"Unknown Energon detected in systems."
"Backup Energon has gone offline."
"Permission to shut down?"
Ratchet denied, rolling his optics. He had been receiving the same warnings over and over again all morning, but when he had scanned himself, nothing came up. His vitals were completely normal. He had felt dizzy earlier, but he mentally waved it off. It could be nothing, and he wasn't about to waste his time dealing with a false virus. But they came up every five nanoklicks, irritating the busy medic. Finally, he sat down his screwdriver and scanned himself again. This time, he noticed that his strength ranking had gone up.
Could be Synthetic Energon? I have been working on it lately. Perhaps it's a side effect of the unfinished formula, he thought with a sigh. No way had any Energon he had drank earlier had gone bad. The Energon they had was only a week old. And why would it say it was unknown? It would have told him that it was poisoned.
There was a knock on his door. "Go away. I'm busy."
"Ratchet, it's me."
The medic sighed. "Come in."
Ratchet didn't bother turning around as a certain Prime entered the medbay. "What do you want?" he growled. "Your assistance. My spark has been aching."
"Your spark? What the frag did you do to it?"
It took Optimus a few nanoklicks to answer. "Nothing." Ratchet folded his arms, smirking. "Oh, really? And just when did this so-called aching begin?" he asked. No answer. "Orion. When did the aching start?"
Optimus kept his helm bowed, his digits playing with each other. "I can't help you if you won't tell me." The Prime let out a surrendered sigh. "Last night."
"Last night? Okay. Then why were you so stubborn to tell me that?"
"Because it was last night had I received an oil drain for yourself."
Oh.
Ratchet nodded slowly, trying to think up an explanation. Oil drains were known to cause nauseousness and tire, but never had they had a side effect as spark-clogging. "Optimus, I'm going to have to ask you to lie down." Optimus looked taken aback, but obeyed, sitting down on the medical berth, and pulling himself up. Ratchet grabbed a box and slid it beside the end of it where the Prime's pedes stuck out.
Fragging height.
Ratchet retracted the panel covering his scanner and swept his new patent, the green light shining through the whole body. "What? Is there something wrong with this thing?" he thought aloud, tapping the screen. Obviously, there was something wrong with Optimus' spark. "Is there a problem, old friend?"
"No. Well... Yes. Optimus, I need you to open your spark chamber."
The Prime blinked, his windshields sliding aside, blue light reflecting off the walls. Ratchet bent over and peeked in, only to find that his spark was healthy. "This isn't funny," he growled. "What?"
"You pranked me!"
"I did no such thing. My spark is aching."
"There's nothing there."
"Check again."
"But there's nothing there!" Ratchet repeated, sneering. "I have better things to do then deal with jokes and false problems! Get out of this medbay!"
"But-"
"NOW!"
Optimus Prime gaped at his angered medic, completely confused. "Ratchet... Is there a problem?" Ratchet was trembling, his servos shaking, and his optics were dimmed.
"No! Just... Just get out!"
"Your systems are over-heating, old friend. You need help." Optimus closed his spark chamber; the pain had ebbed away. He sat up and reached for the CMO's servo, only for it to tug away. "Don't-don't touch me!" Ratchet was gaping, as if like a human, struggling to breathe. He covered his face, shaking his helm over and over again.
"Ratchet, what is wrong? You do not look well."
"Because I'm more then well."
Optimus flinched. He had not expected those words hissing at him. The medic removed his servos from his face, a soft violet glow illuminating from his optics.
Dark Energon? Optimus thought in shock.
How is that possible?