My Only Memory Of You by KristalShaga

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Author's note: In the flashback, Colonel's name was Mikey so I'm going to call him that just to follow the flashback.

"Mikey!"

"Grandpa!" cried a ten year old being carried away in a rushing river. He was dark skinned with Hershey brown curly hair and mahogany eyes.

"Hold on Mikey!" cried the elder once more, running faster.

Flashback

A boy was fishing with his grandfather, Arthur, in a quiet part of the forest as birds could be heard chirping happily. The boy cast his line out into the river pulled back the fishing pole and winded up the string so he could get it steady.

His grandpa saw this and chuckled, "You're going to be a fine fisherman someday Michael."

"Thanks Gramps," smiled the ten year old. Suddenly, he saw his bobber go down and gasped softly. He grew excited as he reeled the line in, in hope of a giant catfish or maybe a juicy trout.

When he almost had the line in, the hook got stuck between to rocks and the boy, Michael, sighed. He then set the rod down and walked over to a fallen log in the river. Michael stepped on it twice lightly and then gave it a good stomp to see if it was sturdy. When it seemed safe, the boy climbed on top of the log, first on hands and knees and worked his way up to walking.

"Hm?"

Arthur then looked over to see his grandson walking across the fallen tree. He then dropped his fishing rod and ran over to Michael. "Boy!" he barked in a southern tone, "You get off of there right now before you fall into the river. I mean it! The current gets stronger only a few feet down creek."

"I'll be fine Grandpa," assured Michael, holding out his arms for balance.

As the ten year old cautiously knelt down in front of the end of the log, he reached out to pick up the bobber out from between the stones. When he lifted it up, a flopping trout was wiggling to get free. "I caught one Grandpa!" laughed the boy. Slowly, his giggles turned to sounds of worry.

Suddenly-

SPLASH!

"Mikey!" cried the grandfather as he saw his boy slip into the water.

"Grandpa!" cried Michael.

End Flashback

"Mikey!" cried the man once more, "Keep your head above the water!"

"I'm trying!" coughed Michael, spitting water out of his mouth.

About fifty feet down the river, a giant mechanical being was walking by until he stopped, hearing cries of help. "Huh?"

He then turned around and closed in on his optics, seeing a child down in the rapid river. "Holy Primus," he said softly and stood in his spot, waiting for the human to come closer to him.

Arthur kept on running as fast as his elderly legs could carry him. Michael then saw a rock to grab onto, reached for it, but the rock was covered in moss, making it too slippery for the boy to hold on. His grandfather kept on telling him to dodge objects in the water.

As the man thought he had Michael in full vision, the boy was swept underwater as fast as lightening itself when he came to a seven foot tall waterslide in the river.

"Mikey!" cried Arthur, praying to God that his grandson still lives.

Under water, the ten year old quickly swam with all of his might up to the surface, and burst out taking the biggest breath of air-Probably the biggest one ever in his life. He continued to be carried down the river.

During being taken underwater, Michael's grandfather lost sight of him and was running aimlessly down the river looking for him. To Michael, traveling down the rapids more was like entering the gateway of death. Slowly, he started to close his eyes, falling into unconsciousness.

Right before he closed his eyes for the last time, he saw a giant shadow looking down at him from a tall cliff above. His eyes then shot open! Never before has he seen such a sight as this. Was it God sending an angel? Satan sending a demon? He had no idea.

He desperately kept his head up to see the being jump off the cliff and to transform into a helicopter. That was his last vision of the stranger until he was sucked under the water.

Just then, a claw burst under the water, grabbing the boy from behind and pulling him out. Michael was nearly about to die until he emerged out of the water, gasping and spitting out water. He tiredly watched as he was lifted two hundred feet into the air, not caring how high up he would go.

The chopper sound from the helicopter's wings gently cradled him to sleep as the forest below him, faded-.

It was getting dark and the human that the giant just saved, would surely need protection over the night. He flew toward the forest, carrying the boy below him. When he found a good place to rest, he flew down gently as he pulled the human up with the crane and transformed.

He landed just a few feet to the ground and looked down at the boy in his hands.

For Arthur, he panted heavily, coming to a stop slowly as his feet kept on walking slightly and he fell to his knees. "Oh, God," he cried as tears rolled down his cheeks and then hit the forest floor, "Michael-Where ever you are-I just hope you're alive."

The elderly man then pulled him self together as he got up; wiping a few tears away and looked out into the horizon. The river didn't seem to go on forever and Arthur was sure that the boy probably washed up somewhere on shore.

He then ran back into town, forming a search party to look for his grandson.

Meanwhile, Michael was fine and well as he was nestling in the arms of his rescuer. The giant was Evac. An Autobot from Cybertron. When he sensed a cool breeze passing by, he looked down to see the boy shivering and held him closer to where his spark was to keep him warm.

"So this is what a human looks like up close," he chuckled softly, "He's much smaller than others I've seen. Then again, he's a kid."

He then turned puzzled over Michael's appearance.

Humans seemed to vary in different forms, colors, and shapes. They were black, copper, tan, or white skinned. Different colored eyes and sizes.

Evac couldn't help himself but streak the top of the human's hair with his index finger. The fuzzy hair made him even more confused. Not only were humans soft but they had an even softer part on the top of their heads.

All of the handling then woke up Michael. First he squinted his eyes together making a whining grunt and then opened them slowly, blinking a bit. When he awoke fully, he gasped when he saw that he was lying on metal.

When he arose, he banged his head against Evac's chest, and groaned holding his head.

"Careful"; came a voice from behind the child.

When Michael nervously looked behind him, his eyes grew to the size of two apples as he saw a wide metal chest. His silent panting increased even more as he lifted up his head to see a giant being looking down at him.

Michael then looked down to see two massive hands holding him around his waist.

"Grandpa..." he said softly and his paralyzing of fear quickly wore off. The boy then squirmed violently in the Autobot's grasp. "Grandpa!"

Evac quickly slipped his hands up to the boy's chest and lifted him up higher to his face. "Why are you scared?" he asked gently in attempt to show the human he was friendly. "I saved you back there in the river."

As this struck Michael's ears, he stopped struggling and looked up at the giant with his heart beating fast.

He then let a small yelp when the being laid him in his right hand and used his giant left index finger to poke his chest lightly. Michael grew even more nervous when the robot gasped.

"Are you alright kid!" he asked, making the ten year old jump, "Your chest-It was making this heavy thumping sound."

When Michael looked down at his chest, his scared expression slowly turned into laughter as Evac watched him with confusion. Must be a human thing the Autobot thought and set the boy on his feet.

"No!" laughed the human still, "That was my heart-Um-."

"Evac, kid" introduced the steel giant, "and don't worry-I promise to keep you safe until morning."

Michael then straightened himself up, feeling trust in his new friend, Evac. "My name's Michael," smiled the boy, "but everyone calls me Mikey for a nickname."

Evac noticed the boy was then staring at him strangely. "Looks like ya need an explanation for all of this huh?" he chuckled. He then stood up, towering over the human. Michael turned around to see the shadow's length go into the deep forest endlessly. "I'm an Autobot. I race of mechanical aliens from another planet."

"Which planet?" asked the boy; looking back up to his friend.

"I-." Evac's optics then dimmed and lit back up when he lifted his head up to look at the night sky. "I don't know Mikey." His optics then followed a shooting star crossing the starry sky. "But I believe that I came from Cybertron. A giant metallic planet where other giant beings like me live. I've never seen Cybertron for my own optics. Older bots say it's only a fairytale that they tell to younger bots like me but I believe with my spark that it truly exists."

Michael then looked up at the sky with the Autobot and looked back to Evac. "You mean there's more of you?" he asked still.

"Yeah," answered Evac, lowering his vision down to the child. "We're partly scattered in a few small groups over your planet. I'm just a loner. Doing what I please and seeing the sights."

"Thanks for saving me," said Michael, reverting back to the river incident. "I was fishing with my gramps and I sort of slipped and-Oh, my God-Grandpa!"

Evac turned startled as he saw the boy running off into the woods but quickly grabbed him. "Put me down Evac, please!" cried Michael.

"I can't let you go out there alone at night kid!" said the Autobot strictly, "You're far too young to watch yourself out there. I want you to listen to me and get some sleep and then I'll take you to find your grandfather."

"But he probably thinks I'm dead!" shouted the boy angrily.

Evac only shook his head and roughly but just gentle enough, laid Michael down in his arms. It was late at night as crickets chirped and the moon was full as the ten year old slowly calmed down.

A soft ticking sound inside the Autobot's chest lullabies the human back to sleep. Michael thought it was gears turning to make Evac move but what ever it was, it was soothing to his ears. The warmness of Evac's spark took help in calming the boy down as Evac watched the human slowly drift asleep once more.

Evac was puzzled to how his small human companion could be soothed so quickly. He then shrugged his shoulders and laid his back against a thick, trunk tree. He allowed the night sounds to get him to sleep until the next morning-..

The bright sun rose high as flowers bloomed to awake to see the light. Animals scurried out of their homes to start their day as nocturnal animals walked back into their homes tiredly.

A small drop of dew on a single leaf then splashed off the tip of it and landed on the cheek of Michael. The boy moaned as he awoke shutting his eyes and opening several times. When he opened them fully, he looked to see the glistening sun's rays warming his morning face.

When the light hit Evac's his, his optics lit up and the robot sat up, stretching his arms with a big yawn. Michael slid down to the Autobot's kneecaps and jumped off, meeting the grass with his feet. "Time to get up to find my grandpa," he said strictly and Evac nodded his head.

"Alright Mikey," he chuckled, "I promised. Let's go."

He got up as he watched the boy playfully laugh as he ran ahead of him.

Evac had to smile at the human's foolishness and carefree spirit. He's like me when I was a younger bot he said in his thoughts, growing fond of the boy, as he kept walking.

As Michael stopped and turned around, he saw Evac looking curiously at a robin's nest where the mother bird was caring to her chicks. The boy then walked to his giant friend and watched along side him, looking up at the nest.

Evac then looked down at Michael and startled him by grabbing him and letting out a playful roar. "Gotcha!" he laughed.

"No! No!" laughed the human and broke out of the Autobot's hands.

Michael sped off laughing as Evac chased after him laughing as well. The robot then stopped when the human came to a halt and turned around to see him with a smirk on his face. Michael then lunged at Evac, making the Autobot fall onto his rear and then his stomach as his human friend climbed on his back.

"You're way much more fun than my older bro and sis," he smiled looking down at Evac who looked up at him.

"Really?" chuckled Evac.

"Evac, no matter how many friends I make in my life, I'm going to stick with you forever," laughed Michael.

Evac's optics then dimmed as he sat up with Michael now standing in the back of his head. His optics then shined once more as he looked to the boy. "It's not that simple Mikey," he said, "I'm an Autobot and you're a human. And friendships like that could never last. Even when you try to make them last."

Michael then looked to the ground as his eyebrows lowered and they rose up as he looked back to Evac.

"Then we won't try," he smiled, "we'll make it last."

Evac turned puzzled by the boy's never ending trust over him and their friendship. He then smiled softly and got up letting his human friend ride on his shoulder.

An hour went by and they were back at the river. "Careful Mikey," advised Evac, reaching to pull the ten year old away from the edge of the cliff.

Being more careful now, Michael went where Evac told him to go to avoid being swept into the river again. An old bridge across the river to the other side then came up and Evac sighed. Squatting down, he pointed out the crookedly bridge to Michael.

"This is where you're on your own Mikey," he told him.

"What?" asked the boy turning around confused.

"I can't go any further than that bridge over there or other humans might see me. You'll have to walk across there by yourself and find your grandfather on your own. You mustn't tell anyone about me or what I've told you, understand?" Michael nodded. "So long friend, I'll-."

Suddenly, Michael heard people crying out his name on the other side of bridge, in the forest.

"Grandpa?" he asked softly.

"Michael!" cried a female voice this time.

"Mother?"

"Son, where are you!" called a male's voice.

"-Father!"

The boy then ran down to the rundown bridge and without thinking, ran right across it quickly. "Mikey!" cried Evac, "Come back! You'll-.."

Suddenly, the human's left foot, broke through the bottom of a piece of wooden board. Soon, the entire board broke, sending Michael up to his chest, underneath the bridge.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!"

The boy clung to the board as he started slip through the hole in the bridge floor.

"Hold tight Mikey!" called Evac as he transformed into his helicopter mode, "I'm coming!"

"Evaaac!" cried the ten year old sliding to the river's grasp.

The Autobot then shot out his crane as the claw opened quickly, reaching for Michael. Just then, the board that Michael was holding onto; snapped and the boy was sent falling to his death.

"Mikey!"

-------..

"Michaaaaaaeeeeeel!"

Evac was at the bottom of the two cliffs and at the shore where the river ended, searching for his human companion. As he flew to the shore and transformed, his search came to an end when he saw Michael lying on the ground not moving.

The human's clothes were torn and damped while scratches of all sizes covered his entire body. When closer looked at, Michael's appearance also showed a rather large bruise in the middle of his forehead. Figuring he probably hit his head against a rock while be pulled down the heavy rapids, Evac walked up to the boy slowly.

"Michael?" he asked softly, kneeling down next to the boy, "-Kid-answer me."

He nudged the boy gently, moving the child's arm up. When he pulled his index finger away, Michael's arm dropped back to the ground showing there was no life left in it. "Michael," said Evac lowly and waited for the boy to respond, "--Aw no!"

The Autobot then reached quickly to pick up the human but remembered he was dead. In Cybertronian legacy, it shows disrespect to move a victim of death from their original place where they died. As energon tears rolled down his ocean blue optics and down his cheek, he didn't care if he broke Cybertronian traditions; he scooped up the lifeless body.

"Evac, no matter how many friends I make in my life, I'm going to stick with you forever."

"It's not that simple Mikey. I'm an Autobot and you're a human. And friendships like that could never last. Even when you try to make them last."

"Then we won't try-we'll make it last."

Those were the only few sayings that the saddened Autobot could remember over and over. He then huffed a few times and sucked in the rest of the pain by puffing in his chest. Silent tears rolled down his optics as he held the Michael close.

"Try to remember Mikey," he cried, "Just try to remember one thing. Remember I saved you here, this river, when you were only ten years old. Remember what I looked like. How I saved you-everything. But most importantly-it wasn't anyone that saved you-it was your forever friend-"

Evac then hugged the boy close.

Just then, he heard voices coming his way-.

It was Michael's family and the Autobot sighed, hating to see how the family would react when they saw their son gone like this. "I have to leave the body," he told him self, "even if-even if they're scarred for life--They have to know what happened to their son."

He laid the human down and quickly ran behind a tall rock and watched as the adults walked down the misty trail, to Michael.

--.. "MIKEEEEEEY!"

A scream of a mother could be heard throughout the forest, scaring birds and grabbing animal and humans' worry. A few humans ran to the scene where a sixteen year old daughter and fourteen year old son were holding back their panicking mother. "It's alright mother," said her son nervously, rubbing his mother on her shoulder for comfort.

"What do you mean!" shouted the woman, "My baby is dead!"

People turned either disturbed or frightened over this saying. Even Evac twitched a bit at this. A man with dark skin, eyes, and hair, came up from the shore with Arthur at his side, carrying a child in his arms. The mother and teenagers ran over to the father and grandfather, around the lifeless boy. A ranger nearby, kept the crowd of people from coming down to see what was the matter and told them to go home.

After everyone left, the officer put on his hat and walked down to the family. He pulled off his hat in respect, showing he had light brown hair and then took off his shades. "I'm sorry for the loss of your son," he said, "-If you want me to help you get a service started for the funeral I'll--."

"Wait!"

The six then looked down quickly to see Michael making grunting sounds and slowly awoke. He looked up to see his mother crying happily over him being alive as his brother and sister hugged him. "You're one lucky boy that God has your back!" laughed his grandfather as the jolly old man hugged his grandson. The quiet Michael then looked up at his father who sighed and held him close to his chest as he laid his hand on the boy's head.

"Welcome home son," he said softly.

From afar, Evac watched as Michael's family and the ranger walked back to the town. The Autobot sighed and smiled, "Remember me Mikey-"

With that, the Autobot transformed into his helicopter mode and flew off into the sky above. Right before he was out of sight, Michael was able to see over his father's left shoulder as he saw the last image of Evac. Something about the helicopter reminded him of something but he couldn't remember what and he slowly fell asleep.

A few days later in the hospital, Michael's family were told that after being pulled in the heavy river, he hit his head, giving him a small forgetfulness of earlier activities in the day. They could tell by the bruise on his forehead. His doctor thought that the boy was out for one day and by miracle, survived until he was found soon after. They thought he had just forgotten fishing that day but to Michael, he had forgotten his time with Evac.

But something in his brain still told him that something else happened that day besides being unconscious for a day.

The river, he would tell him self-Something about the river kept bringing back hard to remember images of someone saving him. All he could remember that there was this giant being-probably an angel sent by God. It jumped off of the cliff and transformed into a helicopter, saving him from the rapids.

He told everyone he remembered that but they told him it was only a dream he had or he was just seeing things when he was being carried down the river.

Even though Michael couldn't remember Evac completely, for if not for the Autobot telling him to remember that he saved him from the rapids-Michael might have never met his friend in the future when he would be an adult.

THE END

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My Only Memory Of You by KristalShaga