Author's notes: Anyone hate me yet? Yeah I thought so.
Chapter Eleven
Bumblebee sighed in relief to see that Spike had taken the water Wheeljack had offered willingly. Wheeljack and Jazz exchanged knowing glances and Bumblebee found himself smiling. Their little trick had worked perfectly and Bumblebee felt a little more at ease.
As Spike greedily gulped down the cool water, he was blissfully unaware of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that had been dissolved within; all the chemical requirements the human body needed in order to maintain proper and healthy function. Spike may not have been willing to eat just yet, but his body was not going to be deprived of the necessary nutrients that food provided. Not while several diligent and capable Mechanoids were on hand.
Wheeljack went to the corner wall to retrieve something and then turned to Bumblebee.
"Here," He held his hand out and deposited several small clear plastic bottles filled with the nutrient water into Bumblebee's hand. "Have him drink two of these a day. That should be sufficient enough to keep him functioning until he starts refueling on his own again. The internet article said this phase should only last about a week or so at most. He'll be fine."
Bumblebee accepted the water bottles and carefully stowed them away into a subspace pocket. On the table, Spike pulled the water bottle from which he was drinking away from his lips to look up into Bumblebee's optics. He blinked.
"Feeling any better?" The yellow Mech asked with a hopeful smile.
Spike nodded lethargically.
"Wonderful!" Wheeljack cheered. Beside him, Jazz smirked. Despite the happy moods of those around him, Spike still remained mournful and weary. His movements were slow and sluggish and he looked tired. His normally bright green eyes stared out dully at those around him and his little hands reached up to finger the cold metal tags around his neck. He sniffed and wiped his hand over his nose, before leaning back until he sat against Bumblebee's body.
Seeing Spike's behavior had still not changed from the previous days', Bumblebee regarded Wheeljack and Jazz with a troubled glance. A week of this seemed daunting.
"Man…this place looks like sh-!"
"Seth! Watch your language, boy." Claire hissed viciously beside him, pulling Maggie a little closer to her hip.
"Sorry," The red head squinted one eye and sent the mother and child an apologetic glance. "I mean- This place looks like…poo-poo."
Maggie giggled.
"Don't encourage him, Mags," Joseph said from his spot at the front.
The group stood together and took in the sight of Burbank...or at least what was left of it.
There were crumbling and toppled buildings, crushed cars, brickwork littering the streets, broken glass, and the trash, can not forget about the trash. It was everywhere. And almost as if to mock them, there were empty aluminum garbage cans toppled onto their sides rolling across the shattered sidewalk as a breeze passed.
"Everything looks so…broken," Janine commented, bending down and picking up what looked to be a piece of a plastic tire rim. "I wonder if there are any people around here…"
"Doubt it." Claire replied, staring up into the top most floors of the few buildings that remained standing. Their windows were broken, dusty, and dark.
"Somehow I thought this place would be a little more…intact." Seth kicked a rock with his foot and glancing at Joseph he said, "I thought the West Coast was supposed to have withstood the invasion?"
"That's what I thought too," Joseph muttered as he looked around. "Before communications went down, all the networks were saying that the machines first appeared in the East; Maine, Massachusetts, and New York… Everyone was saying to go West, that it was safer," There was a thoughtful pause, "Still, this place seems to have survived better then most of the other cities we've passed through. Some of theses shops look like they were looted, not destroyed. More likely, most of this was done by people, not the Machines."
"You don't think there are any machines here now do you?" Janine asked, her voice wavering slightly into fear. Claire unconsciously tightened her grip on her daughter's small hand.
"No," Joseph replied doubtfully, "But there's only one way to know for sure: Supply run, guys. Janine and I will go look for equipment and batteries, the rest of you go see if you can find any food or water. Well meet back here in an hour."
"Roger, roger," Seth replied, giving a curt salute before tromping off down the road, Maggie and Claire following close behind.
"Seth!" Joseph called. The red haired young man turned, arms spread as if to say what? "The radio."
"Oh-! Right." Seth stripped his pack from his shoulders, forged around for the radio, and tossed it to Claire, who handed it to Joseph.
"Be careful," Janine called after then as the group split; choosing different streets in which to forage for the various things they were in dire need of.
"Be safe!" Claire and Maggie waved back to Joseph and Janine.
"If you find any food don't let Seth eat it all!" Joseph called to them.
"Just try and stop me! Ha ha!" Seth's voice barked mockingly in the open air, growing vaguely faint. "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die fat and happy!"
The light evening breeze was full of sand and particles swept up from afar and carried away. His arms crossed over his chest and he looked around him as the wind pelted him with a light sprinkling of dust. The dirt beneath him brushed lightly against his feet and he walked onward before it could settle and sneak its way into his joints.
Mirage didn't bother concealing himself as he ambled through the Burbank ruins, noting various structures that could yield suitable building materials. Much of the brick work could be gathered and ground up to make cement and the buildings' metal inner frame work and rebar could be melted down and reshaped. As could the various human transport vehicles, or cars as they were called. Where most of his comrades saw a decaying ruin, he saw great potential in the human city.
His musings, however, were cut short as a voice rang through the air, clear, in a sort of laughing tone, "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die fat and happy!"
The voice surprised him just as much as what it said bemused him. And what's more, it was close. Mirage made his way over to the cover of a collapsed structure, activating his mirror coating, and waited. Not but a few minutes later, three small beings came into visual range. One of them was much shorter then the other two, the top of its cranial until not quite reaching the hip of the companion who held its hand.
Humans, Mirage thought to himself, somewhat surprised. With a sparkling—er, child.
One of the older humans, as well as the child, had remarkably dark skin, much darker then Mirage was accustomed to seeing. The other human's hair was a bright red and its flesh was the pale hue he was more familiar with. He curiously noted that the darker adult's abdomen was oddly swollen and it took much more careful steps as it waddled around the debris, holding the child's hands.
Could they be refinery escapees as well? Mirage thought. Out of sheer habit, he checked his comm. channel. All he received was static. He suppressed a sigh, telling himself that it was hardly reasonable to assume Wheeljack had found any time in which to continue with the repairs when considering the events of the week. Nevertheless, he couldn't suppress his annoyance.
He watched the trio walk on through the street, picking their way around the debris, ever watchful of their step. As he observed the two darker colored humans (females, he realized) he noted the extra caution the elder took with the child. Stirring her around large debris and sharp metal while keeping her free hand on her abdomen, almost protectively so.
The male helped the swollen female over the large slab of concrete that had been flung across the street, blocking most of the path and forcing them to climb over. The child clambered onto the slab.
"Careful, baby," The older human female warned as she offered her hand to the child.
"I can do it." The child replied and hoped down off the concrete, wobbling slightly after impact. The child gazed up at the elder female and smiled. "See?"
She returned the smile.
"Good for you sweetie." The older female cheered before turning and called out to the male who had wandered ahead of them. "Seth wait for us, Joseph said to stay together."
"I think I see a Wal-Mart over there!" The red haired human replied, sounding remarkably excited. He then sprinted off down the street, hoping over chunks of concrete with ease, leaving the two females to play 'catch up'. "C'mon girls! Food! Water! Flushable toilets!"
The young child laughed and ran after the human called 'Seth'.
"Food!" She echoed, followed closely by the elder female, who Mirage was beginning to suspect might be the child's maternal procreator.
"Maggie, be careful!" She called after the girl.
When the three humans reached a suitable range ahead of him, Mirage left the cover of the tattered building and followed them, careful to keep a good distance away so as not to be heard.
"Wow. It's been a while since I've seen a RadioShack," Joseph commented as he and Janine walked into the decaying ruins of the store. The large windows had been shattered and there was a check out stand just beyond the entrance, its cash drawer hung out by rusted hinges, its contents long gone.
In the back of his mind, Joseph wondered why anyone would bother with stealing cash when there were much more useful things to be horded then greenbacks; Food, water, blankets, and medicine to name a few. Perhaps it was simple human greed; maybe the person or persons believed there would be an economy left after the end of the world. They certainly didn't expect to be able to bribe the machines did they?
Most of the walls that once held electronic merchandise were reduced to shabby remnants. Packages of cables and strange little do-dads littered the floor, everything coated with dust and spider webs. At first glance, he worried if any batteries the store once contained had been taken during the looting, but much to his relief he found a large pack of rechargeables hidden under a display stand. Brushing off the dust, he grinned at package. Not only were they the right size for their radio, they were rechargeable! He ignored the small truth that they had no way of recharging them once they were drained and allowed himself at least a small little victory.
Behind him, Janine rummaged through the packages of wires and electronic devices.
"Should we take some of these wires?" She asked. "They may come in handy."
"Depends; what type are they and what could we use them for?" Joseph asked, "If we're taking on extra baggage we should at least have a plan for it."
"Well, we could add them to our first aid kit," She replied. "We don't have anything we could use as a tourniquet."
Joseph paused to send her a pointed look.
"Are we planning on running into anyone with a gun?"
She wasn't amused. "You can use a tourniquet on more things then gun shot wounds. What if someone cut their toe on glass or something? You can sever an artery in your toe and bleed to death, y'know."
"Really? How do you know?"
"I dropped a glass on my foot when I was 12 and severed an artery in my big toe," She replied, "Got rushed to the hospital and they gave me three stitches. I still have a scar"
Joseph juggled his bags and the batteries, trying to change the ones in the dead radio.
"Oh…okay, but find ones that aren't too stiff."
Janine dropped the package of wires she held, deciding instantly they were too stiff. She headed towards the back of the store, looking under displays and such to find any hidden gems that may have escaped the looters. Under one case that might have once held the newest brands of cell phones, she found a small plastic parcel. Reaching into the dust fill cavity, Janine pulled the object out. Whipping of the coating of dust, she smiled in satisfaction as the thin, malleable rubber tubes behind the plastic casing.
Joseph grunted as he nearly dropped the radio, the back casing in between his teeth, and his bags slipping alarmingly down his shoulder. He lifted one foot in an attempt to keep them up, while his one free hand struggled to exchange the batteries. Janine stared at the older man and snickered at him.
"Here," she said amiably as she walked over to him, setting the rubber tubes down atop the cashier counter, and mercifully taking his bags from him.
"Thanks," Joseph said, removing the radio backing from his mouth. Pushing the new batteries into the chamber with a snap, Joseph placed the backing into its rightful place and turned the radio over.
"And then God said, let there be sound!" Joseph declared, reaching for the radio's dial.
"You mean, 'let there be light'…" Janine said inanely.
"I means what I says…" Joseph replied, quoting a character from a long forgotten book, and turned on the radio with a soft click.
A high pitched screech laced with static screamed from the radio's single speaker. Both humans jumped at the noise before turning their eyes, filled with alarm, onto each other.
They blanched.
"They're here…" Janine breathed.
"We gotta find Seth and Claire." Joseph said hastily and the shot out the door.
"Maggie, stay close to me," Claire called out to the young girl as she darted down an aisle towards the back of the abandoned Wal-Mart, "We don't want you to get lost in here."
"I was gonna look for a hat," Maggie protested, looking back towards her mother, "For the baby."
Claire suppressed a grin, keeping her face stern as she said, "No honey. We'll look for a hat after we find some food, okay?"
"Ooookaaaaaay…" Maggie conceded unhappily as she ambled back to her mother as a lagging pace. Claire took her daughter's hand in her and they walked down the way Seth had traveled.
The inside of the Wal-Mart was dark; the only light coming in was from the holes in the ceiling where the vents had collapsed inwards, taking a suitable amount of roofing with it. Farther towards the back of the building however was a gaping hole where the wall had appeared to have collapsed.
There was a faint, unpleasant smell of rotting meat and other perishable items and it grew stronger the farther they walked. Maggie pulled her dirty shirt over her nose, "It's stinky in here."
Claire pinched her own nose in an attempt from having to smell it, and looked around, "Yeah it is. Maybe we can find some air fresheners."
"We'd need a gazillion to make it not stink," Maggie replied. Claire laughed.
"Really? That many, huh?" She asked in pretend astonishment.
"Uh-huh," Maggie nodded.
"Hey girls! Over here!" Seth's voice called out to them from a few aisles down, echoing slightly in the large space. "I found the canned stuff!"
Both girls gazed ahead of them towards their companion's voice. Claire squeezed her daughter's hand and said, "C'mon, sweetie."
As they made their way down the aisle, they heard a sharp crack and Seth cry out in surprise just before a jarring, near deafening crash split the air, rattling the floor beneath them. Claire felt a shot of something run through her and she gasped, hurrying forward, pulling the little girl behind her. "Seth!"
When they reached the aisle, they saw that the large shelves that made up the aisle had toppled over. Seth was no where to be seen,
"Seth! Seth!" Claire called and felt her heart hammering in her throat. "Are you alright?"
There was a faint groan from under the shelves, some shuffling, then, "I…*cough* over here, Claire. Under it…*cough*. Ah shit…fuck."
Claire ignored the cussing; deciding if there was any proper time and place to curse this qualified. She pushed Maggie back a few steps, "Stay there, honey." She walked over to the fallen Shelf and slowly lowered herself to the floor. Bending as much as her extended stomach would allow, she gazed under it through the small gap. She barely made out a shadow farther in.
"Seth, are you OK? Are you hurt?" She asked worriedly.
"My leg," Seth moaned, sounding as though he were in great pain. "It hurts….I—I think I'm pinned, Claire. Agh….uh….shit…"
Claire tried to suppress the growing panic. "I…uh…oh god, I dunno what to do!"
"Find something to get this off of me…like a lever or something, a crow bar…" Seth answered and groaned. "Or go get Joseph and Janine!"
Claire stammered and rose to her feet. "Oh, OK…yeah, I can do that. Maggie," she turned to her daughter who stood a few feet away watching the seen with frightened eyes, "Stay here with Seth, OK? I'm gonna go get the others, OK? Can you do that for me, Baby?"
"Uh-huh," Maggie nodded, but it was clear from her eyes she was scared. Claire gave her child a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before rising completely to her feet and hurrying as fast as she could out the entrance.
Maggie watched her Mother leave before turning to the cave like structure that had been created between the floor and shelves. Lowering to her knees, Maggie peered inside and saw the shadowy blob that was Seth.
"Seth?" She called, voice scratchy and fearful, "You're gonna be okay, OK? Mommy's getting Joey and Janine, OK?"
The blob shifted slightly and Seth's voice, stiff with reserved discomfort, replied, "OK, kiddo. Just stay with me. You gotta protect me till she gets back, OK?"
Seth seemed to be saying those things more for Maggie's sake then his own.
"OK." Maggie replied and gulped nervously as she waited for her mother to return.
Through the large gapping hole in the back of the human fuel distribution center, Mirage watched the shelf topple over onto the thin red haired human called 'Seth'. Mirage struggled to keep himself hidden instead of rushing to the trapped human's aid. The two females rushed to him, but it was obvious they could do nothing for their companion. The elder female toddled back to the entrance, presumably to fetch the others. The young female remained behind was seemed to be telling the trapped male comforting convictions. He listened to their soft voices as they spoke to each other.
"Does it hurt bad?" The little one asked, voice shaking oddly.
"Not too bad," Came the muffled reply, "Not as bad as a shot. Those hurt."
The little female laughed, though there didn't seemed to be much substance to it. "Yeah, shots hurt a lot. Mommy's gonna be back soon OK? Joey will rescue you and then we can eat."
Seth's voice replied, stiff with pain, "That's great, Maggie. We're gonna have to do something special for you, for being such a brave girl huh?"
"…Uh-huh…" Mirage then heard a strange strangled sort of chocking noise; it sent a sharp pain through his spark to hear it. It was the sound of a crying child. The young female had broken into sobs and every little whimper sent agonizing regret through him. He remembered still, how wrenching it was to have witnessed the moment Spike realized his parents were dead. Even though the little girl's cries were not as saturated with grief, the mere act brought the memory to surface and Mirage could not help but feel horrible.
He'd been through war, death, destruction, and so much more. And yet the one thing that seemed to strike him hardest was the mournful sobs of immature organic bipeds. Primus had a strange sense of humor.
"Don't cry Maggie," Seth's voice called out in an attempt to sooth the child, "I'm OK. It's gonna be alright, you hear me?"
"I'm scared…"
That was it. He couldn't sit back and do nothing. Mirage got to his feet; his mirror coating still activated, and he carefully slid through the hole in the wall. Once inside, he straightened himself and began carefully walking through the building, making his way towards the humans. When he was barely 4 meters away, his foot knocked against a display and it toppled over. The little human girl jerked up from where she was sitting on the floor to gaze up, startled, at open air. Mirage stared at the child and carefully lowered himself to one knee, and lowered his mirror shield. He reappeared into the visual world and he watched as the girl's eyes widened in terror.
She screamed, the high pitch causing Mirage to wince.
"Maggie!" Seth's voice called out urgently, "Maggie? What wrong?"
The little girl scrambled away gracelessly, but Mirage reached out and gingerly picked her up, fingers deftly cupping her small form. She began to cry. Whether because the male had seen him or just had a lucky guess, the shelf pinning Seth began to rattle as the human underneath thrashed, desperately trying to free himself and presumably come to the child's aid. His voice, furious, cried out, "Leave her alone you son of a bitch!"
Mirage ignored the angry yells and looked to the child shivering and crying in his cupped hands. He smiled at her. "Don't be frightened little one, I'm mean you no harm."
She didn't seem convinced, but he defiantly had her attention any case. "I'm only trying to help."
Seth's voice barked at him, "You bastard! She's only a kid! Let her go! I'll kill you if you hurt her!"
Mirage turned to frown at the toppled shelf. "I do not intend to harm either of you. If you'll calm down I will gladly help, but if you insist on thrashing and cursing (in front of a child I might ad, which as I understand is highly discouraged) then you will remained under there."
To demonstrate his explanation of his intent, he lowered the child to the floor and she hoped off, scrambling away to stand near the shelf her large expressive eyes gawking at him. Her small cheeks were moist with tears and her breathing hitched with choked sobs.
"Maggie! Are you OK?" Seth's asked, his voice having not lost any of the desperation. "Are you hurt?"
"No…I'm OK…" 'Maggie' replied meekly.
Mirage smiled at the child. "Will you help me free your friend?" He asked. After a moment, the little girl gave a small, hesitant, nod. "Alright then, Maggie wasn't it?"
Another nod.
Mirage shifted and rose to his feet, taking a step forward before bending down. He grabbed onto the shelf and looked at Maggie who seemed to be gapping at him, more out of awe then fear he was pleased to note. "Alright, when I lift the shelf, I need you to make sure nothing falls, OK?"
Maggie nodded. "Uh-huh."
"Good girl," He said. Tightening his grip, he lifted the shelf. It was heavier then he thought it would be and a worried notion of the trapped human's injuries went through his mind. Maggie peered into the gap. "N-nothing's falling."
"Alright," Mirage said and lifted the shelf, carefully watching for bends in the metal incase the strain caused it to snap and potentially crush the trapped human below. With one final push the shelf was tossed away. Mirage looked back to see the human Seth laying on the floor, small aluminum cans scattered all around him. His forehead was bleeding and his leg bent awkwardly. Mirage mentally cringed at the sight of the fracture.
Maggie was already by Seth's side, crying at the state of her friend. Seth's eyes caught onto the Mech and he grabbed onto Maggie, pulling her close, even in his sorry state trying to scramble away. "Stay away from us!"
Mirage frowned. "I told you, I'm not here to hurt you."
Seth glared at him, "If that's true then you can just turn and go! We don't need your help!"
Mirage glanced idly at the broken appendage and sent the young man an incredulous look. "I bed to differ. You have sustained a debilitating injury along with possible cranial damage. I know someone who could possibly help repair—"
"Like hell! So you can lead us to your friends and then kill us?"
Mirage's frown turned angry. "We aren't here to kill you. We are not Decepticons. "
Seth's angry glare faltered as he attempted to process the unfamiliar word. "Decepti-whats?"
"Decepticons," Mirage repeated firmly. "They are the ones who have been ravaging your cities. My comrades and I have been trying to stop them, but while we outnumber them by a good few, they are better…equipped for combat and much more experienced. Most of our forces consist of scientists and engineers. Our strike force is nothing compared to their's."
"Why should we believe any of that?" Seth asked, still clutching Maggie close to him.
"Because it is the truth," Mirage replied simply, "If you choose not to believe it as such, that is your choice. I cannot force you to accept my aid, but you and your companions are welcome to it. "
Seth's eyes narrowed. "What can—"
Before Seth could finish his sentence, Mirage cried out, more in surprise then pain, as something hit him in the back in between the armor of his shoulder and forearm. His hand reached around to grope the area. He turned around to see another human male, pointing a shotgun at him. Behind him, taking refuge behind a counter were the two other females.
"Get away from them!" He ordered, voice demanding and intimidating despite coming from such a small being.
"You're companion has sustained a fracture of his internal body's structural supports," Mirage replied with a wince. He resisted the urge to sigh when he saw the dumbfounded expression of the elder male's face.
"His leg has been broken," Mirage translated.
From below and behind him, the injured human snarled, "No shit Sherlock!"
The human jerked as Mirage peered down at him with an unamused frown. "You should no use such language in the presence of younglings."
"I said get away!"
Mirage turned to stare at the man with the gun and opened his mouth to reply when Maggie suddenly ran out in font of him.
"Maggie move!" The male roared.
"Maggie!" The child's mother cried, motioning for the girl to come to her.
"No!" She said, pressing her back against Mirage's leg and spreading her arms out as if to shield him. "He's a good robot! He helped Seth!"
The other male lowered the gun a little to peer over at the other male. "Seth?"
"Uh…kinda," Seth replied not sounding convinced that Mirage could be trusted, "He says he's not one of the bad robots."
"The ones who mean your people harm are called 'Decepticons'," Mirage added in. The elder male jumped when he spoke and re-aimed his gun at Mirage.
"And what would that make you?" He asked incredulously.
"I am an Autobot," He replied, pointing to the red faced insignia on his chest. "My name is Mirage."
The human stared at the red symbol, the anger and fear in his eyes faltering for a moment. Something crossed the man's face, but was undecipherable.
"He said he wants to help," Maggie said. "He knows people who can help Seth, 'cause he got hurt."
"Maggie get over here!" The male barked. Mirage looked down at the little girl and, ever so gently, nudged her forward with his foot. She started at the small push, looking back up at him. Mirage smiled and nodded down at her and the girl reluctantly made her way towards her eager mother who took the child tightly in her arms.
Mirage turned his attention back to the armed male.
"We don't want any trouble," The male said, his voice tight. He sounded stern and unafraid, but Mirage could see it in his eyes. He was terrified. There was an almost unnoticeable tremor in his hands and his feet shifted ever so slightly in a sort of nervous twitch. "We'll just get our stuff and leave. We don't want any trouble."
Mirage couldn't keep himself from frowning in disappointment. He didn't want them to go. They needed help. The small group looked dirty, tired, fragile, and barley hanging on. The two adult females cowered behind a counter, hugging the smaller human between them protectively while one of the males had a seriously impairing injury. If he just let them leave, they would easily be picked off by the Decepticons. How they had survived this long seemed to be a small miracle. Red Alert seemed to have been right when he said that no human here would ever accept their help. But Mirage was determined to prove him wrong. These people needed help, whether they knew it or not. Whether they wanted it or not.
Mirage looked around him and down at the injured man, who gazed back up at the Mech with a myriad of emotion ranging from contempt to fear, all seeping through the layers of pain caused by his injury. He knew a little about human physiology from Wheeljack and Bumblebee who had scoured the internet for information to help them care for Spike while Mirage had drabbled in the gathered data out of mere curiosity. Diving into his memory banks, he scoured the stored information and found what he wanted. Turning around fully, Mirage bent down and gently scooped the human up, much to the little creature's fright.
Seth yelled and slammed his fists against his hand in protest while the other human's cries and yells coming in a background noise, leaping back and cringing. Mirage adjusted himself and sat cross-legged on the floor. He cradled Seth him his hands, very careful of the injury. He looked towards the other male and saw he had put down his shot gun and was hold his hands up.
"Please," He said, outright fear commandeering his voice, "Don't hurt him, he's just a kid. He's done nothing wrong…."
Mirage ignored his concern and looked over at the females.
"Go find some wood or metal," He told them, "We need to split his leg."
The humans all seemed to stop breathing at the same time, air catching in their throats; their faces froze in a strange expression, completely flabbergasted. Even Seth seemed taken aback and he stopped beating his hands against Mirage's.
The Mech couldn't help but smile.
"There should be plenty of cloth to secure the split," Mirage added. He eyed them expectantly, "Well?"
Maggie was the first to recover, bounding out of her mother's arms, crying a cheerful, "OK!" and running into the store to find something to use as a splint. Her mother and the other paler colored female both staggered to their feet and rushed off after the child. The older male stood where he was, his shock still lingering.
He and Mirage looked at each other for a long moment, staring each other down. "You should find something for him to bite down on," Mirage advised, "This will likely be very painful without any sedative to numb him."
He snapped out of his daze and nodded. "…Right," he said and ran off to find something.