I only own my OC's!


The Test

SHORELINE, 11:00 AM

I walk over to Raleigh before sitting on the ground beside him. "Raleigh?"

"What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. Just nerves." I sigh softly. "Mako's stepped up to be my copilot since you've got Yancy back. I'm doing my first drift with her this afternoon." I sigh softly. "But I tend to latch onto memories when I'm not distracted by some job, and…" I sigh softly. "I'm still haunted by what happened four years ago."

"When Ratchet was killed."

I nod. "We have a guardian bond, Rals. I felt…everything… when he died. He was in so much pain, and yet strangely at peace. He knew he was going to die, after all the human group did to him…then to have his worst enemy show up and taunt him—after shooting him, mind you—before ripping out his spark before his very eyes just because he wouldn't betray Optimus and I." I sigh softly. "He was helpless…and I was…powerless." I look down sadly. "I couldn't do anything, but stand and watch him die. I knew that if I struck out against him—if I revealed myself—I'd die too, and I wouldn't do any good for the Autobot cause. I still had something to live for."

"I know how you feel. I couldn't save Yancy. Gipsy had just become sentient, but even she couldn't save him. That battle with Knifehead left me scarred, both physically and mentally. I left the Rangers for five years. They took Gipsy to Oblivion Bay."

I sigh softly. "Your arm. You still have the damage from Knifehead."

"My arm's shot. I couldn't pilot Gipsy if she weren't sentient."

I nod. "Give it here."

"What?"

"Give me your arm." He lays it on my lap. "I'd recommend you turn away. It's not going to hurt, but it'll look scary."

"I can handle it."

I nod. "Okay then." I cover my hands in a lighter version of the blue inferno before slowly running them over his arm, carefully schooling my expression while watching his closely. I smile slightly when I see it change from shock and fear to calm, knowing that he realizes that I'm not going to hurt him. "All done. How does it feel?"

He flexes it carefully before smiling. "A lot better. Thanks."

I shrug as I disperse the flames. "All in a day's work for Cybertron's avatar. I have to make the races live together in peace, Raleigh. It's my destiny. We're all on the same planet, and they blew theirs up for us. They deserve our thanks."

"They have mine. I know what happened in Chicago. I know what they gave for us." He sighs. "I was fifteen when the first kaiju appeared. Thirteen when Chicago happened."

I smirk. "Twenty and eighteen. I was in the Sears tower the night before. I was stationed there by Optimus, when I told him what was going to happen. I was told to hide in plain sight until I had to strike…" I sigh. "But when I had to strike, fear got in the way, and I cowered in the tower instead. I had to watch Que die, and Bumblebee was almost killed." I sigh. "That's the day I decided that I would never let fear stop me again."

"And now you're a Ranger and the Star Healer."

I nod, smiling slightly. "And a medic. I've come further than anyone I knew back home in Indiana ever expected me to. They never believed me about my being her."

"You were born on this planet for a reason."

"Before, I didn't know what it was, but now I think Primus knew this world would need me to protect her people more than their own world did." I cross my arms and smirk. "And if I wasn't afraid of going "squish", I'd face those fraggers without any kind of armor at all."

"That's a death sentence."

"And I'm not fully human, Raleigh. Neither is Gips. We're built to take punishment—a lot of punishment."

"What about those wings?"

"Doorwings, Raleigh, and it's to remind me of Praxus. I have a Praxian frame, and I'm proud of it. It proves that I can out-live my home world—I may have been born in Culver, Indiana, but I am Cybertronian—Praxian—and I am stronger than anyone may think." I sigh before turning to him. "But please, tell Gips to stop poking them. They're really sensitive."

"Can't promise you she'll stop, but I'll tell her." He stands to head back inside. "She's your best jaeger friend, isn't she?"

"Yep. Best bot friends are Bee and Blades. Cybertronian crush is Optimus, human crush is Graham Burns. Can't choose yet, so I'm biding my time. Best human friends are Dani Burns and Mako Mori. Father figure—since Dad's gone now—is Ratchet."

"I need to make sure Gip is practicing for her play. She's been trying to kill Striker instead."

"Tell her I'll get some duct tape and the Omega Supreme sized stasis cuffs I found on the Sigma—and don't ask me what they were doing there—but she won't be able to break out of the cuffs in her jaeger form, and the tape will keep her hog-tied in her human form." I cross my arms. "As much as I hate arrogant jerks, Striker is as necessary as Chuck and Kade—though the last one got a slap upside the head today." I shake my head. "I definitely know how Gips feels about Striker half the time. Weren't for 'Wave, I'd have taped him up a long time ago—maybe to the ceiling in the bunker."


MEDICAL BAY

"What are you doing back? I thought you'd be testing the drift or training."

I sigh softly. "Just nervous. You know how easily I get caught in memories when we've got down time. It'll be ten times harder in that jaeger today—unless there's a kaiju to fight."

"You can do it, and you know you can. I've seen you in the medical bay with a patient—even in Michigan."

"That was when I was busy—even though in Michigan I was busy being traumatized by Lockdown and Cemetery Wind."

"But they're through now, and Savoy and Attinger are in Guantanamo Bay, far from reaching us."

"I know… But still…"

Ratchet lays a hand on my arm. "If you get caught in a memory, just reach out through the bond. I'll be there." He pulls me in for a hug, being careful of my doorwings. "I'll always be there."

"Thanks, Ratch." I hug him back before looking up to him. "I think I'll talk with Blades about it. He'll know what it's like, being connected to someone." I smile. "I'll be connected to Mako in a similar fashion to the gestalt bond Blades had with the other Protectobots. Maybe he'll have some advice." I rub the back of my neck. "Then again, maybe he'll hate me for telling the Burn's about the Protectobots this morning, but it was too dangerous a secret to keep."


BAYS

I find Blades looking up at my jaeger. I shift into my Cybertronian form before laying a hand on his arm. "Blades?"

"You told them."

I sigh softly. "Blades, they had to know. The risks of losing you were too great—it was too dangerous to keep that secret."

He crosses his arm, seemingly pouting. "I still didn't want it getting out."

"Cody was eager to learn more about them." I sigh. "Seeing as I barely knew them, and all I had as my own patients were the twins—Mudflap and Skids, not Sides and Sunny—I didn't have a chance to learn much about gestalts."

He turns to me. "What did you need?"

I smile sheepishly. "I'm drifting for the first time in a couple hours. I'm a little nervous. I've never had anyone but Ratchet in my head before, and that I can block when I feel overwhelmed."

"It's…" Blades sighs. "I never knew how silent life was before the crash. I'd always had them."

"Raleigh told Mako that, when you live in someone's head for so long, the hardest part to deal with is the silence."

"He's not wrong about that." Blades sighs heavily. "She's your best friend, and she'll only be in your head for a short period of time."

"Unless a kaiju attacks." I say drily. "We still haven't had any activity in the breach. It's got all of us—the jaeger teens especially—on edge."

"We'll all be there for you."

"Ratchet said I could reach out to him if I get caught in a memory."

"Good." He sighs. "And I'll talk with Cody tonight. He and Frankie are with Crimson and Striker by the ocean."

"All right. And don't worry. They have alarms for when a kaiju appears."

"Thanks."


BAYS

I step into the conn pod nervously, watching Mako set up for the test drift. We're both wearing the same black armor as she and Raleigh had worn while operating Gipsy.

"Setting harness for test mode."

"Two pilots on board."
"Are you ready?"

I sigh softly as we settle into the harnesses. "As I'll ever be."

"Pilots on board and ready to connect."

"Initiating…neural handshake."

Mako turns to me. "Remember, don't chase the RABIT."

"I know. Just let it flow. Stay in the drift."

"Neural interface Drift initiated."

I see my past and hers in my mind. I force myself to keep my breathing calm, and just let the images flow through my mind. For a time, it works.