Chapter Eleven

"Would you cut it out? My vision stabilization circuits are on overload!"

Rodimus ignored the complaining medic and kept pacing. Which wasn't very far. Ten paces to the left, turn, then ten paces to the right. After nearly a week of flying in stealth mode with the majority of the systems powered down (both to save energy and escape undesired detection), the Autobot leader was ready to tear out his servos. And while Ratchet was generally an easygoing guy, there was only so much that he could take.

Roddy turned to the last handful of data pads he had left to work on. The stillness was maddening! He had used the opportunity to get caught up on mounds of backlogged paperwork (though Primus knew there would be a fresh pile awaiting him, despite Magnus' best efforts), but he could no longer concentrate. The sense of Optimus' life-force was growing ever-stronger through the Matrix, and the anticipation was becoming unbearable.

The vidscreen was filled with a bright glow, and the two Autobots turned to stare in awe. The three suns of the Verderon system shone dazzlingly. Even to these creatures who have traveled the galaxy countless of times, it was striking. Rodimus paused to enjoy the beauty. His dream had been surreal, but now that he was seeing the galaxy in person, he could appreciate it. Amazing how the Matrix had sent him these images over such a long distance. He wondered again about its mysteries.

His introspection was long-lived, for nervous energy began gnawing at him again as the seventh planet approached. He was so close now… if anything were to go wrong, he wouldn't be able to bear it. He had good reason to be pessimistic, judging by recent events. Ratchet gripped his armrests and growled as Rodimus bounced them through a speedy and rough landing. "Shouldn't we contact the local authorities?"

"No. Best to keep a low profile." After so many conspiracies lately, Rodimus was taking no chances. Besides, judging from the way the inhabitants gawked at him as they made their way into the crowded streets, the Autobot name was not a familiar one in this quadrant. The ruling powers wouldn't know him from a hole in the ground.

"This is what you call a low profile?" the medic griped a short time later as Rodimus plowed ahead, his footfalls clanging loudly. The Autobot leader did not even seem to hear him in his haste to begin the search.

The two robots scanned their surroundings. On the horizon lay a humongous building which seemed to be a hubbub of activity. This seemed to be the most promising place to start. Rodimus tried not to gawk too openly at the passerby. Mingled with the usual spacefaring folk were the native inhabitants, covered in small feathers from head to foot and bobbing with pigeon-like movements. Some were grey and red, others were yellow and green, still others were violet and white. All closely resembled the being from his dream.

"Excuse me," he said politely to one of the pedestrians. "Is that the medical center up ahead?"

The creature's eyes grew huge as it ruffled its feathers. Rodimus looked baffled. He hadn't said anything offensive, had he? The being squawked, and the Autobot cursed inwardly. The Verderon language was unfamiliar to his universal translator (probably had something to do with unusual sentence structure and syntax), and it was strained to its limits.

"Hurthealplace?" it finally squawked.

Roddy sighed in relief. "Yes, is that the hurthealplace?"

"Hurthealplace is there. Bewell stranger."

"Bewell."

"Just great," Ratchet groaned. "As if this mission wasn't complicated enough!"

"I don't know." Rodimus almost felt like smiling. "Their language is almost poetic."

"I don't think I can take much more squawking though!"

Rodimus felt the stress of the past few months fade into the back of his mind as he observed his surroundings. Too often he was preoccupied with saving the galaxy and never had a chance to actually appreciate what he was defending. Each world had its own unique race of beings with their own distinct style and culture. He was so wrapped up in his covert observation of passing Verderons that he almost walked right past the building they had wanted to enter.

"Come on, space case," Ratchet grumbled good-naturedly. "Let's see what we can find out."

They approached the receptionist in the lobby. "Greetings, gentlebeing. I am searching for a missing person. Could you point me in the right direction?"

This time Rodimus was not taken aback by the feather-ruffling. The Verderon made several peeps and coos. "Missperson?" it looked baffled.

"Yes, a missing person." He tried to speak slowly and clearly. Curse the universal translator to slag!

The receptionist mumbled to it(her?)self "Missperson… missper…" Its eyes brightened. "Unknown?"

"Yes, an unknown. Where can we look?"

It shook its head fiercely, and Rodimus inwardly groaned. He should have known. Bureaucracies were pretty much the same throughout the cosmos. "Cannot look. Must stay here. Papers complete."

"Papers? I'll --" Ratchet's restraining hand brought him back to his senses. "Very well. Is there anyone we can meet with afterwards, to discuss the situation?"

"Papers first." Roddy groaned, and the medic forcibly dragged him away.

The two Autobots pored over the provided documents. The usual red tape, worsened by the near-illegible Verderon language. It looked to Rodimus like a bunch of chicken scratch. "You stay here and fill out the forms," he whispered to Ratchet. "I'm going to have a look around."

"No!" the medic snapped. "We are strangers here. Judging from the way that people are staring at us, they've never seen a Transformer before. We'd be rather conspicuous trying to sneak around. Let's try to play by their rules first… as much as it pains me to say it." Roddy cracked a grin. "If that doesn't work out, then I'm all for playing secret agent."

Nearly two hours later, Rodimus was strongly considering striking out on his own. The paperwork had been submitted, and the receptionist had let him know (as best she could) that someone would be over to speak to them… at some point. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the armrest in the waiting room, earning a cross glare from Ratchet.

"That's it!" the young leader snapped, jumping to his feet. "I've had enough of waiting around. I'm going to…"

"Autobots!" a voice exclaimed.

Rodimus peered down. "A human! I had no idea there were humans this far out."

The woman grinned. "I'm a rarity around here, as I'm sure you guys are." She was rather young and pretty by human standards, with rich brown hair and twinkling eyes. She was also dressed in what seemed to be the regulation red hospital scrubs, with a green chevron. The same symbol adorned the entrance to the "hurthealplace", so Rodimus assumed it was some sort of hospital or medical symbol. "I've always wanted to study medicine, but nothing seemed to challenge me. Then I was injured on a deep space assignment and was taken here." She held up her hand, which appeared to be normal at first glance, but with a compositional scan Rodimus could tell that it was a bionic implant. "This place was so different from home, and they really appreciated my skills, so I decided to stay on." She peered at them curiously. "So what brings you guys to this neck of the galaxy? Are any of you injured?"

Ratchet shook his head. "No, we're okay, but we think that one of our friends is being treated here."

"Hm. I definitely haven't seen any Transformers around here. But it's a huge complex, so he could be in another wing. I mainly treat organic beings."

"Look," Rodimus sounded a bit desperate, "we've been waiting for ages. Is there any way you could help speed things along?"

The woman grinned. "I'll see what I can do. I'm Mariel, by the way."

Roddy grinned back. "I'm Rodimus Prime, and this is Ratchet, our medic."

"A Prime? I'm honored! And it's nice to meet a fellow surgeon." Ratchet bowed, and she giggled. "Let me try to get you some visitor passes."

A few minutes later, loud squawking echoed down the hall. Rodimus could not suppress his curiosity – he poked his head around the corner. The human was doing a fair approximation of the Verderon language, complete with shrieks, chirps, and peeps. She seemed to actually know the language and was not relying on a translator. Looking closer, he now noticed that the woman wore an amulet around her throat which probably enhanced her vocal capabilities. Her companion, a large blue-and-grey avian, was bobbing his head. Rodimus could not tell if it was in agreement or just part of their natural movement. The Verderon's scrubs were red with gold striping, so this was clearly someone of considerable importance.

"Awwww-tooooo-baaaaawt?"

The woman nodded vigorously, gesturing with her hands. The Verderon gestured to the receptionist, who grumpily handed over several passes. Rodimus exited the room when it was clear they were headed his way. "SkrEEEbo, newfriend Rodimus Prime. Rodimus Prime, meet, Skreebo, chief medical officer." Skreebo bowed his head and scraped his right foot across the floor. After a questioning gaze at Mariel, Rodimus echoed Skreebo's movements. Apparently satisfied, Skreebo handed the two their visitor passes. Rodimus discreetly applied a magnetic coating to the back and stuck it to his chassis.

Mariel gestured the pair to follow her and Skreebo. "We don't think your friend is in this particular wing. We'll take you to the inorganic trauma unit. Normally Skreebo doesn't handle this sort of thing, but he's curious about you. He loves meeting new species."

Skreebo opened his beaklike mouth in what Rodimus hoped was a smile. "Welcome newfriend Awwwwtooobaaaawt. Find hurt unknown."

"Um… thanks." Mariel began chatting with Ratchet as Rodimus walked with the avian CMO. "You must treat a lot of patients here."

Skreebo bobbed his head. "Many hurt. We heal. Healhurtplace here longtime."

Mariel guided them to a set of tubes at the far end of the corridor. Skreebo turned to follow but was halted by a beeping sound, followed by the muted thunder of running feet. "Urgent hurthelp needed. Bewell newfriend Awwwwtoooobaaawt."

"Pleasure to meet you too. Bewell newfriend Skreebo." Skreebo fluttered a wing in farewell as he hastened down the hall.

"In here." Mariel stepped into a capsule. It was not very unlike the transportation system on Cybertron. Fortunately, the Verderons were used to dealing with beings of all sizes, for there was an elevated platform for smaller humanoids to stand and avoid the tramplings of larger beings. As it was, Rodimus and Ratchet had to stoop. They gripped the handles as the capsule door slid closed. The contraption moved at a very fast rate, but the inertial dampers were excellent, and the trio barely had the sensation of movement.

After a few minutes, the capsule opened. Mariel hopped down but nearly lost her balance. "Are you all right?" Ratchet asked. Rodimus smiled at his companion's concern. Despite the medic's gruff exterior, he had a tender heart.

The human smiled weakly. "I'm a bit dizzy," she confessed. "I've been on my feet all day, plus it's not easy keeping up with you guys."

"I'm sure a snack wouldn't be amiss either," Ratchet chided gently. "Is there any place to get some food?"

"Just up ahead. I don't think they'll have Energon, but they may have some other fuel source that you can convert. Let me inquire about your friend first, then we can make a detour." She paused briefly to exchanges coos and chirps with another doctor. "Good news, guys. She thinks she's seen a large robot around here somewhere, so we're on the right track."

"With your permission, ma'am." Ratchet held out his hand. Mariel climbed up nimbly and he gently perched her on his shoulder. "Coming, fearless leader?"

Rodimus shook his head. "Nah, I'll wait here. The view is spectacular." He gestured to the bay window, which looked out on a magnificent vista, complete with three suns shining in the sky. The sense of urgency had subsided, and he suddenly found himself wanting to enjoy the moment alone. Ratchet gave a mock salute and strode off with his human companion.

Rodimus stepped over to the window and peered out. There was the usual hustle and bustle of activity, but he somehow found the view calming. He was far away from home, far away from responsibility. All they had to do was find Optimus and bring him back. It seemed simple enough. He shook his head reprovingly. He should have enjoyed the trip here, but he had been so jumpy he didn't know what to think. Conspiracies around every corner had made him paranoid. Now that he knew that Optimus was relatively safe, it was a load off his shoulder struts. Maybe he could finally relax. Sheesh, and he said Magnus was the one that was too uptight!

A blur moved in the corner of his optic. Instinctively, he cocked his head. It was red… and white… and blue. Light glinted off of a shiny surface. His fuel pump stuttered, then began hammering forcefully. He was moving before he even made a conscious decision, instinctively following the figure. "Hey, wait! Wait up!"

The figure turned, and Roddy's face split with a massive grin. "Optimus!" he yelled joyfully, running up to the towering robot.

Optimus shook his head. "I'll be with you in just a minute, sir. Please wait in the triage center and I'll get to you just as soon as I can."

Rodimus grabbed his arm and spun his friend around. "We've been looking all over for you. Thank Primus you're all right!"

The robot gave him a politely confused look. "I'm sorry… do I know you?"