Previously
"Thank you!" I kissed him on the lips and then kissed Sides before I flounced down the path to get to the beach. "Well?" I turned and saw that none of them were following. They grinned and followed after me.
Chapter 10
We spent the rest of the night enjoying the moonlight as well as a picnic that Sunstreaker thought to pack. I even lured them into the ocean which caused them to drool as I removed the dress. I grinned and ran into the crashing waves. They followed me and we swam and reveled for two hours. Finally they took me home and I kissed them both goodnight.
The next day I was awoken by a frantic Ratchet. Quickly I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, before exiting my bedroom. He threw me an energy bar and motioned for me to eat quickly. Then he disappeared into a room while I gorged on the bar. Within two minutes I was finished and followed him through the doors. Laying there on a berth was Ironhide, his energon spilling out onto the floor.
"What happened?" I gasped as I ran to wash my hands and grab the necessary welders and tools.
"He was attacked this morning several miles from base." Ratchet sounded grim as he performed some scans on him.
"How bad?" I asked.
"Pretty." He was frowning, then injected something into one of the main energon lines. "I'm going to need you to help me with some of the more extensive damage, Gemma." I frowned at him, as he knew that I hated to be given even more responsibility in the surgical process, but I just bore the brunt of this storm as I looked at the prone figure of Ironhide.
"Alright, what do I need to do?" I asked before handing him the tools. Ratchet told me that he could handle most of the work on the area that was accessible to his hands, but he really needed help near the spark chamber.
I positioned my hands where Ratchet said to, feeling the gush of Energon burning my skin. I made to pull away, but thought better of it and began to work, the unbearable feeling long forgotten. We worked in silence, me still attempting to repair the damage near Ironhide's spark, while Ratchet worked on the other wounds. I would ask for a solution, before setting to work again. After about two hours I finally had the Energon leaking stopped, a new plate over the damage, and the lines were sealed.
"I think he's going to make it," Ratchet said, as I withdrew my soaking and burning hands from the robots' chest cavity. I made sure to position my hands so that Ratchet couldn't see, and he left the room telling me to watch Ironhide while he reported to Optimus.
I sank down into the chair beside Ironhide's berth to examine my hands. They were red, raw, and starting to bleed. I hadn't washed the Energon off yet, and watched the Energon and my red blood mix to create a weird purple color. I was fascinated by the mixing of the blood and lost myself in a daze, only to pull myself back into real time when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I saw Ironhide looking at me in concern.
"What happened?" he gestured to my hands.
"I helped Ratchet." I said simply. Ironhide seemed startled and even a little fearful as he looked at me.
"Does Ratchet know?"
"Yes, I helped him!" I said irritated not understanding the question.
"No youngling." Ironhide said, his English voice gentle. "Does he know that you have been exposed to Energon?" I shook my head. He vented sharply and cursed in Cybertronian, before his eyes dimmed. "Ratchet will be here soon, youngling."
I didn't understand what exactly the panic was over my hands being covered in Energon. Sure it hurt, not that much anymore, but I could see more and more of my skin disintegrating with each passing moment. Shrugging I continued my examination, watching the blue glow faintly.
"Why did you not tell me?" The door slid open to reveal Ratchet in his glory. I shrugged as he pulled me to my feet so he could better exam my hands. "By the pits!" He tugged me over to the sink where he began to gently wash the badly irritated skin. I began to cry out and scream and fight, until he called in the twins. They didn't understand until they looked at my hands and then they bookended me.
"Ratchet!" I yelled as he washed them. More bloody skin came off, looking like a shed skin of a snake. "Jesus Christ!" I yelped as the water touched the exposed, tender skin underneath.
"Be still Gemma!" Ratchet snapped back at me, while the twins kept my arms taut. I cursed them out, Ratchet, Ironhide, and even Primus above for letting them do this to me. Ironhide found it funny, hilarious when the twins went wide-eyes with worry that I was breaking up with them.
"My Chromia was the same when she went into labor." Ironhide reassured. "She's just in pain and saying stuff that she doesn't mean." They looked marginally less fearful after that, even though I cussed Ironhide out for painting me as a weak damsel who needed a man to do everything for her. He just merely chuckled and brushed it off. Finally my torture was finished; Ratchet wound bandages around my hands, causing them to look about three sizes bigger than what they really are.
"Ratchet, how am I to eat?" I whined looking at my white, marshmallow hands.
"Someone will help you. No doubt the twins or if they are on patrol then myself!" Ratchet scolded me, clucking like a mother hen. "I wish you would have told me sooner!" He lamented.
"And do what?" I snarked. "Risked Ironhide leaking to death?"
"Better than what you have done to yourself!" He snapped back. His expression softened as he looked at me. "You don't really know what you've done, do you?" I shook my head slightly scared.
"Gemma, our Energon can't come in contact with humans. The first time it happened was in Mission City. Thirty people died. They died from less amounts than you were exposed to."
"So I'm gonna die?" I looked at Ratchet in shock.