Updated - 18~09~2020

Still Alive

Cybertron, Pan Pacific, 21st Crystalinian 3227, Iacon

All my systems were flashing warning messages. I was in front of a huge lifeless corp, completely disoriented. I couldn't locate myself, so I just tried to move around. I could see the city not far away, so I concluded that I was somewhere over the Miracle Mile. I tried to call the Pan Pacific, but the comm. systems were not working.

Since the white suit was literally screwed into the main system and as I couldn't take it off without help, transforming and driving away was not an option anymore. Not only that, I was still connected to the Jaeger, that meant that without the appropriate shutdown process I could fry my processor too, so I was without option right now. Gipsy was in poor conditions, she was almost deceased, and so was I.

I doubted I could reach the base on my own, but if I wanted to reach it, I would have to work something out. I did have a Jaeger, well, half of it, so if the monster hadn't killed me, nothing could do it now. I knew that piloting a Jaeger alone had setbacks, which, while building it, I didn't have it in mind. I dismissed that thought as I started to drag myself slowly and heavily.

Almost everyone was at the main hangar. Some of them just with sadness written over their face plates, others crying their recent lost. Alpha Trion walked in front of the multitude as he rose his voice.

"Today... 21st Crystaline 3228, we have lost two of the best pilots we ever had, and our newest Jaeger." He silenced. "We may have won this time, but we also lost two of the most brilliant minds, and two heroes." He silenced, maintaining his serenity. "We shall honour them with two breems of silence." Everyone in the base became mute, only could be heard some soft sobs of some workers.

At each step, my muscles burned. And my central neural system was receiving too much information than what I could handle. I fought to maintain it under control. I walked what it was an agonic half jour, almost struggling and trying to keep up. I almost banished twice, but I refused to give up.

When I finally devised the base, it was early in the morning. A hint of relief ran through my body. I was soon in the perimeter of the base. Some vehicons saw me and ran into the base.

"Alpha! Alpha! Alpha!" A vehicon entered in, shouting like there was no tomorrow. Soon Laserbeak followed him. Everyone looked at them, confused and some irritated for ruining the moment. "Alpha!" The vehicon move forwards until he was in front of him. He signalled the entrance trying to vent as the following words came out his vocalizer. "They're... still... Al... Alive... Gipsy... Danger..." He panted as other vehicons that had been outside also corroborated that.

"Gipsy Danger is still online." Soundwave interpreted the information give by his minicon. "She's heading Pan Pacific. She's coming here." He replayed. The vehicon nodded, recovering his sparkbeat.

"Ratchet, bring your material. Get ready to tend the wounded." The leader ordered immediately without losing time. "Shockwave, take a group with you and make sure the way into the hangar is clear." Both scientists went to their respective places. "Everyone, try to get out of the way, less time we spend on taking them out, better it will be." He turned to look at his friend. "Prowl, I need you to bring here the preparation team, we need to take his armour as soon as possible."

"Yes sir." He ran towards the preparation room with some vehicons after him to take the tools they needed to unscrew the suit.

Alpha prayed to Primus with all his spark that both pilots were alive and not too injured.

I was almost in front of the heavy gate we had left four jours before. I could see it was opening. They might have seen me coming. Since the damage on the frame and the battle lasting, Gipsy Danger was running out of fuel, what meant that soon, we were gonna fall to the ground, and if everything went well, it would power down all the systems, relishing me free from the neural connection we had.

I was now stepping into the base. The main hangar was cleared for me, that was good. I could also see few groups ready for my arrival. I started feeling more exhausted, and the left knee failed to support the weight hitting the ground. I managed to put the other knee at the same level and then the only arm I had in the way, so that the fall would not be so risky for people around. With a final pitiful groan, the rest of Gipsy Danger callapsed on the ground. The motion broke the joints of the white suit, letting me free.

I dragged myself out as I could. My helmet was broken too, and energon was running down some plates in my middle frame. I was injured, disoriented and traumatised. My audio receptors were beeping due to the tension and the crash. The light also harmed my optics. I looked everywhere, trying to find my offlined friend. "Breakdown..." I called him, but I didn't obtained a response. "... Breakdown..."

Tiredness and exhaustion finally over took my body and I collapsed to the ground, loosing my consciousness. The last thing I could see was Ratchet's figure trying to tend me and Alpha by my side. Then my world became black.

"I need the suit off, now!" Ratchet hurried the preparation group. "He could suffer a system shutdown and reboot in few breems. I need to keep his vents running to cool him down. If we don't do it asap, it would have worth nothing."

The vehicons worked fast, trying not to move the red mech too much. Once the plates were off, Ratchet cut the black suit, granting him access to the patient itself. The doctor opened the panels and inserted a catheter into the forearm, supplying a cooler. He was running out of time, so he had to hurry up. "Soundwave! I need a ground bridge directly into the med bay."

As soon as those words left his mouth, a green vortex opened. "Prowl, help me to carry him." They moved the patient to a stretcher and they disappeared through the bridge.

In the med bay, Ratchet prepared the surgery table and they put Knockout on it. Prowl waited outside. But there was another mech soon by Ratchet's side. "Pharma, I need you to get out from here. I..."

"Ratchet, I may not be a surgeon myself, but I do have practice with the Terrorcons. I don't think Knockout it's much different." He looked at the patient. "Well... Or maybe yes... But, you will need some help, and I'm the most qualified around here, so let me help to save the life of my friend."

Ratchet nodded. "Very well, but I want you follow my instructions carefully." They both started repairing the red mech wounds. "I hope I can save his mind too... I need him." The old medic murmured.

"We will." The younger mech said passing the welder. "We just need to keep working."

He was in front of the huge window of the Med Bay. He was deep in thoughts. He could have avoided it and he did nothing. He was blaming himself for it. He suddenly felt a servo on his shoulder. He looked aside to see his friend.

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault." The cop tried to cheer him up. "He's still alive." Prowl looked at the red mech, laying in front of them, as Ratchet worked on him.

"He has experienced the lost of his friend from the very inside. And also walked all the way back on his own." Alpha said. "Whenever he comes online, he will not be the same. He had suffered more than what he could handle." He looked at his friend's optics, not showing any emotion, "I should have send back up... I should have never allow him to pilot."

"I also helped on that." Prowl answered back. "But we have seen him rise and shine. He also thought he was being helpful. He was ready to follow our steps. He was determined to make a difference... But he wouldn't have done it without his friend and confident. You should have seen them the first time they piloted Gipsy Danger. They were one entity. If he had never undergo those test, they would have never met, and he would have continue daydreaming about Jaegers. He surely would have felt envious about someone else piloting his creation." The cop silenced a moment. "He did know what was he facing, and even though that, he was glad of doing it."

There was a silence before Prowl talked again.

"We have sent some scouting teams to comb the battleground." He commented quietly. "Maybe theres still a chance that we find Breakdown."

"I highly doubt it." Alpha admitted, lowering his gaze. "But I hope you're right."

The doctor got out from the infirmary and walked towards the other mechs. "Alpha, Prowl... Knockout is stable." Ratchet paused. "He will overcome his wounds. But... We don't know if he will suffer a reboot." The medic was waved down. "The incident had been raw and he has been exposed to radiation. All his systems shut down, he is now in stasis, and we don't know if he will wake up. But I can assure, whenever he does, he will not be the same Knockout we used to know."

"That Knockout offlined with his partner." Pharma concluded silently, behind Ratchet.

Alpha just nodded. They stood in the place, hoping that the little red mech, could make it and recover fully, physical and mentally. But for the moment, the only thing they could do was wait.

A/N

Here ends the first part of Rust Rim!

I cut it here not to feel overwhelmed with the rest of the stories on course, and also because I hate leaving works unfinished. I had to admit that at certain point, due to the lack of inspiration and the many things I had to do, I almost felt like abandoning it, but I refused to give up. It took me longer, but I did it!

As I have explained in previous chapters, there are many more chapters done. But, due to the time that had passed since I wrote them, they will have to undergo several mayor rewriting. While writing this last parts I also found out a new story plot to continue it, which lefts me wonder what to do. Now I need to think how will go next part before making any plan of updating, if I decide to continue it. Let me know in the reviews if you want to.

Regarding characters, except for those who are mine, I think I got them pretty OOC, and I'm not certain if that worked well. It supposed a challenge at certain point and what at the beginning felt like easy turned out hard. I might have to give a thought about it too. I'm also starting to think about Breakdowns fate, as I have two paths to follow now. Let me know in the reviews what think about the story too, or if you liked it or not.

As a writer, I must say this story taught me much, from the beginning to the end, and helped me to develop and somehow learn out from it. I just wanted to mention that.

Last, but not least, Thank you very much for taking your time to read. Also thank you to all of you who had followed and favourited this story.

See you soon on board a Jaeger!