Youngling Checkup
Dream
"I TRIED THAT, YOU IDIOT! IT WON'T FIT!"
"DON'T TALK TO ME THAT WAY!"
I push the rough blanket off me and look down before climbing out of my little bed. I toddle down the hall sleepily and into the living room. The big square trash can is standing in the middle of the floor, and my old Mama's holding a big trash bag.
Aaron looks down at me. "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" I run over had hide behind Stacy's legs. He glares down at me.
I peek out. "Okay?"
He grabs my arm and pulls me to him before twisting. I scream in pain. "I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM! YOU DIDN'T LISTEN…YOU GET BEAT!" He yells in my face, causing me to flinch. It's all I can do to not cry. He pushes me on the ground.
"S'OP!"
Aaron kicks my tummy, then picks me up and throws me into my room, hard enough to where I hit the wall with my back. I cry until everything goes dark.
Reality
I sit up straight and gasp before looking around. All I see is the same old furniture, my same old butterfly night light, my same old bathroom… My same old, safe, Aaron-free room. "CARRIER!"
I hear quiet but fast footsteps, then see Carrier in the doorway. "Mariposa, what happened?"
"Nigh'mare. Ol' pawents fight. I ask wha' wong. Ol' Daddy f'ow me in'a wall, an' I bwoked awm. I jus' a baby, Cawiew… No wan' him ge' me… Wan' safe."
Carrier runs a hand over my head gently. "We have the same security system here that Red Alert does at the base. No one can hurt you now."
"I safes?"
"Yes, Sweetspark. You are safe." He stands before moving my covers back again, then hugs me before helping me back under the covers. "Try to get back to recharge. I will see you in the morning."
"You too. Love you…"
"I love you too."
Morning, 7:45 am
I sit up and rub my eyes before sliding out of my bed, then start downstairs, carrying my new stuffed ambulance with me. While Flutter and Blankie still mean a lot to me, and I sleep with all of them—and my new blankie too—my Big Brother got it for me.
I stop at the corner and peer out at everyone, eyes wide and excited. Carrier's standing by the sink, while Sire's working by the energon cabinet. Bluestreak's sitting at the table with an almost-empty energon cube.
Carrier turns to him. "Bluestreak, you need to leave for school before you are late."
"I wanted to see how Mari did last night." Bluestreak sighs. "I'm leaving now. Let me know what Ratchet says."
"I will comm you at lunch. Have a good day."
"Have a good day, Blue! Ah'll see ya a' the base after ya ge' ou'. Ah've gotta leave soon, too. Will's go' some new ops recruits ah need ta mee'." After Bluestreak leaves, Sire turns to Carrier. "Anythin' ya need done 'fore ah leave?"
I cover my mouth with my hand to stop from giggling at Sire's accent. "No." Carrier's wings twitch slightly.
"Wan' meh ta ge' Mari up for ya?"
Carrier waves to my hiding place. "I do not believe that is necessary."
I step out slowly, then wave. "Morning, Carrier! Morning, Sire!"
"Mornin', Girly." He pats my head before starting for the door. "Ah've gotta go. Ah'll see ya both a' the base when ya ge' there."
I wave after him as he leaves. "Bye-bye!" Carrier sets a little light blue cube on the table in front of a chair with a new white and pink booster seat. I clamber into the chair before sitting down, then stare at the cube.
"Try not to spill. Wheeljack is working on making larger youngling-safe cups for you."
"Bu' I gotta use the normal ones for now."
"Yes." He smiles down at me. "Try to be quick. You still have to get dressed."
"You late?"
He sighs softly. "I told Optimus I would not be in as early today. He will want to see you once your appointment is finished."
I drink most of my tiny cube before setting it down. "See Aid 'day too?"
"Possibly. If he is working. I do not want you bothering them if he is not in the medical bay."
I finish my cube before giving him an upset look. "But Carrier!"
"I am serious, Mariposa." He steps over to take my empty cube. "First Aid's offer to be your mentor does not give you permission to bother him—not when he is already not feeling well."
I slide off my chair before looking up at him with worried eyes. "Aid sick?"
"Not exactly. He will tell you if he wants you to know." He leads me up the stairs, and shows me how to go back to holoform before helping me out of the sweats from the night before and into an orange short sleeved tutu dress with a butterfly graphic, white tights, and orange Mary Jane shoes. Once I'm dressed, he grabs a dark pink duffle bag with an orange and green butterfly, green straps, "Mariposa", then takes my hand and leads me downstairs.
He transforms in the driveway and activates his holoform before opening the doors to let me in. Once I'm sitting down, he buckles me in.
"Toys?"
"I will turn your music on once we are on the road."
Base
Carrier pulls up to the door and opens his door to let me out. Once I'm out, he transforms, then motions for me to do the same. I quickly shift to my normal form, then reach up for Carrier to pick me up. He sighs, then nods before picking me up and settling me on his hip before walking through the doors and into the medical bay. Ratchet's cleaning off the medical berth while Aid's doing something on the computer across the room.
I wave to them from Carrier's hip, my stuffed ambulance in my other hand. I'd left Flutter and Blankie at home, but made sure I had my ambulance. "Hi, Aid! Hi, Ratchie! I's big now!"
Aid doesn't even seem to notice us. Ratchet turns to us with a glare, only to smile a moment later. "When did she—"
Carrier sets me on the floor—thankfully on my feet—before turning to Ratchet. "Last night, about half an hour before her recharge time. It was too late to have her out."
"I understand." He runs a scanner over me, checks it, nods, then moves to the other side of the room to grab something. "Aid, what happened with—" The Protectobot wordlessly hands it to him. "Thank you." He comes back with a little rubber hammer.
"Ratch… Why Aid no say hi me? Aid sick?"
He sighs heavily. "Not exactly, Mariposa."
I cross my arms and pout at him. "Carrier say that too! I wanna knows!"
He starts checking my reflexes. I remember that step from my kindergarten exam back with my old family. Grammy had taken me, because no one else cared enough. "I am sure you do, Little One, but it is not our place to talk about it." He looks toward Aid before turning back to me. "But I would recommend allowing him to calm down before you try to talk with him. I do not know what happened this morning, but he is in a very bad mood right now. I need you to hold her now, Prowl." Carrier picks me up before sitting where I had been on the berth, and holds my head away from Ratchet for a moment. I feel Ratchet grab my arm, then nothing until Carrier lets my head go. "All done."
"Already do shots? I no feeled…"
"Yes, Little One. You're done for now. I just need to talk with your Carrier now."
I look over to Aid, still smiling. "Hugs work?"
Carrier sighs softly. "Do not bother him, Mariposa."
Ratchet turns to Carrier while I'm still watching Aid. "How did she do with her minerals this morning?"
"She stared at it for a moment, but she handled it well once she started drinking it."
"Good." Ratchet sighs. "I got baseline scans of her processor, and I did not see any serious damage at this time. Just make sure you call me when she has a crash. I will need to keep up with her damage."
"Is she still having trouble with her sensor net?"
"Optical and auditory." Carrier sighs. "However, she has not had a problem yet today."
"I will see about getting her a visor. I hope you know 'Jack has been making toys for her since you all got to Earth."
"I am aware, and I plan to stop and get them on the way to my office."
"Who is watching Mari? I doubt you are going to just let her sit in your office with nothing to do."
"I have an activity bag in my subspace for her, Ratchet, and you said Wheeljack is making toys for her, as well as cups for her energon. Jazz was supposed to keep her with him, but he is in a meeting with human Ops recruits. With Bluestreak in school and First Aid irritable, I do not really have anyone else to watch her."
While Carrier and Ratchet talk, I slip off the berth before padding silently across the medbay to the white medic. "A-Aid? Want hug?" I hold my ambulance in front of me and look up at him sweetly. "Aid? Hug?" I tap his leg lightly, then go back to my cutesy position, forcing my doorwings to hold still. "Aid?"
"WHAT!?" I jump, and try to hold back my tears as my doorwings fall to my back.
First Aid looks down before sighing heavily. "Mari, I—"
"First Aid!"
"I didn't know she'd come over here. I thought—"
Ratchet sighs heavily. "You thought it was me."
I whimper and reach up to the Protectobot. I'd come over to hug him in the first place, and now I need one as much as he seems to. He picks me up quickly, allowing me to lay my head on his chest as I curl into him.
"That does not excuse—" Carrier pauses when he sees me cuddled into Aid's chest, my stuffed ambulance now abandoned on the medbay floor. He simply sighs, and picks it up before handing it to Aid. "She seems to have forgiven you already…"
Aid sighs softly. "I can take her for the day… If you don't mind… I really didn't mean to—"
Ratchet shakes his head. "Staying in the medical bay would not be any better than staying in his office."
"I have had him on light duty since before we arrived on Earth, Ratchet." Carrier turns to Aid and I. "But taking care of my youngling may not be the way you wish to spend your day." Carrier sighs. "Especially if you are not having a good day."
"If I didn't want to watch her, I wouldn't have offered."
Carrier sighs before handing him my duffle bag, then starts for the door. "Do not forget her noon energon, and do not let her have too many sweets. I do not have the time to handle a youngling with a "sugar rush", as the humans have termed it. Mariposa has more than enough energy of her own."
I watch Carrier leave before looking up to Aid. "You needed hugs, right?"
He smiles down at me. "I guess I did. Blades was worse than usual this morning with the Aerialbots." He turns to Ratchet. "Is she able to leave yet?"
"I want to get a visor together for her first. She has trouble with her sensory net because of her condition, and I do not want her to meltdown because she is in pain." He motions toward the door at the back of the medbay. "You may take her into my office until I am finished, and I expect both of you to leave after that. Do not leave her unattended. She has special needs."
"I know." He smiles before setting me down with my ambulance toy. "We had Wheeljack make a few things for her to play with when she got to stay with us."
"Aidie?"
He looks down at me, mildly confused. "Aidie?" I shrug. "What's wrong?"
"Binky pease?"
"Binky?"
Ratchet sighs softly. "She chews on her fingers. If I had caught it before the human psychologist did, I would have been able to tell Prowl it could be the sensors in her hands coming active…"
"Meaning she has medic programing."
"Right." He sighs. "But the psychologist suggested something rubber for her to chew on instead, which I cannot entirely disagree with after hearing Prowl's account of how far she goes—she actually left tooth marks on her holoform, Aid—so he bought a giant version of a pacifier, which is normally used to calm human sparklings, for her to chew on in this form."
I point to the duffle in Aid's hand. "Carrier put in bag, I finks…"
"We'll look as soon as we're in Ratchet's office, all right?"
"Okay…"
True to his word, Aid starts going through my bag the second he sets it on Ratchet's desk. He quickly finds a large blue butterfly binky on a PowerPuff Girls necklace thing, which he puts over my head. "Fanks, Aid…" I slip the binky into my mouth.
"Ratchet's only going to take a few minutes on the visor before we can leave…"
"Gots ambulance. I's 'kay for nows…" I blink up at him. "We goes to you room?"
He nods, still smiling at me. "We've got some toys waiting for you, too."
"Yay!" I bounce a little, trying not to make a lot of noise so I don't bother Ratchet. "An' Jack has cuppies for me, an' Sire send gummies…" I blink up at him. "What else Carrier put in bag?"
"I'll let you go through it once we're in our quarters. Ratchet should have that visor finished soon…"
"Visor? Like Sire's?"
"It'll be like the sunglasses you use in holoform. Jazz's does a lot more than yours will."
"Oh… Ratch has done yet? Wanna pway."
"He'll bring it to us, Little One."
"'Kay…" I look up at him when I remember what Carrier and Ratchet said. "Why you no' feels good?"
He crouches to me. "Who said that?"
"Carrier say you no feels good, an' boff say no' 'xactly when I ask if you sick. Wha's wrong? Is you hurt? You hidey sick?"
He laughs softly. "No, Mari. I'm not hurt, and I'm not sick—or hiding anything. I just didn't want to tell too many people because of the war."
"Tells what?"
The door opens, and Ratchet sticks his head in. "I am ready for her out here."
"Visor?"
"Yep." He boosts me onto the berth before checking how it fits, nods, then hands it to Aid, who slips it into subspace. "Now, you are on light duty, and watching Mari, so do not let me hear of you working outside the medbay."
I spit Binky out and cross my arms before looking up at Ratchet. "Unless I's gets hurt. No wanna come all ways back here ifs falls, an' no wanna makes you comes to me…" I reach up and put Binky back in. I don't like having to take it out every time I need to say something. People need to listen better!
Aid smiles at me. "She has a point, Ratchet…"
"Fine, but only if she gets hurt." He turns to me. "And don't get hurt just so you can watch a medic work either. You are far too young to be in training yet."
"Won't." I look up at Aid and pull binky out before smiling up at him. "Go pway now?"
"We can."
I look up at Ratchet with a begging look. "I haves sucker? I be good, get sucker? Human doc gived sucker when I goods…"
Ratchet sighs, and turns to a cabinet. "All right." He turns back with an energon sucker shaped like a butterfly. "You are lucky I got around to making some yesterday, Youngling. We are not used to having younglings around the medbay."
I take it, but look up to him. "Gotta get used to. I nots going bye-bye any times soon! Aid's gonna teach me when I gets bigger!" I stick my treat in my mouth and reach up to Aid.
Ratchet sends a mild glare to Aid before turning to me. "Not until you are at least thirteen, Little One."
Aid picks me up and starts for the door. "I'll see you later today, Ratchet."
Protectobot Suite
Aid opens their door and steps inside. There's an energon dispenser and a red couch on the back wall, and a hallway with two closed doors.
Aid sets me down on the floor in front of the couch before setting my bag beside me. I look up at him as he walks down the hall, and stand to follow him before changing my mind and sitting back down before putting Binky back in, then dig into my bag. pull out a new taggy blankie—it's yellow, and just my size—a larger piece of fleece, and a pink and white stuffed doggy. "I calls you Pinky…" I turn back to the bag and pull out a tablet-thingy, followed by another—this one with a bag of silver sticks with colors on the ends stucked to it. I find a third one with a stick attached—it's got glittery dark pinks on the end—and an extra button, and push it. It shrinks in my hands, and so does the stick. I make it go normal sized again and set it with the others, then reach back into the bag and pull out one of my games for my Leapster 2. "But Carrier no bring Leapster…"
Aid steps in and crouches to me. "What's wrong?"
"Gots games, but no gots Leapster… Can'ts play games wifout Leapster…" I motion to the tablet-thingys. "Don' know what those is…"
"They're datapads, Mari. It's like a book on Cybertron." He picks up the one with the stick attached. "This one's like a diary…" He pulls up the stick. "See? This is where the stylus goes. You use them to write."
"Like'a pencils?"
"Yep." He looks at the pink end. "I think this one's more like a pen… it'll write pink." He shows me where the button is, then turns it on. "I think your Carrier copied your Diary into here already…"
If I were older, I'd be mad, but it doesn't bother me right now. "Pen glittery!" I look over the plain design. "Finks we find cover? Or makes? No likes plain. That why had Cindy-Ella Diary…"
"I can see if there's anything we can use. If not, we'll get you something so you can do it."
"Fanks, Aid!" I pick up the datapad with all the sticks in the bag, and hand it to him. "What this one?"
"Looks like he made you a coloring book…" He smiles slightly. "Some of these are from Cybertron. Sunstreaker must have helped him…" He shows me the picture. "This one's from our first time on Cybertron."
"It's 'Fensor?" I take the datapad and smile before turning through the pages. True to Aid's words, there's pictures of things I haven't seen before, mixed in with pictures of animals, girls, boys, toys, school supplies, and foods. "These for colors?"
"Yep."
I smile, and lay on my tummy to color the picture of Defensor, my doorwings fluttering and Binky back in my mouth.
I start when I hear the door open, and voices overlapping loudly, and look up to find four new bots. Binky falls out as I scramble back to Aid's feet before reaching up for him to pick me up.
"Aid—" They all stop and stare at me. "I didn't know you had Mari… We would have been a lot quieter coming in…" The big blue bot looks over at me. "She's scared of us?"
Aid picks me up before walking over to the new bots in the doorway. I hide my face in Aid's shoulders. "I think it's just stranger anxiety. Prowl said she's been dealing with it a bit more than a youngling her age. She was really eager to learn about everyone last week…"
The one with the rotors crosses his arms. "Should you really be carrying her? She's six vorns!"
The one with Carrier's colors—and I think his V-mode—turns to him with a sigh. "She's like a sparkling still because of a disability."
The silver one shakes his head, and, I think, answers for Aid. "Not as much as you would think, Streets." He turns to Aid and I. "Right?"
I peek out at them before looking up at the blue bot nervously. "H-hi…"
"Hi, Mari!"
I wince. "Owie… Aid, too louds 'gain…"
"Quiet down, guys. Prowl said she has trouble with her sensory net." He turns to me with a gentle smile. "Is it your optics too, or just audios?" I tilt my head to the side. "Eyes, or just ears?"
"Jus' ears. Eyes 'kay for now. You brovers loud."
"What did you mean again?"
"Ms. Weaver too loud yes'erday at schools. 'Ella 'fusing, an' Ms. Weaver too louds, an' lights too b'ight… I almos' puke on Blue, bu' he gwab twash can really quick… No like cwashin'…"
"I doubt anyone would." The blue one sighs softly and pulls Aid and I closer to him. "Sounds familiar…"
Aid sets me down before moving closer to his brothers. "Spot… Mari's too young to know about the war yet… She already knows too much…"
"I saveded Sire…" I blink up at the new four. "Aid tells me 'bou' you all las' week…but I no' know colors…" I look around with a smile. I've been paying attention to what they said, and I think I know who's who. I point up to the blue bot. "You Spot." I start pointing to the others. "He's Blades, he's Streets—an' means—an' he's G'oove…"*
The five blink at me. "You got that from personalities?"
I nod. "An' watching yous talks 'bou' me… I wrongs?"
"Nope. You got everyone right."
Hot Spot kneels to me. "You saved your Sire?"
I nod. "Siwe die in LA. I has healing fiwe." I hold it up to show him, then put it out. I don't have a lot of energy to waste with it. I don't know if Aid has my gummies and water bottle or not. "So I 'vives him… He' all I hads…" I whimper and reach up to him. "Hold me?"
He pulls me close before standing. "Did you give her the things we had Wheeljack make yet?"
Aid shakes his head. "I was waiting until you all got back from the rec room."
"It might help distract her. Groove…" I watch the silver bot run down the hall.
I turn back to Aid as he sits on the couch. I'm starting to get upset now. Aid still hasn't answered me. "Why you cwabby today, why Carrier an' Ratch say no' 'xactly, why you say you no' hurt or hidey sick, an' why Blades no wan' you carry me?"
He glances up to his brothers before looking back to me with a soft sigh. "Set her here, Spot."
He sets me beside Aid, who quickly pulls me into his lap. "I'll get her things picked up before someone breaks something. I know how hard Prowl had to have worked to get these for her."
Aid turns to me and runs a hand over my head gently. "I'm sparked, Little One." I tilt my head to the side. "I'm going to be a Carrier in a few months."
"You have sparkling?"
Aid runs a hand over his stomach plating. "I will, in a couple months."
I shift to my knees and turn to where I can lay my hands on his plating. "Sparkling in here?"
"Yep."
I tap lightly on his plating, but don't get any reply. "Hears me?"
"Yes, it does, but it's still too small for you to hear it yet."
"I cans hear it later?"
"You can, in a few weeks. It'll kick hard enough to hit my armor."
Blades clears his throat loudly, causing me to turn to him so fast I almost fall off Aid's lap. The only thing keeping from falling is Spot grabbing me. "Oh! Hi G'oove! Wha' you gots?"
"Toys."
"Toys?" I clamber off Aid's lap quickly, but carefully. I don't want to hurt the baby. "Toys for who's? I's the only younglin' here nows!"
Hot Spot taps me on the nose, causing me to giggle. "For you, of course. The sparkling won't be old enough to play for a few months after she's here."
"She? He has baby girl?"
"It's too early to know." I turn to Aid. "They're trying to guess. Spot and Street think it's a femme, Groove doesn't really care, and Blades thinks it's a mech." Aid stands and turns to get a cube, only to be gently nudged back onto the couch. "I'm with Groove. I don't care either way, so long as it's healthy."
"Why you crabby this morning? What Blades do?"
Aid sighs heavily. "He got into a fight with Slingshot."
"Fight?"
Hot Spot crouches to me. "Literally, punching and kicking, in the middle of the hallway. I'm surprised your Carrier hasn't asked me for a disciplinary report yet."
Blades crosses his arms. "Slingshot started it."
"Cut it out, Blades!"
Spot sighs as he looks between Blades and Aid before turning back to me. "Why don't you just look at these, and let Aid cool off?" He turns to Blades. "Go find Prowl, and tell him what happened—and don't stop and complain to Silverbolt. He knows what his brothers are like." He turns back to me as Groove sets the toys on the couch, and Streetwise sets my duffle bag on the floor beside the couch so no one can step on it and break anything. "Go ahead and look at them if you want to. You don't have to wait for the others."
I dig through the little packages on the couch. There's a metal and pink doctor kit—I assume from Aid; silver and pink skates with white wheels, a white and pink jump rope, a light pink bot-sized Camaro RC car, and a bot-sized pink digital camera.
Aid turns to me. "Blades came up with that one. The car's from Street and the jump rope's from Groove. Spot asked for the skates." He staggers to his feet and starts back to their room. His brothers try to get him to sit back down and just tell them what he's looking for, but Aid keeps going with a huff. "I can walk. For Primus' sake, I'm just carrying. I'm not broken."
"We're just trying to help…"
Aid sighs softly. "I know…But Ratchet hasn't even put me on leave yet. I can still take care of myself, and Ratchet doesn't want me on berth rest unless something happens."
"What do you need?"
"I'm looking for the batteries Wheeljack gave us to go with the car. I'm not sure what we did with them…"
"I'll find them. You need to stay with Mari. Prowl's counting on you."
Home, Bedtime
I climb into bed in holoform, wearing red butterfly pajamas. I can't believe what all I got today, between Carrier, Optimus, and the Protectobots. I have my new visor sitting on my dresser next to the crystal Carrier gave me, and my new toys—save my four datapads—my coloring book, two storybooks with Cybertronian stories, and the Disney one—sitting in the corner, or sticking out of my bag. The datapads are sitting beside the desk, and my diary is human-sized and sitting on my desk.
Carrier had gotten a lot of new toys from Wheeljack—even a Cybertronian dolly, which I named Rosebud, and even a new game system that works with my Leapster game cards, as well as some new stim toys based off the ones for my holoform.
"Ya ready ta 'charge?"
I nod, and yawn before rubbing my eyes. "Yeah…" I lay down, and let Sire cover me before sticking Binky into my mouth. "Nigh' nigh', Sire."
"Nigh', Girly. Sleep well. Ah'll see ya in the mornin'."
* I do not actually believe Streetwise is mean. As a matter of fact, I really like the Protectobots. Streets was pointing out that she still has a lot of babyish traits because of her disability. What he said could be taken as mean to a child, especially one who is still in the process of accepting that she's different, in this case, mentally disabled, and no six-year-old—disabled or not—wants to be told they are a baby.
