"This dialogue" = Normal speech

"This dialogue" = Bumblebee's speech

.:This dialogue:. = Internal comm. speech

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Chapter 05

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Before the interview, Fowler had given Ratchet a list of sensitive matters which where not to be discussed and said that his superiors asked politely if he could be as sincere as possible with everything else. No doubt they'd be hoping to get some intel for themselves and that was utterly foolish, the mech thought, because what Optimus had decided not to tell the government's agents on the first place, he was certainly not going to tell to this one random organic. Still, the Prime wanted to nurse their good relationship with the humans as much as possible, so he agreed to the not-lying clause and confirmed to Ratchet that he should tell things as complete and truthfully as possible.

The medic had been escorting Mr Black through the corridor that lead from the barracks to the main hangar when he was asked the question he had most hoped not to hear, but he stilled himself and answered as best as he could. He added afterwards some good old fashion "we come in peace" sermon, since he considered Optimus a true old friend, and that was the kind of simple (and silly in his opinion) things that made his leader happy. Then he noted something strange.

From the beginning of the dialogue, he had been receiving a fluent string of 'aha's, 'hmmm's, and 'ooh's, besides proper replies from the human by his side, but as soon as he paused talking he could tell something had changed. The man was still walking by his side, but he was silent. He also wasn't looking at him... he wasn't looking at anything actually. Hi eyes where pointed straight ahead, but where unfocused and the medic realized with growing concern his skin had paled significantly.

He stopped walking and crouched slightly to look at the man better. The human remained where he was when the walking paused, but still wasn't looking at him and his breathing seemed to be a bit shallow.

"Mr. Black, are you alright?" the bot inquired as he waved a servo before the vacant face in front of him. This did made the man react, as he started a bit due to the close movement near his face, but when he did look at the doctor his expression looked lost and confused.

"I... I... I am... well" answered the man in a monotonous voice as he retreated two steps and focused with some difficulty in the bot's face. The old mech watched him stagger for a little bit and then regain balance awkwardly supporting his weight with one hand on the wall.

.:Optimus, I think there's something wrong with he visitor:.

.:What do you mean, Ratchet?:.

.:I'm not sure. We where getting back to the consoles room when he simply started displaying odd symptoms. If I hadn't been talking to him less than two kliks ago I'd say he's sic; but for what I've seen, humans take generally days or at least hours to develop illnesses. By the AllSpark, he looks as if he was about to faint at any second! Jack, do you know of any human ailment that could cause something like this?:.

.:Well, there are a lot of things that can kick in really fast, but it's weird all the same. Errr, what does he look like?:.

.:Pale. Much paler than when he came in. He seems to be confused and unbalanced, and his hands are shaking. Also his breathing cycles are faster than before:.

Those assembled in he room looked at Jack, who had a concentrated expression. The autobots knew that June talked with Jack about her job all the time, so they considered him as being generally better informed in this kind of matters, even though Jack insisted on his lack of knowledge every time they asked him something organic-related. The truth was, he had learned a thing or two through his mother's anecdotes, so most times he did have accurate opinions regarding common health issues.

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Move!

He just didn't seem to be able to do it. He could tell the medic had noticed his odd reaction, but he just couldn't focus on anything.

Cybertron was gone...

He felt as if he was the only solid thing in the world.

Move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-

A part of his mind was trying desperately to remind him that he was still in the innards of an autobot base, with a disguise to maintain if he wanted to leave the place alive; but he kept circling around those words... ...our own planet was rendered a lifeless husk and we all had to abandon it or perish.

It just wasn't possible! It couldn't be! How could the whole planet-?

Ah, but he knew... of course he knew.

Because he had been part of the war long ago, and it was logical that all sources of energon would eventually be consumed, and someday there wouldn't be anymore towers to topple, or cities to scorch... or sparks to extinguish.

He tried to tell himself he had somehow blown his cover, and the autobot was just fucking with his mind, but as hopeful as that thought was, he couldn't convince himself of that. He had seen the grief and resignation in the old bot's optics when he had told him those words, and that had felt like a punch.

It had made him angry; so unaccountably angry to see those optics show sadness. How dare that stupid mech feel any kind of misery when he had at least been there to watch the last days of his world... while he had been here... away and alone.

He could contemplate objectively the irrationality of his own rage but it didn't matter, it burned through his systems like acid... and it gave him something his mind could use to solidify the world around.

Move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-move-

YES! He had to move! He had to stick to his charade and at least get what he needed to repair himself... even if he didn't know what he would do afterwards.

He felt the fog that was numbing his senses dissipate and leaned on a wall to regain some composure.

If he just managed to stick to the plan, then everything surely would work. Somehow, it surely would.

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"That sounds a bit as if he were in shock...perhaps?" mused Jack. "You know, like people in car crashes and such? Last month two buses full of people crashed close to mum's work and all of the injured went there. She said the corridors in the hospital where a complete chaos of confused people staring at nothing. It sounded quite creepy."

"Duh, Jack! How on earth would he get himself spooked like that in here? He was walking through the most boring corridor in the world, talking to the nerdiest bot in the base- WAIT! Maybe Ratchet almost stepped on him? That could count as a shocker alright..."

.:Miko, this is serious!:. Ratchet barked through the comm link .:But she does have a point... I didn't know human could display such a range of physical signs when on extreme stress situations, but I fail to see anything that would have triggered it:. then paused abruptly. .:Wait, I think he's recovering.:.

The doctor moved carefully back to allow some space as the man straightened himself and rubbed his temples with both hands.

"I- I am sorry. I felt a bit... unwell, just now" The journalist said as he frowned slightly looking at the mech directly in the optics. "I am feeling better now, though" he said in what he hoped would be a reassuring calm tone. He could tell the medic wasn't really buying it, given the penetrating scrutiny he was getting, but he had regained enough clarity to be pretty sure he was acting the part again fairly well.

"Was that episode a recurrent ailment?" The bot asked curtly.

"Ehm,I think it was just low blood pressure... I sometimes get it when it's too hot outside." he improvised. "I just... need to go splash my face a bit in the bathroom... Would you point it to me, if you don't mind?"

"Of course, follow me." the bot nodded and began walking as he pinged his teammates.

.:Did you hear that, Jack? He seems to believe it was low blood pressure... Could his diagnostics be wrong?:.

.:I have no idea if he could be wrong or not but low blood pressure does get you pale and dizzy... it doesn't make you confused though, just nauseated.:.

.:Hng, no offense, but I don't think I'll trust the self diagnosis of someone whom I had to call three times before he noticed I was standing before him. I'll just scan him at the sick bay and be over with the guessing. The new medical equipment I've adapted for human parameters should be able to tell us what's wrong with him:.

.:Ratchet:. Optimus deep voice sounded after a long while .:I am not sure what the government agent's reaction might be towards us administrating treatment or even medical advise to this man. Still, it would probably be an ever larger source of distaste to them if this man where to have a health problem inside the base. Can you proceed with the scan... discreetly?:.

The medic groaned in annoyance at the observation. Blasted organics and their useless medical regulations!

.:Don't worry Optimus, It's powerful enough he doesn't even have to be next to the machine to provide for the readings. It will just take an instant to tune it, and I'll trigger it while he's busy doing whatever organics do in the bathroom."

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The mech escorted him past the main hangar and into the sick bay where he pointed at a couple of small rooms where he knew the kids performed their organic functions and turned to the equipment as soon as the door's lock clicked in place after the journalist.

While the red and white mech was calibrating the machine outside, Mr Black despaired once more, though this time by the simple fact that he had not noticed this particular toilette before. Due to being hooked to the sick bay, which had an internal air filter system (like most laboratories) it had the ventilation arrays linked to it as well... which meant that if he got into these particular vents, he'd be stuck in the med bay. All the same, they where in the very room that had everything he was looking for now, so he decided he'd just try to nick the supplies and run to the closest vent in the main hall, if he got discovered. He just wished everything would be over already...

When he was washing his face for the cover's sake up, he felt the tingly sensation of an energy pulse and wondered what would the other members of the base be doing.

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Rathchet looked at the screen open mouthed, his optics perfectly round and flickering as the implications of what he was seeing hit home. He pinged the comm system so hard the whole cargo bay received a static burst in their ear pieces.

.:Optimus! Come here right now, and set the protocols to seal the base!:. There was such hasty panic in that single sentence that the Prime was already running after the first word. The urgency in the medic's voice made him unconsciously activate his battle mask.

.:Report, now!:. Came the growled response as he flew to the secondary consoles in a lower floor and triggered a number of defensive mechanisms that closed the base air-tight. He could see in the screens the signature of the other bots following suit and, thankfully, of the kids staying in the cargo bay.

.: I just completed the scan and... Slag! Him, Mr. Black, or whatever he's actually called, he isn't a human. By Primus, he's not even organic!

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I hope I haven't rambled too much with medical symptoms here... I mainly wikied all the particulars, but I hope I just didn't overkill it 6D9