The Diego Diaries: Catching Up (dd8 385)
=0=Autobot City Medical Center, Intensive Care Unit 12B, Autobot City, Mars, Cybertron and the Empire of the Primes, Postal District 1
Drift stared at both. "Three orns."
Both nodded.
"What happened? How am I anyway?" he asked as he glanced down his body. He was harnessed in place. "What is this?"
"A way to keep you from tearing out slag. We had a pretty good rebuild inside and you were trying to
'help'," Ratchet said as he sat down on a chair next to the berth. "You're one of 'those' kind of patients on a good orn, both of you."
They grinned at him as Springer settled beside the berth, his servo resting upon Drift's. "Its been a shit show lately," Springer said.
"I was in the corridor last I remember holding my guts in with both servos," Drift said.
Springer frowned. "That was fragged beyond words," he said …
He saw the figure of Drift leaning against the wall holding his chassis tightly. He felt the world fall away as he staggered, punched, kicked and beat his way toward the center of his universe. Falling to his knees, he pulled Drift's arm free. Inside his chassis through a hole planted there by someone's gun a brittle light could be seen. He felt his insides crumble. :RATCHET!:
A brief silence was broken as swiftly. :WHAT!?:
:DRIFT IS SHOT! HE HAS A STREAMER!:
Ratchet jumped as the voice of his eldest son broke through the intensity of his concentration on the surgery he was performing. He listened, then glanced at his aide. "Take this. I have an emergency." Stepping back, he began to run. :BRIDGE HIM TO CAMBRE!:
He disappeared in seconds as his aid stepped in to do the job with assistance from two nurses.
=0=Appearing on the emergency deck of Cambre
Ratchet watched as Springer staggered through a bridge half carrying, half dragging Drift behind him. Ratchet signaled the gurney to move closer as he raced over to begin the steps that would stop the progress of this, the most highly illegal munition that could be found in the Cybertronian military. He worked feverishly, then sprayed from a canister handed to him by a triage medic which quenched the burning that was happening inside Drift.
Lifting him to the gurney, slapping a static field on the wound, they raced for the emergency room nearby. In they went to a theater where Ratchet began to go through the protocol of denaturing the phosphorus-like liquid that had been released by the impact of the round fired into Drift's chassis.
It would take a while to prepare the wounds for repair because a lot of things had to be done first. All of the liquid had to be removed and when it was there was the process of replacement of all the things that it damaged. That would take a bit of time. When it was accomplished Drift was wheeled out of the theater and past the incredibly tense fearful figure of Springer.
He'd waited in the waiting room after being pulled out by Tie Down and Ravel. Bluestreak taking a break found Tell and brought him to Springer to hold. The baby napped fretfully in his agonized father's hold until Ravel took him. He was sleeping calmly in Ravel's expert arms.
Springer followed them into Intensive Care, a set of words that blasted fear through his spark like an ill wind. When he was set up, Springer pulled a chair, then sat with Drift's servo in his own. He watched as Ratchet put restraints on his arms and legs. "What's that for?" he asked.
"Precautionary," Ratchet said. "This stuff sometimes makes a mech flail when he comes around. Everything went perfectly. He's going to be fine but off duty for a while. Tell could use a homebody as well."
"But we're here. In Intensive Care," Springer said.
"Because it has all the stuff we need for monitoring some of the resetting. I had to make a few changes in there, taking out destroyed stuff and replacing it. He's going to be aces but I want to know that the re-calibrations are going according to scale," Ratchet replied. He glanced at Springer. "He's going to be fine, his own self again."
Springer finally relaxed a bit, feeling his guts deflate somewhat at the news. Until Drift was awake and talking it would be hard to believe.
"You're off duty. Someone else is managing your team. Acroplex is doing box office business or so I'm told," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "I want chapter and verse about these rounds. Magnus is going to have a fit."
"He and me both," Springer said as he sat back in his chair tiredly. It would be a long wait to leave with the fleet for Mars, then have the transfer through the Medical Center bridge to the Intensive Care at the hospital in Autobot City.
…. here and now
"I never saw those rounds before but they're banned everywhere. They're so hard to defend from and even if you don't get a good shot you can disable a mech with them. They're the only rounds of that size that can kill us no matter how poor the shot," Drift mused. Ratchet had removed the restraints and helped him sit up on the bed with pillows. "What happened next?"
"Well," Ratchet said as he began again.
….. On the bridge of Tennyson …..
The humans glanced at the Communications officer who called out to Prowl. "Commander! We have a mech down from streamer rounds."
Prowl glanced at him sharply. "Who?"
"Drift," the officer said.
Prowl hit a button. "Ratchet, what's the word on Drift?"
:Springer just called. We're receiving him at Cambre. I'll let you know. Ratchet out:
Prowl hit another button. "All hands. There are streamer rounds being used on some of the ships. If you have energy shields use them or stay back while others do. Repeat. There are streamer rounds being used on some ships."
Lennox who listened glanced at a solemn faced mech sitting with Hound awaiting deployment if necessary. :Hound, Stag, what are streamer rounds?:
Hound glanced at Stag, then the humans. "They're highly illegal. They're small enough to be fired from a hand gun but big enough to kill or maim us good. A liquid that's like phosphorus, thin with the ability to burn with or without atmosphere makes up the load. The round has a simple field around it to contain it. You have to be careful handling them because you can crush the field and lose an arm.
"The liquid burns and keeps burning, setting into motion a wound that has to be stopped by a special liquid that nullifies it. If Drift was hit, the liquid would continue to spread destroying everything in its path. Magnus is going to be ultra pissed over this," Hound said with a worried tone.
It was dull inside the box as the humans took in the news.
Lennox glanced at Prowl. :Prowl, what is the word on Drift if you know?:
"I am unclear at the moment. Ratchet has him now though. I will inform you when we have firm news," he said as he sat back in his chair tensely.
Prowl would.
A half joor later, Ratchet would call in the middle of the procedure and tell them that he had caught the liquid in time. Now he would do the repairs, Springer was a basket case and unable to continue and they would go to the Med Center in Autobot City when Drift had recovered enough. He would live to fight another orn.
It wouldn't amaze anyone who knew them the level of relief that news brought to everyone there.
….. here and now …
Drift glanced at Springer, then Ratchet. "So what's next?"
"Well, you convalesce at home for about a week of days. Then you're going to be signed off if you pass the inspections. You will be inspected or I'm going to hammer your head with a mallet." He smiled his biggest and best smile.
Drift chuckled. "I don't do good with medical."
"Fragging Decepticon," Ratchet replied. He pulled up a chair to sit. "You're letting things sync and the welds to mature. There won't be policing or soldiering until I give you the all clear. That won't be ignored. You will obey."
Drift nodded rather meekly. "Okay. How did the mission go?"
"Well," Ratchet said with a smile. "Everyone got to slag someone. Everyone got to watch the titans do their thing and it was a work and wonder. Everyone got to say their version of Metroplex's battle cry. 2Lip got to swoon over Tyke as her war hero and he got to feel the love. See?" Ratchet smiled again. "Don't you just love romance?"
Drift grinned and Springer managed one as well. "What about the Seekers?"
Ratchet considered that with all its complexities. "We recovered about 55 warrior children. We also recovered some of the genitors of the ones we have already."
….. then …
They gathered at the Aerie Hill Mental Health Center which handled the counseling and medical requirements of the Seeker population who lived and/or worked in this beautiful sprawling cityscape. Sitting in the middle of counselors, elders, clan chieftains, the Great Elder, Optimus and the command crew and others who were related to the moment, Ratchet walked in with the little pair.
They slowed at the sight of everyone then saw Optimus who rose to greet them. They halted short, then straightened up. That was when Rainmaker walked to them and hugged them both tightly. He walked them to a chair between himself and his bonds, then nodded to Ratchet.
Ratchet felt an internal quaver, then began. "We want to tell you that you're in a circle of love that never died. We know that your kids were taken from you and that you've suffered so much from it. What we want to tell you is that … and there's no easy way to do so. We think that one of them is here."
The two stared at him uncomprehendingly.
"We have a database of CNA of the kids we saved and match it against all Seekers who are here or who come. We matched you with a child we have here that we've been taking care of." Ratchet glanced at Rainmaker.
Rainmaker rose. He stood before the two overwhelmed Seekers. "We have several thousand child warriors. We make sure that we keep families together when we can. We have a little mech who matches your CNA."
They stared at him as they struggled to take in his words. "You have our boy?" the femme asked with growing incredulity.
Rainmaker nodded. "We have him. His name is Cardinal."
=0=TBC 03-09-2022
NOTES:
cball671 chapter 383 . 12h ago Ulchtar? Nope nope. Starscream is the best name. He was always one of my faves as a child. I thought when he was a ghost
today is now Third Winter btw. Monday 70 at midnight and temps dropped and today 5-50 degrees lol.
I also wonder if the young Homeguards will have to taze anyone? We all love Xi—the Grimlock of the Supremes.
ME: THIRD WINTER! BWAAHAHAA! We're in the middle of win-spring-drizzle-slush. I can't imagine 70 degrees up here. When that happens its bikini and fan weather. I remember going for a walk in shorts and shirt sleeves when it was 36 degrees. I didn't know it was that cold when I did. :D:D:D
Starscream is the bomb. Ulchtar? How totally not him. The voice actor was a riot. He used to get blotto and arrested. One time the Bumblebee actor had to go bail him out of jail. He wrote a book, Corey, and it talks about that time. I think its called Bumblebee and Me or something like that. He is the voice of Cad Bane I believe. Amazing. The kids may or not. Lissie put the fear of god in the 'Cons. LOL! If Xi didn't exist I'd have to create him. I love all the big brassy dudes. HUGS! :D:D:D
