Paragraphs in bold are dreams.
Paragraphs in italics are comm link, data-burst or p.a.
Optimus was driving along, what he thought was a deserlet road. He just needed to get some air and take a drive. It had been a long time since Optimus had taken a social drive. He was driving on the long road when suddenly out of nowhere, a car was coming from the other way. He didn't think anything of it, until... Everything went south from there. The car swerved out in front of Optimus, before he could react Optimus had hit the car head on. He tried to avoid anymore damage, but without success. They were thrown into the ditch and smashed into a tree, wrapping the car around it.
Optimus woke suddenly from a nightmare that just wouldn't leave him alone. He got off the berth and stood there for a while, unable to get from accident out of his processors. He checked his internal clock, to find that it was 5:30. 'The others won't be getting up for at least an hour' he thought to himself. "I'll go relieve Prowl" he said to himself, and walked up to the command centre.
"Sir, what brings you here?" Prowl asked, completely caught off guard at his leader's presence.
"I'm here to relieve you. Go get some recharge" Optimus said, walking up and immediately picked up a data-pad.
"But sir. Red Alert is surpose to relieve me, and not for another hour at least" Prowl explained.
But Optimus just gave him an evil look. "PROWL, DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!" he yelled. Prowl jumped back, he had never heard his leader raise his voice before. "Go get some recharge" Optimus went on.
"Yes sir" Prowl said, finishing up and walking towards the door. Not wanting to get his leader angry again, decided that he did neede some recharge. "Sorry Optimus. If you need me... You know where to find me" he stated, walking out of the command centre and down the hall.
Optimus became angry with himself. 'Wondeful Prime. Just fragging wonderful!' he snapped at himself.
Red Alert was surprised when he came into the command centre, once his shift was due to start. "Optimus sir. I didn't expect to see you here" he announced.
Optimus turned to him. "Morning Red Alert" he said, putting a fake smile on his face.
"Sir. Is everything alright?" he asked, looking at Optimus. 'He doesn't look to good' he thought to himself. "Sir, you should go get some energon" he added.
"I'm fine Red Alert. I pressume you'll be ok here?" Optimus asked, Red Alert nodded. "Good. I have work in my office that has to be taken care of" he explained, nodding to him, and walking out.
Red Alert was unhappy at Prowl, making their leader take his shift. He decided to comm him and find out why he couldn't do it himself. "Prowl"
"Yeah Red Alert. I'm here. What's wrong?"
"Why was Optimus in the command centre during your shift?"
"He came in about an hour ago, and pretty much ordered me to go and recharge... He just took over and forced me out"
"Oh. I need you in the command centre. And bring Ratchet with you"
"Sure we'll be there asap"
Red Alert finished talking to Prowl and decided to look over the data-pads while he waited. Ten mintues later Prowl walked in the door, followed closely by Ratchet. "What was so importan to bring me down here?" Ratchet asked, looking around, but noticing that no one was dying, and no one was hurt.
"Prowl, did you happen to notice that there was something about Optimus this morning?" Red Alert asked, completely ignoring Ratchet's question.
"Yeah, he seemed... Upset. Like there was weight on his shoulders, weighing him down" he explained.
"Ratchet, Optimus is hlding onto something, and it seems to be affecting him" Red Alert finally answering Ratchet's earlier question.
"Like how?" Ratchet questioned, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.
"Almost like he was blaming himself on something. Like something was weighing him down, but no one else could help" Prowl explained, Red Alert nodded in agreement.
"I told him it wasn't his fault" Ratchet snapped.
"He still blame's the accident on himself doesn't he?" Red Alert asked. Ratchet nodded. Everyone on base knew about the accident that Optimus was involved in. He only had enough strength to transform back into bipedal mode, before falling unconcious (Stasis)... Ironhide and Ratchet had to carry him back to base, ratchet had a lot of work to fix his internal and external injuries, and he was in a medically induced coma (Stasis lock) for a week. He had continued to blame himself for not acting quick enough.
"Where is he?" Ratchet asked, looking around, not seeing him.
"He said, something about his office" Red Alert stated. Ratchet ran out the door and down the hall. Prowl quickly followedd, he wanted to make sure his leader was ok.
Ratchet got to Optimus' office, and knocked on the door. "Optimus, please. It's Ratchet let me in" Ratchet said.
"Optimus, it's Prowl. We're trying to help. Please let us in" Prowl announced. But still nothing.
Ratchet tried to data-burst the door, only to find it didn't work. He then tried to hack the door code, trying desperately to gain access... He swore when he realised something very important. "He's taken my code out. I can't get in" Ratchet explained, turning to face a very worried prowl.
"Well, how can we get in then" Prowl asked, knowing that his leader could be in trouble.
Ratchet then took a step back, and with a voice of authrity, put an order to Optimus... He could not ignor. "Optimus Prime. Under medical reasons I order you to open the door, and grant me access" Ratchet announced. It took a few seconds, before Prowl and ratchet were relieved to here Optimus data-bursting the door. It opened slightly, to grant his medic and his secong in command in.
Optimus was sitting at his desk, his optics wide, and staring at the medic. "I'm sorry Ratchet" he stated, looking at the medic, who walked up to the desk.
"You don't have to be sorry. But you can't keep doing this to yourself. It's not healthy" Ratchet explained.
"Doing what?" he asked, knowing exactly what the medic was talking about.
"Blaming yourself" Prowl answered, optimus looked up at his 2IC. "It wasn't your fault, it was proven that the car was completely in the wrong" Prowl expained, kneeling down beside Optimus.
"But I should have been quicker. I should have seen it coming" Optimus stated.
"You didn't know until the last millisecond, you couldn't have stopped it" Prowl announced. Looking desperately worried at his leader.
"The car wrapped around the tree. I saw the guy die" Optimus said. Ratchet became a little worried as he could hear Optimus' fans trying desperately to cool his systems.
"Prime. Optimus, you need to calm down" Ratchet said, kneeling down and watching as Optimus began to wince in pain. "Optimus, please. Stay calm. You have to let your systems cool" he explained, but Optimus' body just kept getting hotter as his fans wroked harder and harder.
"Optimus, this wasn't your fault. Please listen to Ratchet" Prowl said, placing a comforting hand on Optimus shoulder.
Finally Optimus' fans gave out, they had finally reached there limit and could no longer keep up cooler the large mech, Optimus fell forward in agonising pain as Prowl caught hium trying to keep him from hitting the ground. "Prowl, place him carefully on the ground" Ratchet said, as he and Prowl carefully manorvoured Optimus to the ground. Optimus was still crying out in pain as is body temp kept rising, but his fans were no longer doing there job.
"Ratchet!" Prwol snapped, looking up at the medic.
"He's gone in to shock" Ratchet said, pulling out a needle from his sub-space pocket. He looked around quickly, before finally finding one of Optimus' main energon lines. Pushing the tip of the needle into the wires, and pushing the light blue liquid into his sytems. Because his systems were working over time, the liquid made it's way around Optimus' body very quickly... Forcing him into an immediate stasis. Ratchet commed Ironhide and Sideswipe to help carry the huge mech to the med bay.
When Optimus finally woke, he found himself lying on a berth in the med bay. He slowly remembered how he got here, as his optics began to slowly focus. His optics finally focused as ratchet came into view. "Ratch" he said, softly.
"I'm here" he stated.
"What happened?" Optimus asked, having only remember only part of what fully happened.
"Prowl and I were worried, so we decided to go to your office and talk to you, when you began to talk about the accident and you went into shock. Your fans stopped working, and you were in more pain then I would have expected... I had no choice but to force you into stasis" Ratchet explained. Optimus slowly lifted himself to a sitting position and looked at the medic. "You have got to let this go. It was not your fault, you can not blame yourself anymore" Ratchet stated, with worry in his optics. "I can help you through this... But you have to let me" he continued.
Optimus looked at hims an smiled. "That's Ratchet".