Babysitting Chaos

Chapter 3: Syringe Introductions

"IRONHIDE! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"

The GMC Topkick sunk down on his axles as the overhead fluorescents flickered on, buzzing noisily. Three new mechs were revealed by the dancing lights, all standing in intimidating poses before a large, wooden freight door.

The largest of the three carried an air of authority about him, red arms crossed over the windshields of his alternate form, blue-flame decaled shoulders drawn back stiffly. A rigid faceplate covered his nose and mouth, leaving only a pair of flaring blue eyes visible. Beside him was a smaller, bright yellow mech with the same bright blue eyes. His stance was much more relaxed; the expression on his face almost cheerful.

Stalking towards them, however, was an irate greenish-yellow robot with red decals and the word 'Fire' printed upon the insides of both legs. Piper leaned forward over the front seat and craned her neck to look up at him as he overshadowed the truck, interrupting the glow cast by the noisy lights. From the corner of her eye, she saw Annabelle move to wrap her arms around Hillary. The yellow-green mech finally came to a stop right in front of the truck, legs akimbo and hands on his hips.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't scrap you myself," He seethed, voice filtering through the half-open windows of the Topkick. "Taking on Rumble by yourself? What if Barricade had been near by?"

"I'm alive, ain't I?" Ironhide demanded impatiently, his hologram crossing large, burly arms over his chest and tapping an imaginary foot.

"Aw, c'mon Ratchet, lighten up," the red Lamborghini asked as he unfolded into a large robot with black accents and a face innocent enough to charm an angel. "He did save the Lennox girls." Beside him, the yellow sports car also transformed, shifting into a surlier version of the red Lambo with black head-fins.

"Just because he managed to live through this stupid mistake doesn't mean the next one will leave him in one piece."

Hillary reached up and grabbed Piper's hand, tugging on it to get her attention. "Why is the bossy one so angry?" She asked, lip quivering.

The Holo-hide sighed and fizzled out of sight. His voice echoed from the engine block, reprimanding the medic. "Ratchet, stop shouting. You're scaring my charges."

"They should be scared! Prowl radioed ahead and told me that one of them tried attacking Rumble on their own!" He roared.

"Ratchet, that is enough!" The blue-flame robot declared, faceplate sliding back to reveal and less-than-pleased expression hanging around his mouth.

"But Prime--"

"I am well aware that what Ironhide did was reckless and stupid, but yelling at him and frightening the humans is not going to help."

Ratchet huffed, crossing his arms and glowering down at Ironhide. "Well? Are you going to transform or what?"

"Is Captain Lennox here?" The Topkick countered, directing the question at the decaled mech.

"Yes, Sarah and him are on their way up as we speak." He answered.

"Then we can wait." Ironhide sat rigidly on his axels and ignored the death glare Ratchet was directing at him. Piper tried to unbuckle her seatbelt, but found it stuck fast.

"Dammit, let me go!" She cursed the truck, pulling at the thick fabric.

The Topkick kept the belt tightly secured. "You are damaged," he replied, "and are not to move until Captain Lennox arrives."

"I just want to give Hillary a hug! Let me go!" Piper demanded, aiming a swift kick at the back of the drivers' seat. Ironhide grunted in response, but as he saw the youngest girls face crumple in disappointment quickly decided he didn't want to harbor a crying youngling.

"All right, fine! Stop pulling, you're going to break something," he grumbled, releasing the buckle. Piper waited for it to fully retract, before clambering across the seat, head brushing against the roof of the cab as she slid into the drivers' seat. Hillary immediately clambered onto her lap, and to her credit, Piper didn't flinch. Instead, she motioned Annabelle closer and hugged both of them tightly, trying valiantly to keep from completely loosing her head. Giant alien robots living in their own backyard. Nobody was going to believe her.

The wooden doors behind the decaled mech and the happy yellow one creaked open and a large lift, fit for the giant aliens, was hauled into sight. There were three people on board; one gray-white mech with a red chevron and two very worried parents.

"Ironhide!" Lennox and Sarah sprinted across the warehouse floor, passing the decaled and yellow robots without a second glance. Ratchet stepped to the side and allowed the worried parents to approach the dented truck.

"The girls are fine, Captain," Ironhide reported as he swung open the passenger door. Piper released the girls and they eagerly slid to the warehouse floor, running around the door and into their parents' arms. Lennox pulled Hillary up off the ground, cradling her close as Sarah made a fuss over Annabelle's injured arm. Both girls launched into excited conversation about the fight and their rescue as Ironhide opened the drivers door and sunk down on his tires, allowing Piper to ease out of the car. He transformed as soon as she was out of the way and was immediately besieged by Ratchet, who grabbed his shoulder and began berating him about the fight once more.

Lennox glanced away from his sweethearts as Piper limped over to them, face set in a scowl. He handed Hillary off to his wife and stepped forward, a smile on his face. "Piper, I'm so glad you're all right. Prowl told us what happened, and I'm so proud of you for--"

Piper punched him. Bloody hand curled into a fist, she slammed it against the side of his face and sent him stumbling back a step, more from shock than the force of the blow. She glowered at him, nails digging into her palms, and every Autobot in the room froze and stared at them in shock. The decaled one, Prime, and his yellow companion were staring in open shock. The yellow twin looked mildly, handsomely surprised while the red one looked ready to burst into laughter at the shocked look that had claimed the captains face. Ratchet looked angry at the thought of having another patient to add to the ever-growing list while Ironhide didn't look all that shocked that someone would want to punch Lennox. He had himself, on more than one occasion.

"Consider that my two weeks notice," the babysitter seethed, ignoring the poisonous glare Sarah was giving her as she tried to distract Hillary, who had missed the entire thing. Annabelle simply stared at her babysitter, one of her best friends, the look on her face of one who is shocked but understands the reasoning behind the action. Piper spun on her heel and limped towards the door they had used to enter the warehouse, wincing as her bruising fist brushed against her thigh. She ignored Prowl and Officer Wyman as they moved to intercept her, along with the new gray and red robot.

The police man stepped in front of her as his partner pulled down the rollup door, effectively cutting off her escape, which she knew had been hopeless from the beginning. "Miss Piper," he held out his hands in a 'stop there' motion, and the babysitter smirked at the thought of being considered dangerous. "You are severely injured and are not in the right state of mind to be wandering around. Lets get you down to the medbay, where Ratchet can have a proper look at you." He motioned to the medic, who nodded in consent, Ironhide's dents and scrapes forgotten as he ran several scans on the human, noting the low blood level and slightly cloudy look in the girls' eyes.

"Miss Piper," Ratchet began, but paused at the venomous glare she sent his way.

Ironhide smirked and whispered softly to his medic. "No 'Miss', doc."

"Ah. All right, Piper," the glare softened somewhat, "You have lost nearly two pints of blood and are dangerously close to passing out. If you'll just follow me, we can have you as right as rain by morning."

"No."

The CMO stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"Annabelle's hurt. Take care of her first." Piper crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'll be fine until then."

"Piper, you can barely stand." Officer Wyman placed his hands on her shoulders, steadying her. "Bella's fine, we'll take care of her. Now you just go with Ratchet and get fixed up, okay?"

"No!" She yanked her arms away from him and took several steps forward. "It's my fault she's hurt, so she gets seen to first, got it?" Her voice was firm.

Ratchet scowled. "Do not tell me how to do my job, girl." He growled. "Just because you're new doesn't mean I'm going easy on you."

"Stop trying to scare her, Ratchet." Sideswipe rolled his optics at the CMO, "She clocked Lennox in the face after trying to beat up Rumble. This chick is fearless."

"All right, that's enough." Prime demanded, his voice ringing out in the empty warehouse. "Bumblebee, take the Lennox's down to the secondary medbay and see if any of the human medics are still working." The yellow mech jumped into action, literally. He performed a fantastic swan dive at the pavement, but before he could hit the ground his body collapsed in on itself. Parts rearranged and snapped together, forming a bright yellow Camero where the robot had once been. He drove up and popped open both driver and passenger doors. Sarah took the passenger seat, Hillary in her arms, while her husband sat in the drivers' seat with Annabelle on his lap. The doors snapped shut, and Bumblebee drove into the lift, which closed as soon as his spoiler was through. There was a grating of gears and the five were gone.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Bluestreak; perform an outer perimeter check and scan for any Decepticon activity. Report any abnormalities." The twins and the new mech saluted smartly before transforming. Prowl reopened the rollup door and stepped to the side, watching as they passed through the rusted chain link fence and into the forest beyond.

Prime turned to the remaining mechs with a heavy sigh. "Prowl, call all the officers to the control room for a mandatory meeting. Ratchet, if there are no other medics on duty, then you are excused until Miss Piper is cared for."

"Yes sir," both mechs replied in sync.

"Ironhide, call up Jazz and have him contact the human government. They'll want to know what's going on."

"Sure thing, Prime." The Topkick agreed as the elevator doors slid open and the lift ground to a stop. Officer Wyman moved forward and placed a hand on Piper's shoulder.

"You okay, kid?" He asked softly, noting the slight sheen of sweat that covered her face. She shrugged off his hand and took a step away from him.

"Yeah, fine, just a little tired." She answered, forcing her hands into fists to hide their trembling. "I'm just fine." She began to follow Ratchet and Ironhide towards the lift. She made it three steps before collapsing.

"Piper!" Officer Wyman hurried to her side, but was beaten by Ratchet.

"She's fine," he reassured him, "Just pushed herself too hard." He picked her up gently and stood, giving Ironhide an annoyed look. "Why did you let her out of your cab? She should have stayed sitting."

"Don't blame me for this!" The weapons specialist tried to defend himself as they resumed their walk to the lift, where Prime was waiting patiently for his officers. "Next you're going to say I told her to hit Lennox!"

Ratchet paused. "Did you?"

"NO!"

---------

"Will, for the love of Primus, stop moving!"

Annabelle watched as her father tried to dodge the medics probing fingers, a grin spreading across her mouth as he slid off the gurney and placed it between himself and Doctor Sid. They had been in the human wing of the medical floor for nearly an hour, and her arm was finally bandaged up. After being cleaned up, Dr. Sid had insisted on a series of tests and x-rays to make sure it wasn't broken before being bandaged up. Everything had checked out just fine, and now he was trying to take care of the dark bruise on the side of her fathers face.

"C'mon, Daddy, it doesn't hurt." She picked up a pink sharpie and colored in the flower she had drawn on her bandage.

"I am fine," Lennox grunted through his swollen jaw, moving to keep the table between himself and the doctor.

Sid threw up his hands with a grunt of exasperation. "Fine, fine, have it your way." He grunted angrily, turning and pulling off his latex gloves with a snap. The old medic had graying hair and had found his position as the human CMO at the Autobots base after thirty years of being a field medic and ten as an ER surgeon. He had been recommended by the defense secretary himself, and ever since his transfer to Arizona had become great friends with all of the Autobots and their human companions. "Who did that to you again?"

The captains' face twisted into a scowl. "The babysitter," he grumbled.

"You mean that delightful Piper girl that has been arguing with Ratchet for the last hour?" Sid gave the two a large, toothy smile. "Yes, I can see her throwing about a fist with some spirit. Why'd she hit you, though?"

Lennox shrugged. "No clue."

"Hmm. Well, you two are fine. Go on now, shoo." He motioned towards the door. "I'm going to help Ratchet with our little spirited patient." Chuckling to himself, he made sure Annabelle got a sucker for herself and one for Hillary before heading for the Autobots medbay.

"Look here, you little pit spawn," Ratchet began as Sid entered the bay and mounted the stairs to a platform halfway up the wall. There was a catwalk that ran the length of the wall on either side, keeping humans out from under foot and in sight, especially the children. The Autobot medic barely spared Sid a glance as he leaned against the railing right beside the gurney Piper had been given. She was sitting on a mattress on top of the recharge berth, arms crossed stubbornly as she and Ratchet continued to bicker.

"There is no way I'm stripping for you!" Piper snarled, squinting up at the CMO.

He sighed. "For the love of Primus, child! I'm a medic; I don't care if you're stark naked, I need to see your side!"

"It's just a cut, no big deal. Give me a Band-Aid and I'll be fine."

"A Band-Aid? A Band-Aid? You'd bleed out before morning!"

Sid coughed quietly, catching both of their attention. "Um, Ratchet, if you'd like, I can take over for you."

The Autobot turned and glared at the human, patience frayed. "Aren't you supposed to be off duty until tomorrow morning?"

Sid shrugged. "Trouble never sleeps. Beside, I had to take care of Anna and her father." He glanced at Piper and grinned. "Nice shot, by the way. The entire left side of his face is going to be one big bruise by tomorrow."

Ratchet snorted. "Don't encourage her," he ordered, glancing at the human, who was stubbornly refusing any and all treatment. "Look, if you want to help, go make some of your special tea to help calm her down."

Sid grinned. "Mm'kay, do you want it strong?"

"The stronger the better for this one."

Piper glared at the two. "Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here!" She demanded angrily, forcing herself to stand. "I am standing right here!"

"Alright, one cup of extra-strong chamomile tea for the Miss."

Ratchet slapped a hand over his optics as Piper erupted into a new rant at being called 'Miss' once more. He watched as Sid practically ran out of the room, a grin on his face as he left the Autobot CMO to handle the ranting and raving girl.

"Do not use that kind of language in this medbay!"

"You were using this kind of language just a minute ago!"

"I am allowed to, you are not."

"You're such a hypocrite!"

"I am in charge, you little--"

"Tea time!"

Sid, face still split with his ever-present grin, swung over the catwalk railing and dropped the few feet to the gurney with the grace of a cat. An old cat, but still a cat.

Piper glared at him warily. "Well, where is it?" She demanded, noting the absence of a cup or pitcher.

Sid sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Well, I couldn't find any chamomile, so I had to go with the next best thing." He pulled a syringe from the pocket of his lab coat and easily slid it into her shoulder, injecting her with the dark yellow liquid before she could protest.

"You bastard!" Piper yelped, yanking away from him when the syringe was only half-empty. The few milliliters had been more than enough, however, and Sid caught her as she fell back. "Just who...the hell do you...think you are?" She demanded as he settled her head on the pillow of the bed.

He grinned, mirroring Ratchets look of triumph. "Doctor Sid, Miss Piper. Sweet dreams."