First off, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I know I've not updated in a really long time. 2010 turned out to be a pretty crappy year for me. 2011 is not starting off great either. I've had to deal with some medical issues. I had hoped to finish this chapter by now and have it posted before my surgery on Monday, but that's not going to happen. So here is an unbeta-ed teaser of chapter 10.

This is a teaser only. I'll repost the finished chapter later, hopefully in a couple weeks.

My thanks to Lament of Meow for help with getting this chapter restarted.

Chapter 10: Signs and Portents-Part 2 (Teaser)

Rachel came into the medbay the next morning with a travel mug full of strong tea. She needed the caffeine this morning. Her rest had been fitful. Having a day off had broken the routine she had established while completing the human portion of the medbay and beginning to learn the physiology of their new allies. During these last couple of weeks she had basically gone to bed every day exhausted both mentally and physically. Doing so had ensured that dreams didn't wake her. She didn't remember any specific dreams last night, but she had awakened several times. She just hoped Ratchet didn't notice her less than rested state.

However, the medic didn't seem to be in residence this morning. Once she climb the spiral staircase and reached her desk, she found a data pad with a flashing message light waiting for her.

She pressed the appropriate icon and a message appeared.

Rachel, I am sorry I will not be available for our normal lesson this morning. I will be with Wheeljack and Hound in the lab working on the finishing the three new sky spy satellites. With the new detection of Decepticon activity, Optimus is anxious to get them completed. The Air Force is delaying the launch of a rocket to accommodate them.

I have programmed this pad with information continuing our lesson from yesterday.

Call me if you need me.

The note was signed with a glyph that Rachel had learned was Ratchet's name. There was also an attached file.

Rachel ignored the temping file for now. There were other things she needed to do first. She put down her personal data pad and picked up the compact over-ear communication device that look much like the normal ones used by the Rangers, but this one allowed her to tap into the 'bots internal comm. system. With it, she could call any of the 'bots, or they could contact her.

First she called in to Prowl and reported herself as on-duty, a few minutes early even. He acknowledged in his normal curt manner.

Next on her agenda was her normal survey of the supply carts at each of the medical berths. It was her task each morning to make sure each cart was fully stocked and any supplies used the previous day replaced. This usually took her half an hour, but she had no idea what supplies Ratchet may have used yesterday in her absence.

Normally, after that task was completed, Ratchet would answer any questions she had about the previous day's lesson in Cybertronian anatomy and go over anything she was not clear on. The virtual model she had begun to build on her pad helped a great deal. Ratchet was able to look at the model and correct any errors and point out possible variations. Then the new lesson would start, sometimes aided by whoever was the unlucky guinea pig of the day. But today, that would have to wait. She still had that report to write that Ratchet had not let her finish yesterday.

XXXXXX

Rachel had made good inroads on the report detailing completion and supply of the med bay when Jazz walked in.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hi, Jazz," she replied looking up.

"What cha' workin' on?" asked the silver bot as he came over to her desk.

"Reports," she answered, laying down the stylus she had been writing with, and flexed her fingers several times to work out a cramp that was threatening to start. "Ratchet is helping Wheeljack. I can call him."

"Na, I just had some time before I headed out on patrol an' came in for a quick check-up. I can catch Ratch later."

Rachel had been allowed to observe Ratchet as he checked over Jazz earlier in the week as part of a lesson. Jazz had been the most severely injured of the Autobots in the battle of Mission City. He had quite literally been torn in half, and nearly died. Ratchet insisted that he come in for regular exams.

"I also wanted to see how you were doin'," he continued, moving closer and leaning against the bench her desk stood on as if at a bar. "Settlin' in OK?"

"I'm doing fine, Jazz." Rachel smiled at him.

"Good," he smiled back, "you just let the Jazz-man know if you need anythin'."

Rachel chuckled to herself. Of all the bots, Jazz certainly seemed to have adopted Earth culture the quickest. She remembered something she had been meaning to ask about. "Perhaps you can help me with a translation. How long is a vorn?"

"Well, let's see," Jazz did some internal calculations, "about 83 of your years, I think."

Wow, she had known that the Autobots probably were old, but had not really thought about how old. Ratchet had said that he had been a medic for thousands of vorns. Depending on how many thousand, that career could span hundreds of thousands to millions of Earth years.

Jazz had been watching her absorb the information and do some mental calculations of her own. "That help?"

"Yes, thank you Jazz. I'll let Ratchet know you stopped in."

"Maybe when I come back, you can perform my check-up," he suggested, "I hear you did a fine job working on Ironhide." His voice took on more sultry quality as he leaned a little closer, "I'll take a pretty femme performing my maintenance over the Hatchet any day." Grinning cheekily, the silver bot turned and sauntered toward the door. He turned back once more and flashed her a big smile while dimming half of his visor in what she interpreted as a wink before exiting.

After he left, Rachel shook her head and cleared what had to be a stunned expression off of her face as she went back to her report. Had Jazz actually been flirting with her? Sure, she expected it, eventually, from at least some of the male Rangers on the base. It was something a female medic just had to deal with in a mostly male military, but she had not been expecting it from an alien robot.

XXXXX

Optimus watched through the window of the med-bay doors, wondering if he should disturb the two within. Rachel sat at her desk with Ratchet behind her, both of them intent on the data pad before them. He assumed, correctly, that another lesson in Cybertronian physiology was underway.

He had noticed a subtle change in the medic he had known for so long since Rachel's arrival on base. The war had had an effect on them all, but he tending to think it had been hardest on Ratchet and the rest of the medics. Ratchet was known for his temper and general grumpiness as well as his skill, but since Rachel's arrival, his mood had improved and his temper was not quite as evident. It was a slight improvement, but an improvement nevertheless.

He hated to disturb the rapport that was building between the human and Autobot medics, but both he and Prowl agreed that Rachel was the best choice for the assignment, and it would only be for one day.

To be continued…