DMK: So ...yeah... sorry that was a cliffhanger. n.n;; I have a BAD habit of doing that... heh... so anyways... enjoy. I think Hotshot's going to get lost in the forest and start to waste away from his injuries or something and someone'll find him or something... I don't know... Anyway, here's just a note:
Alayea- You're right. A few minutes, a few moments, I have a habit of saying one thing and meaning another. A pretty common mistake from me, really... Glad you caught it, though, I'll edit it later.
SaphireStars- YOU'RE PSYCHIC TOO! XD That's exactly what will happen... in the threequel to this thing! ::Wheeljack can be heard "Woo-hoo"-ing in the background::
Chiomon- Nope, Hotshot's still good, but a bit misguided.
The Crab- Heh, yeah, I think I'll lay off the Wheelie-age for a while. I don't know, she'll just call him "Jack" or something. Also with the kill mode... it's there just in case, I guess, and maybe Hotshot was just so ticked off he wanted to use it. ::shrug:: It was a convinient plot device at the time...
Goldenrod and KatDrama- Still debating the whole "Hotshot as a Hostage" thing, after this chap you might think about reconsidering it. ::demented grin:: Mwahahaha...
Cobalt, Ashana, Maria, and Hotshot94- Glad you like my stuff, hope this chapter's good enough for you too! =D
Now that that's settled: Hope it's enjoyable! Even though it's all over the place, and to me I don't think it flows... .;;
Chapter Ten
The entire Autobot team, minus Hotshot, watched quietly from the observation deck as RedAlert worked furiously to repair Windracer. Even Rad, Carlos, and Alexis were looking down worriedly by Blurr's feet.
"Would someone MIND telling me WHY poor Windy has a hole in her stomach?!" Smokescreen had turned away from the scene, unable to watch much longer. He looked at Wheeljack, who still had a wounded shoulder and the said femme's circ fluid staining one of his white hands.
Alexis noticed the guilty and wounded expression on his face as well. "Wheeljack...what happened?"
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her. Almost everyone's optics were trained on him now. "She and I...we did something that made Hotshot a bit jealous... and he got so protective of her that he went after me... And Windy jumped in to stop it...."
Blurr seemed a bit surprised. "And where is Hotshot now?"
"He ran off. We don't know where he went..." Wheeljack looked back down into the medical bay, his facial expression still showing much worry and guilt. He sighed. "I would've probably been better off letting him get what he wanted out of me..."
"Don't say that, man, standin' up for yourself was the right thing to do." Carlos said to him. "If anyone was in the wrong it was Hotshot..."
Wheeljack nodded vacantly, his optics still trained on the action below. Optimus, meanwhile, comlinked RedAlert over the P.A system. "So what's the prognosis? Anything we can celebrate?"
RedAlert sighed, not looking up from his work. "It could be better, but it could have been much worse. She lost a lot of circ Energon from the severed lines, so she's slightly anemic, if I were to put it into human terms. There's a lot of internal damage to her circuitry as well, so that might take some time to fix fully. I've got her stable, though, so other than that, she'll more than likely pull through."
There was a collective sigh of relief. Wheeljack smiled lightly to himself despite all his worry and guilt.
"Not to say that she won't have a long recovery ahead of her..." RedAlert added afterwards. "I just hope Hotshot's blaster didn't rip her wiring out at the seams or she might never be the same..."
"Thank you, Mr. Optimistic," Smokescreen grumbled, looking down at the felled Windracer again. "Poor kiddo..."
Prime, still rather quiet, gave a heavy sigh. "I think we should leave Red to his work... he's got it cut out for himself this time..."
Reluctantly they all agreed, and one by one they began to file out. Sideswipe turned to Optimus when he noticed Wheeljack was still standing at the glass, watching. "Should I-"
"Leave him," he told the younger mech softly. "You understand what they share."
With a nod, he and the rest of the Autobots headed back to their respective jobs somberly, all of them hoping in the back of their mind that Windracer would be alright.
- - - - - - - - - -
Night was falling. It had been the early sunset when the fight had ended. Now the sky was all manner of purples and darker blues, decorated by stars and clouds.
Hotshot ran. He didn't know where he was, all he knew was that he had to get away. Somewhere far away from the base and the guilt. He got away from the base, but the guilt was imprinted in his mind. The mental image of a wounded Windracer being cradled in a remorseful Wheeljack's arms was something he couldn't just forget. But oh, how he wanted to.
Deep in the forest, he gave up dodging trees and just began to knock them down, ignoring that they were in his way. His head still throbbed from the beating he sustained at Wheeljack's hands, and the occaisional trip over a fallen tree made things worse. He cleared several small streams, skirted a few meadows, and found himself at a ravine.
Maybe he should...no. It was a long gap, however. But the guilt and pain he felt was even more overpowering. He wanted to protect Windracer from Wheeljack, but what had he gone and done? Nearly killed her! And for what? Yes, Hotshot wanted to be with her, he loved her dearly, but she had no interest in him. They were only friends. And now even the friendship they shared was as good as gone.
He had made up his mind. Taking two steps back, he began to run forward. He jumped.
And fell. Shouting, he plummeted to the bottom, landing hard on his right side. His right arm was bent oddly behind him, and his right leg had no feeling. He groaned, and saw electricity crackle at the joints. His vision swirled, and he soon began to see double. It was then that Hotshot's world went dark.
- - - - - - - - - -
RedAlert sat back after many hours of work, looking down at the still-unconscious Windracer. Confident in his work, he gently put his good hand to her forehead. "I've done all I can for you, my friend...the rest is up to you..."
He looked up to the observation deck tiredly, and noticed Wheeljack. He was no longer standing, but was leaning up against the wall nearest the glass, sleeping at an uncomfortable angle. Giving a tiny smile at his little vigil, he took his hand away from Windy's face and retreated out of the medbay. He had to brief Optimus and the others on the situation, after all.
Up on the observation deck, Sideswipe walked in, cradling Raider. Windsheer had asked him to watch the tiny mech while he could take a break of his own, and so he did. He was practically his uncle, anyways. "Hey Wheeljack?"
The mech jolted awake from his spot on the floor. "Hnn?" Groggily, he looked to Sideswipe, and then noticed Raider in his arms. Remembering what had happened he then looked down into the medbay. RedAlert was no longer there, and he couldn't see the monitor's readouts. Could she have died?! "W-Windracer..."
"She's fine, Wheeljack," Sideswipe said as he walked over to him. "Red just finished repairing her."
"Can...Can I visit her?" He got to his feet and put one hand to the glass longingly, his spark still aching.
Sideswipe thought for a minute, trying to keep Raider from squirming out of his grip. "Red didn't say you couldn't..."
"Da!" The tiny mech called from the other's arms, reaching out for Wheeljack. Even the little one looked worried for some reason. Giving a smile, the elder relieved Sideswipe of his charge and scooped him into his own arms. He cuddled into him instantly, sticking his thumb into his mouth out of habit.
Sideswipe gave a little chuckle as this happened and was snapped out of it when Wheeljack spoke. "Thank you for watching him... I just forgot..."
"It's alright, you had a right to be here...plus I think he likes his uncle Sideswipe! Hehehe!" Cautiously, he reached out and tickled him under the chin, getting him to squeal happily and giggle.
'Jack grinned at this softly, then looked back down to the scene below. "Go on, Wheeljack." The younger mech insisted. "Windy needs you."
He nodded at this slightly and began a slow march out of the observation deck. "I will... and thank you for your help today, Sideswipe."
"Aww...don't mention it dude," He said sheepishly. Then, with a slight nudge; "Now go."
He grinned at the younger Autobot and left the deck, heading for the medbay with Raider in his arms.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Jetfire? Any sign of Hotshot?" Optimus' voice crackled to life over the shuttle's comlink.
"That's a negative, sir," he replied, hovering with the thrusters in his feet. "Though I can tell he's been here..." He had noticed the crude trail of downed trees leading away from the base.
"Keep looking," his leader ordered. "He's got to be out there somewhere."
"I read ya. Jetfire, over and out." Grumbling, he severed the link and tore away from the base, searching for the fugitive Transformer.
- - - - - - - - - -
Wheeljack walked quietly and reverently into the medbay, one arm busy holding Raider while the other hung loose at his side. The little Transformer looked around, confused as to why he was there. Until he noticed Windracer. Instantly he started to whimper and looked on in fear as they neared her. His small whimpers soon became soft, worried cries once they had reached the injured femme's bedside, and Wheeljack tried his best to calm him.
"Shhh, it's alright," He cooed softly as he rocked him in one arm. "Windy's just... taking a rest, she'll wake up..."
Still fussing quietly, he watched as his makeshift father reached out to the femme and caressed the side of her face. His expression was that of sorrow and worry, and so Raider began to reflect that as well. He buried his tiny face into Wheeljack's chest armor, too sad to look at Windracer any longer.
"Windy..." The elder mech whispered quietly. "I...I know you can't hear me... but don't die..."
Raider emitted a squealing sob and tried desperately to free himself from Wheeljack's arms. He wanted to touch his surrogate mom, to try and make her feel better, to try to wake her up. He looked up at 'Jack pleadingly, and the older one got an idea. Gently, he took Raider under his arms by both hands and set him down on Windracer's chest, his stubby legs straddling the much larger female. Raider was unable to support his body properly so he flopped forward. Now laying out on top of her, he reached his tiny hand to her cheek. Patting it with a childlike clumsiness, he tried to wake her up. After a few minutes of this gentle patting, Raider's hand just came to rest on the side of her cheek. His arm had just gotten too tired.
Drawing his arm back to his body, the child just laid on Windracer's chest. He was beginning to nod off to an uneasy sleep with a sorrowful expression on his face. Wheeljack bowed his head as he watched this, grudgingly coming to terms with the fact that Windy wasn't getting up anytime soon.
Then he saw a slender hand curl around Raider's back and remain there, rubbing it gently. He looked to Windracer's face, and saw her optics were half open and very dim.For a few moments she did nothing but stare straight up at the ceiling, right into the overhead lights. Once Raider stirred, however, she averted her gaze to him and gave a tiny, weak smile.
"W-Windracer..?" Wheeljack hardly moved as this happened, a bit more surprised than anything else.
Her dim optics closed slowly, and her head lolled to the side to face him. When she opened them, her blue optics were somewhat brighter and more alert. "Wheeljack? Wh-what happened...?"
The said mech's smile softened, and he reached out to gently touch her face. He hardly believed that she was alive considering her wounds, but when he felt her lean into his fingers, he exhaled in relief. She was definetly awake. Without saying another word, he bent down quickly and gave her a passionate, but soft kiss. When he pulled away in a daze, she managed, "Good to see you, too..."
He just continued to smile, his face still very close to hers. They didn't notice the spectators up on the observation deck... Sideswipe, Smokescreen, Carlos, and Alexis had filed back in after RedAlert briefed them, and they were all treated to the scene below.
"Ooooh! Hehehehe, that's so adorable!" Everyone looked at the mech who said that, Smokescreen. He scratched his chin and gave a nervous laugh. "Uh...I meant... that was... uhh... cute?"
The other two laughed at him for a few moments, then they all averted their gaze back at the three Transformers below. Wheeljack and Windy had kissed each other once more, and were now watching Raider as he began to wake up slowly.
Carlos sniggered a little bit. "Windy and Wheeljack, sittin' in a tree..." But he was silenced when Alexis smacked him upside the head.
"Cut that out!" She chided, her tone friendly.
He rubbed his head absent-mindedly. "I was jus' kiddin, man! Can't ya take a joke?"
Alexis looked angry for about two whole seconds, and then she sighed contentedly. "I know... I'm just so glad Windy's going to be alright."
All of them present nodded quietly, still watching Windracer, Wheeljack, and Raider in the medical bay. They would have to worry about Hotshot later, but for right now, they were all happy that Windracer had survived.
TBC
DMK: Dang, I can't remember how many writers' blocks I hit near the end... .;; A big thanks to Hotshot94 for helping me out.
Wheeljack: YAY! SHE'S ALIIIIIIIIIVE! ::huggles Windracer like a stuffed toy::
Windracer: nn;; hehehe...anyway... REVIEW IT THIS TIME! OR ELSE NO MORE!