Chapter Eleven: Pain and Healing

A/N short in my opinion is 25-35 chapters give or take. Medium is anywhere between 40-50 and long is 60-100, anything above that is DEAR HOLY GOD HOW AM I GOING TO FINISH THIS BY THE TIME I FALL ASLEEP! lol. So for this story I'm planing it to be in the short category, hoping it will be medium, wishing it was long and dreaming it will be in 'dear holy god'. That's how my Snake Eyes story was and it eded up at what 66 ch? with a partial sequel(s). So keep your fingers crossed and keep reviewing because honestly hearing that you guys like this (especially if you're an author yourself and I like your stories) it makes me want to write more. Oh and BTW when I finish this guess what Bot will be next. OP, Jazz, Barricade, Ratchet, Bee any others that have been mentioned so far. Actually there's a poll in my profile. Vote there. ALSO COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW IF SAM/MIKAELA SHOULD BREAK UP NEXT CH OR THE ONE AFTER.

With no amusement at all October didn't need to think about where she was. The pain in her arm was more than enough to give away that this morning hadn't been a dream. Sitting up gave her slight head rush and she saw spots for a minute before it calmed down and she was good again. A small table, new addition since she was here last, was sitting a few feet from the bed with a bottle of water and a roll on it. As much as she wished to answer her gurgling stomach and drown her burning throat she didn't try to get the items.

Ratchet had been unnoticed before but as soon as he spoke up October figured she should have known. "Your body is crying for the refueling on the table why do you not get it?" he got off of the recharging berth he had been resting on and walked over to her shelving unit. Once there he pushed the rolling tray table to her bed and she gratefully took the water and nearly downed it.

"Because," she finally said as she set down the empty water bottle, "I knew the moment I stood I'd either pass back out, or throw up. More than likely I would have vomited." She began to eat the roll. it was a plain roll, no butter or anything.

Ratchet was silent as he looked up the new terminology she had given him. His optics had slightly dimmed before brightening back up and he looked at her like she had grown a second head. Why would humans ever have the need to expel their refueling necessities? What did it come back as considering they bit and chewed their fuels?

October ate in peaceful silence and she watched Ratchet as he turned to go to a desk. He looked back at her a few times as she nibbled at the roll before he figured she was going to stay put. As dizzy and lightheaded as she was she still risked hoping that stupid gate and going slowly and quietly down the stairs. Arriving at the human sized door she tried the handle only to grimace when it turned out to be locked. Angrily she tugged at it and nearly slammed it into her face.

Her brown orbs were wide in shock and her heart had skipped a beat. Trying to figure it she had to only just glance at the duct tape over the inside part to know what happened. Apparently the soldiers were as displeased at being locked in here as she and had made sure the door wouldn't lock. Their robotic medic would never see the tape of think of it considering he was alien in naturre.

Slipping out she kept her pace at a fast walk but not quite a run. Where could she hide and rest but net get caught by Ratchet? A booming sound that nearly gave her a heart attack due to fear the stuck high made her look at a door she was just passing. Ironhide's training room. With her now great fear of being shot that's one place no one would expect to find her. It would also be nice to see the bot that had saved her too.

On shaky legs she entered the room to find Ironhide tampering with the canon. His left finger was whirring as she tightened something on his right mounted canon. She didn't know about the many sensors around the room or she would have spoken up before entering (or rather not entered at all). October walked through an invisible sensor and came nearly face to face with a canon. But of course canons didn't have faces.

Painfully her heart sped up as she looked down the glowing blue barrel of Ironhide's right canon. Nearly immediately upon seeing who it was he turned the safety on his canons on and let them shift into his body. October shook so badly that he didn't say anything but picked her up in one hand and ran a finger of his other down her back. The soothing motion was one used often to calm sparklings down. He had considered calling Ratchet but figured she had sneaked out of his care. Going to the large desk that had an Ironhide sized chair and was cluttered with many weapons he worked on he set her down and sat himself down.

Not knowing what to do with the wide eyed terrified girl he began to work on tinkering with a hand cannon of Ratchets. Just as he removed a plate to get to the many wires inside and fix a loose one October moved. "What-" her voce had cracked so she cleared it and began again, "what are you doing?"

This time her voice didn't break but Ironhide ignored her. He was only being nice to her because he pitied her. That's what he kept telling himself. But he knew it was something else, pity would not make his spark pinch like it had upon hearing the twins' words or nearly explode with anger upon hearing that she was shot by one of their soldiers.

"Scram," he said when he finished tightening the wire he had been searching for. Picking her up he scanned her as he set her onto the floor. Even though he told her to get he figured she may be back sometime and he didn't wish to repeat this accident. Saving her bio signature he set his sensors to recognize her and alert him to it being her.

October was only slightly put off. she had figured that he actually wasn't her friend but upon seeing his canon come back out she smiled. He was probably trying to be considerate and chase her off before he struck fear into her a second time that day. Hiding outside of his door she managed to not flinch any more after his third shot. Others shooting might be a different story; but she was no longer afraid of him having a canon.

Him nearly shooting her earlier had put a seed of fear into her but after now it was gone. Maybe she wouldn't have a problem with the bots having weapons. Though she was positive she would flinch for a while to come at any human guns. She had no fear of Ironhide shooting her, after all he had a perfect chance to before and had managed to keep the blast from firing.

Weariness took over her and she entered the main hanger to find Mikaela and Sam talking in slightly hushed voices. The second Mikaela saw her she rushed over bringing October into a bone crushing hug. "Let's get you home, you poor thing."