Meeting in the night
Andrea Mataui was seated in her chair with Red Alert standing opposite her when Rodimus Prime marched into the room. "Do you know why I have summoned you to this meeting?" he asked almost before he had entered.
Andrea swiveled the chair so she was facing him. "You want to discuss the problem with Duo."
"Correct. We will have to find out what we are going to do with him because this can't go on, he's suffering more than necessary regarding the current circumstances."
She nodded in agreement. "You're right." She rose to her feet. "We will have to come up with something that can benefit both parties since his services are desperately required."
"Can any of you please tell me what that has to do with me?" Red Alert looked from one to the other.
"I would appreciate that as well," Andrea agreed.
"Yes, I don't want to startle you, Red Alert, but I think Duo is planning something involving you," Rodimus explained.
"Me? Why would he want to do that?"
Rodimus started pacing back and forth. "Duo has been mighty depressed lately, even worse than before. It was when you returned he became this depressed. He has seen and heard so much of your bravery and accomplishments that he felt completely useless and swiveled down into a deeper state of depression than ever before."
"He is worse than I have ever seen Gears," Andrea agreed.
"Yes and we have to put and end to this as soon as possible. We cannot have an Autobot who is as depressed as that around. He may be a threat to himself and to others. That's where you come in," he told Red Alert. "I believe the youngster is planning on suicide and I believe you are somehow involved in his plans."
"Me?"
"We all know how easily startled you are and what methods you turn to when you are. It would have looked like an accident."
"Holy." Andrea stopped right there. "So, it has come to that." She looked up at Red Alert. "I don't think he would ever get his friends into trouble."
"Still there is no way we can stop him from using Red Alert in his plans."
"It's a terrible thing to be used like that."
It wasn't meant as a joke or supposed to be funny at all, but Andrea fell down onto the chair and swiveled it around so she had her back on the two Autobots as she tried to restrain her laughter. It had sounded so pathetic when Red Alert had said that. "So." she said when she had managed to control herself and turned the chair to face the others. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Why not follow your plan? That way he can at least have some control.
"Yes, why not. We will connect the two personalities so he can have full knowledge of what the other is doing and that way we hope to rid him of all the fear inside of him," she explained to Red Alert.
"Sounds awfully simple, are you sure it will work?"
"We hope so because that is just about what we have come up with so far. That we have the time to accomplish now when all are working so hard to rebuild our homeland."
***
Optimus noticed the light emanating from the computer room, where he usually found Andrea and entered the next room which was separated with the computer room with a one way mirror, making him able to see what was going inside of the room without the ones present knowing about it. It was an unusual group he found in the next room, Rodimus Prime, Red Alert and Andrea. He decided he wanted to know what they were talking about and turned on the speaker.
***
"Who do we want to perform the operation?"
"Ratchet."
"Who will watch after him after it is done, keeping him off my back?"
Rodimus looked from Andrea to Red Alert. "Best plan I've come up with so far is be around Optimus, I don't think he will pill anything as long as he's around."
"Who will look after Duo and help him if he needs it?"
"I have to see if there's anyone I can put on that case. I have never really thought about it, that he would need something like that after Ratchet had worked on him."
"Better safe than sorry," muttered Andrea. "You have a real problem there, most of the Autobots already have a heavy enough workload as it is, I have one hospitalized Amshean and another one who is well on the same path, Bruno is too busy and I. I can see if I can squeeze him in. after all I don't have to watch over him twenty-four-seven."
"Good, then it's settl-"
"Come quick!" Bruno had just popped his head in. "Indra's getting worse."
Andrea jumped to her feet and ran out.
"Do you think that's such a good idea?" Red Alert asked Rodimus. "She looks like she has a heavy enough load on her back herself."
"She said she could do it, we can at least let her have a try."
"I think she's beginning to get sick herself. We have no idea what's wrong with them."
"Them?"
"Haven't you seen that Andrea is looking very pale nowadays?"
"She's Jazz's daughter, she's always been pale, almost at the brink of being white."
"I'm telling you she's worse."
"False alarm!" Andrea announced so loud that even Red Alert jumped. "Sorry about that," she muttered as she sat down in her chair. "I think I'll adopt this one," she said absentmindedly. "I don't think I can do it, I have one hospitalized and another one who's starting to get sick. I have to take care of most things around here. If I didn't have Blurr to help me I would have perished. God, I miss my job!"
"What are you eventually going to do?"
"Go back to Earth and my old, boring, quiet job where I can sit on my butt all day and listen to music as I work. A place where I can receive orders instead of giving them, a place where I have limited responsibilities."
"You like to receive orders?"
"It beats giving them any day."
"Fine, I order you to look after Duo," Rodimus said before he turned to leave.
Andrea picked up a metal football her Jaguar used to play with and threw it at his head.
The Autobot ducked just in time and the ball made a tiny dent in the wall behind him. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Make Wheeljack do it. He has by far more time and knowledge about stuff like that than I do."
"Then it's settled?"
She nodded. "All we need to do now is to tell Duo it's a routine check up or he'll never agree to do it. But first." she yawned. "I need to get some sleep."
Andrea Mataui was seated in her chair with Red Alert standing opposite her when Rodimus Prime marched into the room. "Do you know why I have summoned you to this meeting?" he asked almost before he had entered.
Andrea swiveled the chair so she was facing him. "You want to discuss the problem with Duo."
"Correct. We will have to find out what we are going to do with him because this can't go on, he's suffering more than necessary regarding the current circumstances."
She nodded in agreement. "You're right." She rose to her feet. "We will have to come up with something that can benefit both parties since his services are desperately required."
"Can any of you please tell me what that has to do with me?" Red Alert looked from one to the other.
"I would appreciate that as well," Andrea agreed.
"Yes, I don't want to startle you, Red Alert, but I think Duo is planning something involving you," Rodimus explained.
"Me? Why would he want to do that?"
Rodimus started pacing back and forth. "Duo has been mighty depressed lately, even worse than before. It was when you returned he became this depressed. He has seen and heard so much of your bravery and accomplishments that he felt completely useless and swiveled down into a deeper state of depression than ever before."
"He is worse than I have ever seen Gears," Andrea agreed.
"Yes and we have to put and end to this as soon as possible. We cannot have an Autobot who is as depressed as that around. He may be a threat to himself and to others. That's where you come in," he told Red Alert. "I believe the youngster is planning on suicide and I believe you are somehow involved in his plans."
"Me?"
"We all know how easily startled you are and what methods you turn to when you are. It would have looked like an accident."
"Holy." Andrea stopped right there. "So, it has come to that." She looked up at Red Alert. "I don't think he would ever get his friends into trouble."
"Still there is no way we can stop him from using Red Alert in his plans."
"It's a terrible thing to be used like that."
It wasn't meant as a joke or supposed to be funny at all, but Andrea fell down onto the chair and swiveled it around so she had her back on the two Autobots as she tried to restrain her laughter. It had sounded so pathetic when Red Alert had said that. "So." she said when she had managed to control herself and turned the chair to face the others. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Why not follow your plan? That way he can at least have some control.
"Yes, why not. We will connect the two personalities so he can have full knowledge of what the other is doing and that way we hope to rid him of all the fear inside of him," she explained to Red Alert.
"Sounds awfully simple, are you sure it will work?"
"We hope so because that is just about what we have come up with so far. That we have the time to accomplish now when all are working so hard to rebuild our homeland."
***
Optimus noticed the light emanating from the computer room, where he usually found Andrea and entered the next room which was separated with the computer room with a one way mirror, making him able to see what was going inside of the room without the ones present knowing about it. It was an unusual group he found in the next room, Rodimus Prime, Red Alert and Andrea. He decided he wanted to know what they were talking about and turned on the speaker.
***
"Who do we want to perform the operation?"
"Ratchet."
"Who will watch after him after it is done, keeping him off my back?"
Rodimus looked from Andrea to Red Alert. "Best plan I've come up with so far is be around Optimus, I don't think he will pill anything as long as he's around."
"Who will look after Duo and help him if he needs it?"
"I have to see if there's anyone I can put on that case. I have never really thought about it, that he would need something like that after Ratchet had worked on him."
"Better safe than sorry," muttered Andrea. "You have a real problem there, most of the Autobots already have a heavy enough workload as it is, I have one hospitalized Amshean and another one who is well on the same path, Bruno is too busy and I. I can see if I can squeeze him in. after all I don't have to watch over him twenty-four-seven."
"Good, then it's settl-"
"Come quick!" Bruno had just popped his head in. "Indra's getting worse."
Andrea jumped to her feet and ran out.
"Do you think that's such a good idea?" Red Alert asked Rodimus. "She looks like she has a heavy enough load on her back herself."
"She said she could do it, we can at least let her have a try."
"I think she's beginning to get sick herself. We have no idea what's wrong with them."
"Them?"
"Haven't you seen that Andrea is looking very pale nowadays?"
"She's Jazz's daughter, she's always been pale, almost at the brink of being white."
"I'm telling you she's worse."
"False alarm!" Andrea announced so loud that even Red Alert jumped. "Sorry about that," she muttered as she sat down in her chair. "I think I'll adopt this one," she said absentmindedly. "I don't think I can do it, I have one hospitalized and another one who's starting to get sick. I have to take care of most things around here. If I didn't have Blurr to help me I would have perished. God, I miss my job!"
"What are you eventually going to do?"
"Go back to Earth and my old, boring, quiet job where I can sit on my butt all day and listen to music as I work. A place where I can receive orders instead of giving them, a place where I have limited responsibilities."
"You like to receive orders?"
"It beats giving them any day."
"Fine, I order you to look after Duo," Rodimus said before he turned to leave.
Andrea picked up a metal football her Jaguar used to play with and threw it at his head.
The Autobot ducked just in time and the ball made a tiny dent in the wall behind him. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Make Wheeljack do it. He has by far more time and knowledge about stuff like that than I do."
"Then it's settled?"
She nodded. "All we need to do now is to tell Duo it's a routine check up or he'll never agree to do it. But first." she yawned. "I need to get some sleep."