" The little sparkling asked and accidentally fired. Ratchet flinched as the blast went passed him and hit one of the computer screens. The medic looked over his shoulder plate and sighed in exasperation.

"Optimus... I needed that." He muttered as he pinched the bridge of an imaginary nose.

"Sorry..." he whispered quietly and looked at the floor with shame. Ratchet gently gripped his arms and lowered them so they pointed away from anyone.

"You need to be careful with those Optimus. You'll hurt someone or yourself." He said seriously yet gently. "Can you transform them back to servos?" He asked.

The Prime looked at him then sighed quietly as he sat on the floor. He didn't want to get in trouble and worked on turning them back to servos. It took a few minutes but he figured it out.

"I did it!" He squealed happily and hugged the medic around the neck cables. Ratchet blinked a couple times and stared at him.

"Good... uh... just don't do it again." He muttered and let go. The others came back with the kids. Optimus watched optics wide as they transformed from their alternate mode to their biped. He ran over to them and stared in awe.

"Woah!" Bulkhead said and stopped moving so he didn't harm him. "Uh... what are you doing little Opie.... I mean Optimus?" He asked hesitantly. Ratchet gave him a nasty look.

"Do it again!" The sparkling said excitedly. They looked at each other then him.

"Do what again?" Arcee asked gently as she crouched by him. He pushed on her leg trying to get her to move.

"Those... um..." he trailed off and sat down as he thought. What had they turned into? He couldn't think straight and just sat there as he stared into space.

They watched him quietly and Ratchet looked over with concern. Optimus rubbed his helm and whimpered quietly then looked at them.

"Ow." He whimpered as tears filled his little optics. Arcee quickly picked him up and took him over to Ratchet. The medic started to scan him and Arcee tried to comfort him.

"Optimus, please hold still." Ratchet said gently as he scanned his processor. The little Prime hugged his arm tightly and buried his face as he cried.

"It... hurts." He sobbed and Arcee looked at the medic with concern. Ratchet did his best to work with one servo. When he was done Arcee picked up the little Prime and he hugged her tightly around the neck cables as he cried.

"Shh shh it's okay. Ratchet's going to figure this out." She whispered as he calmed down.

Bumblebee whirled sadly with concern for his leader. He looked at the others who stared silently. After a few minutes the sparkling feel asleep but didn't let go of her.

"By the AllSpark...." Ratchet gasped quietly and typed. They looked at him with concern. Bumblebee hesitantly walked over to him.

::Is.... is he going... to be okay?:: he beeped quietly as he looked at the screen.

"I'm not sure. It appears that when Optimus is in his right mind, he tries to remember things. I know that by observation. But unfortunately it's in a way speeding up the sparklings mind and growth process." He muttered.

"Isn't that good though?" Smokescreen asked as he furrowed his optic ridges.

"Yes and no. He can communicate with us a little better, and his intelligence has increased. However, it's slowly destroying the Optimus we know, and his memories are effecting the sparklings mind." He said seriously. They stared back and then looked at each other.

"Wait. Are you saying that one day little Opie is going to try and fight Megatron?" Miko asked as she looked at them. Ratchet glared at her when she said the nickname.

"Thats unfortunately is a possibility." He muttered and they looked at the sleeping Prime. "I only hope we can stop this before we completely lose the Optimus we all know." He muttered. They stared at him and then each other.

What could they do?