The Diego Diaries: Awakening (dd8 428)
=0=Awaken
It was quiet and tense in the room as Appa Ratchet came upward to sentience before the others. He shifted, then sat up swiftly glancing around frantically.
Docker enfolded him in his arms, holding him a moment. "They're right here. We have visitors who will help them. Its alright, Only One. Its going to be fine. They did better overnight."
Ratch glanced at his grandson who nodded. He relaxed slightly. "Sonny would know things," he said to Docker with anxiety. "Sonny is a great doctor."
"He is, Ratchet," Docker said soothing his face with her servos. "Let's see them now." She stood and pulled him to his feet.
"Here we go," Ratchet said as he pressed buttons.
They two stirred, then on lined. Glancing around, their optics fixed on Ratchet who walked to the space between their berths to take their servos in hand.
"Look at you," he said almost tearfully. "You got that much better overnight. My grandson here, Sonny," he said nodding to a pensive Ratchet, "he's going to be your doctor. Our Sonny is a doctor, Budge. You'll be amazed how good he is. He's going to get you both back on your peds and then you can live with us."
They glanced from one to the other, then Budge tried to rise.
Ratchet sat down on the berth then gathered Budge into his arms. They clung to each other for a moment, then Ratchet wailed, "I WOULD'VE COMBED THE UNIVERSE TO FIND YOU! I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE YOU WERE! BOTH OF YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"
It was dense for a moment before Ratchet sent sedatives to half the room. The elders deflated slightly from relief including Appa Ratchet. He clung to his brother as Docker gripped Mystic's servo, patting it and his face comfortingly.
It took a moment for things to settle again, but they did. Everyone sat down to wait out the turmoil.
Ratchet checked both of them, then his grandfather. "Well, we broke the dam didn't we? It can only get better from here."
"I hope so, Sonny. You'll do it. You're the best doctor that ever lived," Ratchet said tearfully. "Look what you did for Our Corr? He was so sick but look at him now. HE'S THE PICTURE OF HEALTH! Right, Sonny?" Ratchet asked with anxiety.
"He's a champion," Ratchet said. "Just like the bunch of you. We just have two more sweet elders to take care of. I can't think of a better thing, can you Ironhide?"
Ironhide glanced at Ratchet with a crushed spark. "There's nothing better. I have mine. You're getting yours. These elders … they're the reason we get up every day, to find and help them."
Everyone nodded commiserating for a moment.
Ratchet walked to Mystic. "I want you to know that I'm going to be there every step we go through to put you back on your peds. I'm Tie and Ravel's son, Amma, Appa. I remember everything about you because we loved you so much it was like you were right there always. Right now, we have some folks who are here to be your guardians and guides. We always do this for anyone, elder or not, who comes to us this way."
He glanced at the group standing by the door, joined by others who had come at Ratchet's call. "The pretty little femme is Libby of Torus States. She's going to be your case worker and take care of your needs as you work back to health. She's also going to be the one who speaks to the police and our war crimes commission on your behalf. What happened here is a war crime and we will try to get justice, some kind of it for you both.
"The tall mech beside her is Trigger. He's a traumatic elder counselor and a genius at helping sadness go away. He's going to be part of your recovery program and counsel you until you feel yourself again. He's from Covix.
"The other mech is Springer of Polyhex who's in charge of the entire security structure of the empire. He's also my son, your grandson," Ratchet said as the door opened and Drift slipped inside. "That mech, the one just coming in is his bond, Drift of Kaon. He's also our son."
The two glanced at Springer and the others.
Mystic raised a weary servo, then waved it toward Springer.
He hesitated, then walked around the berth to stand beside Docker. He leaned in. "Amma?"
Mystic looked at him, studying his face. "Springer."
"That's my name, Amma. I'm going to protect you. Understand? No one is going to hurt either of you again. I promise."
Mystic raised his servo toward Springer who leaned closer. He touched Springer's face. "Your baby is beautiful. He will hear again and understand." He dropped his servo with weariness.
Springer lifted it, kissed it, then tucked it in. Glancing at Ratchet, he said, "Would it help to bring Tell around since you told them about him?"
"We didn't," Docker said. "Mystic is Seer Guild, Old Clan."
Springer glanced down at Mystic who managed a slight grin. "You see him well and happy?"
Mystic nodded slightly. "I do."
"MYSTIC IS MAGICAL! I remember everything. You told us that we'd have a great little mech, right?" Appa Ratchet said. "We had Tie and he had Ratchet."
"We did," Docker said. "Mystic is tuned into The One. He's holy," she said quietly.
Springer glanced at Drift who was looking at Mystic like he really was The One. "Uh, that's good to know. Thank you, Amma. You and Appa had better be prepared to be cared for until you're on your peds. I'm here for Har-Lee at the Watch who handles things like this. He's going to be coming later with Eugenie who's part of the War Crimes Committee, a lawyer and investigator. She would be here but her Ada is a Queen in the Court of the Empress of Stanix and they have a thing going on."
"I sent a text to Eugenie yesterday," Ratchet said. "Her ada is a senior queen in the court."
"Har-Lee will be the contact for the forensics," Springer replied. "I'll keep an optic on it."
They stared at the two who stared back. It was silent a moment, then Appa Ratchet looked up toward his grandson. "What happens next, Sonny?"
"Well, Appa, I'm going to fix all their boo-boos," Ratchet said. "I have the best possible doctors to help me. When they're repaired and all their hurts fixed then they'll be able to walk and be more themselves. I'll do this myself, Amma and Appa," Ratchet said to the two little mechs staring at him. "You don't have to worry about a thing."
They glanced at Appa Ratch who nodded. "Sonny is a great doctor. He saved Corr."
"I was really sick when I came here, Budge. Sonny saved me. He helped me and I'm going to the University now. All of us are. We get to do whatever we want to do. Prime says so," Corr said anxiously.
"Prime is good," Mystic said.
"When do you do this, Ratchet?" Budge finally said. He's been silent throughout this whole ordeal, something that was true to his temperament, the cool breeze to Appa Ratchet's fire.
"This afternoon, Appa," Ratchet said. "We want you a bit stronger. It wouldn't be a problem for what we're going to do but it'll help you bounce back faster."
Budge stared at him, then nodded slightly. "Okay."
Ratchet stared at the little mech and his bond, a pair that'd fallen into love the moment they saw each other. They were faint precious memories to him and he resolved to get them up and going again come Hell or high water. "Right now, I want you to recharge. I'll be with you all along this whole thing. We're going to step out to let you recharge and that includes you, Appa," Ratchet said to his hero.
"I should stay here," Appa began. "What if they need me?"
Everyone stared at him with compassion, then Docker turned toward Ratchet. "I'll stay with them and Ratchet. When they fall into recharge we can come to the cafe and get a treat. Will that be alright, Only One?"
Ratchet stared at Docker, then his brother. He took Budge's servo. "We can see then, Docker. I just feel the need to hold his servo. I don't want you to be afraid, Budge. We're going to be okay together just like then. Okay?" he asked anxiously.
Budge squeezed his brother's hand. He nodded, then relaxed with a softly vented sigh. "Please stay, Ratchet."
Ratchet looked up at the others. "See? He needs me. Mystic needs me, too. I couldn't do nothing before but I'm going to take care of them now." He looked ready to shatter from emotion as Docker hugged him.
"We all will," she said quietly. She looked at the others. "We're going to be fine. You go and we'll stay."
Ratchet looked ready to fall apart himself as did the rest of the family. "Alright. I'm linking in to you and everyone here. We'll let you rest." He herded the others out including a distraught Corr. He hugged Corr, then sent him a sedative. "Let's go get something to eat."
They walked toward the end of the corridor, took two more turns and reached a hospital cafe of which there was one on every floor. Ordering food and drink, everyone sat almost deflated.
"I think we need to work out a plan for the whole family, Ratchet," Libby said as she sipped her drink. Trigger nodded as well.
"Corr is feeling low and so are the rest of you. This is a shock and there's a lot of regret and sadness here. I want you all to enter therapy again. Ratchet told me all about you as well and I know your history. If you want to be a happy family again you have to have support to get there. This is a very sad thing."
"I missed them so," Corr said. "I didn't know them long but they were so wonderful. Budge is so quiet but he's an artist, a very great imaginative artist. Mystic is holy." He looked at them with a miserable expression. "Poor Ratchet. He missed them so. We all did. Its a terrible thing not knowing where someone is even before war happened."
"We're going to be okay, Appa," Drift said as he sat next to Corr. He dwarfed the little mech. "We're going to help them and Appa to get better. What we want is the rest of you to be okay, too."
"We will," Chan said squeezing Corr's servo. "Corr is a good mech but there was a lot of suffering during the occupation. When we went to the dumping ground in Polyhex he was very ill. You didn't even know who you were, Only One. Docker and me, we did our best but you suffered." He looked at all of them. "We never told you much but your Amma Docker is so brave. She protected us and we protected each other as best we could in that terrible place.
"When they came for Corr we had to go together. Its hard to have hope when there was none for so long. We have it here. We just want it for them. Whoever did this has to pay, grandson," Chan said to Drift. "They stole our time. They took away our lives. They never got to see Tie and Ravel as children or realize our dreams. They never got to see you, Sonny. You saw how holy Mystic is. He knows about Tell. Trust what he says."
They stared at Chan who never talked about the time on Cybertron and felt chilled.
"You're all going into counseling," Ratchet said firmly. He glanced at Trigger. "We have a private counselor who does traumatized elders and victims of criminal violence like this. Her name is Codee. They also attended group therapy at the Elder Counseling Center. I hope that you can coordinate that because Budge and Mystic are going to be a part of that and whatever else you suggest. You're the expert there."
Trigger nodded. "I'll work it out. I think they need to start right away. Ratchet might be more delicate about going until Budge and Mystic are on their peds. We can wing it there. Are they going into the graduated programs at Central Point?"
"I'm sending them there after they're repaired. They can have one of the little homey rooms in the community-style level 2 buildings until we see how it goes. All they have to do there is heal. Food and the rest is provided by the staff and medical. There's a lot of things and places at Central Point that they can go and we can go with them. Cafes and things." Ratchet glanced at the others. "We do this the right way and see how they respond. I don't know what happened but none of it was good. We're going to get to the truth."
"I hope so, Sonny," Corr said mournfully. "They were so fun. We have to make this end."
"We will, Amma," Springer said.
Drift nodded. "We will, Amma. We promise," he said.
"Damned right," Ironhide said grimly.
=0=TBC 5-6-2022
NOTE
Jackalkat: I agree. Being a refugee must be like a living death. My heart is with refugees no matter who, no matter why, no matter where. To find family again after the length of time and the events they survived would topple anyone. Hugs to you, my darling. :D
