The Diego Diaries: All Around the Watch Tower (dd7 267)
=0=Autobot City Medical Center, Autobot City
The two runabouts landed on the helipad on the roof of the hospital. Standing by the doors waiting with gurneys and expectation, a host of doctors and techs were gathered. The first shuttle's ramp extended allowing Ironhide and Prime to step down. They stepped aside so the crew could carry the stretcher with Springer toward the Emergency entrance.
The other extended its ramp and when it did Ratchet stepped out and helped the crew get Drift to the doors and assistance inside.
Carrying him behind Ratchet, the medico led the way to the imaging room where the techs waited to run scans on him to get the most minute details together. Putting Drift back together would be exacting. The more they knew, the better. Springer would also be given a deep scan, then carted off to surgery with the orthopedic surgeons including Cynabar.
Ratchet watched as the stretcher was placed under a huge magnet which would generate the scans. It wouldn't lift Drift. It would give everyone a slice-by-slice visual of what Drift looked like inside. Everyone stepped out of the room to wait as the techs ran the ordered scans.
Ironhide and Prime along with Prowl and Magnus joined them to watch through the big windows what was happening inside.
"This is going to be a problem," Magnus said. "Could it be a high caste discontent? Or perhaps a gang or road rager? What about personal vendettas? That's par for the profession."
Prime nodded. "We have to solve this right away. It very well could be that someone is taking out the senior Autobots."
It was silent a moment, then Ratchet remembered an odd moment at Sun Base. "It could be personal," he said as the scans began to conclude.
Ironhide glanced at him. "How so?"
"Do you remember that ruckus when we disarmed the Imperialis brothers? There was a strange bot there … one who had a thing for Springer," Ratchet said.
It was silent a moment, then Prime remembered. "Someone who was stalking Springer. Drift punched him hard."
Ratchet nodded. "I don't remember his name but it can't be hard to find out."
Splice who had caught up with them in the crowd from the dojo stepped to one side. He had an off line conversation with someone, then turned toward Prime. "His name is Cog. He came with the group and lives in Crater District 5. He was a tracker in his pre-war life."
"Then he'd have the skills," Ironhide said darkly.
"Let the Watch take care of it," Ratchet said as Drift's scans were completed. Ratchet walked back in with the rest of the team who would help him do the work. They discussed the scans inch by inch, then walked out to the hallway. Just about everyone who was coming was there, solemn faced and silent. "We have a lot of work to do. Nothing internal was harmed beyond a good body slap. He has dozens and dozens of fragments that have to be removed. So does Springer but know that both of them will make it."
It was sickening, the relief everyone felt.
Then Hercy glanced around. "I heard he broke a lot of stuff."
"His neck and back as well as both legs," Ratchet said with a slight grin. "He's nothing if not thorough, Our Drift."
"You have screws loose, Old Mech. What's the drill?" Ironhide asked as his elders caught up to them.
"Well, I have to do a lot of work. That's just to rebuild all the breakages. Then the removal of shrapnel will be done by the cosmetic surgeons. Its going to take a bit of time. This is very exacting slag if I say so myself," Ratchet said.
"Uh, we can wait," Ironhide said.
Ratchet nodded, then stepped aside as Drift was wheeled past. He looked like a dart board on the gurney. Ratchet followed him with the others to the emergency suites nearby and disappeared into one at the end of the long hallway. Partition followed after handing off Drift's swords to Turbine.
It was silent a moment, then Splice glanced at Prime. "Want us to get Cog now or what?"
Prime who was livid from relief glanced at him. "I am giving this job temporarily to General Steiner. Splice, be his second until things get ironed out. I want to know everything. As for Cog … keep him under surveillance. I want to know what he did to get a bomb into the Watch Tower. Does anyone know of his special feature?"
"Not yet, Prime," Hercy said coldly. "But being a tracker, he'd have his own tech and whatever he collected from others. Trackers are devious slaggers. I wouldn't underestimate his willingness to remain free and kill whoever tries to prevent whatever plan he has in mind."
Prime nodded. "I want him followed until we can find out more information about this. If the bomb was sent to them, it had an address on it. Find out the recipient of the device. If it was Drift, then it will help us nail Cog. If it was Springer, then that could mean anything and anyone."
Steiner who was listening with a solemn expression glanced at Medco, his relative significant other. He turned to Hercy. "I would appreciate your assistance as well, Commander."
Hercy turned to him. "I'm at your disposal."
"We'll figure this out. We have to do something about the gangs. They were a nuisance the other night and they still could be part of this. I'm of the opinion that the Shadow gang is a road rage group that made it through," Splice said. "Either way, they pose an ongoing threat that has to be removed."
"I agree," Prime said as he walked toward one of the several lounges located for those who waited. Everyone found a place but for Hercy, Steiner, Splice and Medco, a Velocitronian superstar racer who left to get to the scene and find out preliminarily what Sky and his team discovered. It would be a long wait for news at both places.
=0=Inside
Springer was in a stasis state when they took his arms and legs apart to fix the damage within. It was a good thing, too, because he was a wuss when it came to doctors. Most of the mechs were though they gave in when cornered. Given the degree of damage that the average Autobot and Decepticon lived with that was part of 'the life', it was a wonder that most could function.
Now that they had the time and facilities, many were the combat physicals that caught slag overlooked or scaled back on literally everyone who'd been a soldier. Many were the bots ordered to have themselves repaired and brought up to snuff. It was so common place among the troops that Ratchet held surgeries himself on Second Wednesdays and First Thursdays if the situation permitted. They were going to help the mechs and femmes back to good health and robust structural integrity if it killed them.
"Well, that looks like slag," Ratchet said as he stared at the breaks in the central strut that was part of Drift's neck. "I think I have to pull out the shards, then we can rebuild the structure from scratch." It would take a while. All through the area were neural transmitters and other 'nervous system' devices that had to be tested, replaced or repaired as well as the central strut that was his 'back bone'. A lot of what constituted Drift's 'original' assembly was replaced by stronger and better, more shiny and durable silvery metallics as they put him back together.
He would actually be much more durable, flexible and strong when this was accomplished. He would also bear Ratchet's glyph on his back strut, something that Ratchet always did on the biggest repairs as a signal to himself if he ever encountered his work again. It would take three hours to repair, weld, solder, oil, lubricate and stimulate his protoform before they closed him up. Only then would he be able to be released from the metallic stretcher that still held him.
When that was removed, they would begin the meticulous work of removing shrapnel from his aft, shoulders, back and legs. Oddly enough, most of it missed his arms. It would take a while, be a mess and accumulate in a bowl by the table. Screws, broken shards of sharpened metal, bullets and small razors were pulled from the mech leaving holes and tears in his armor. The cosmetic surgeons waiting for them to conclude would take care of that before he would be taken to recovery to stabilize.
=0=Springer
They finished up the last repair of Springer's protoform. He was pitted with holes from shrapnel and it had taken two cosmetic surgeons to finished returning his armor to its usual condition. It would require a full paint and finish but he was smooth again, if somewhat white speckled against the green.
Ratchet stepped in as he waited for the same for Drift. Walking to Springer, he looked at his son. Springer was handsome, easygoing, smart, tough, a good mech and a funny one as well. He was devoted to the family, the colony and serving his people. His bond was his glory and there was no one else but Drift. They were lucky that both had survived. Ratchet checked his vitals and saw good things. He slowly brought Springer to sentience.
The light was bright in his optics as Springer came to a woozy sense of himself. He finally focused to see Ratchet leaning over him. Words didn't come as he stared at the big mech.
Ratchet squeezed his servo. "Can you hear me?"
Springer nodded as he tried to adjust his optics to see better. It wouldn't be possible at the moment due to his concussion and the still light stasis state that would be his pain control.
"Someone sent you a fire cracker. It blew you up along with Drift. Drift is alright. I don't want you to wonder where he is or how he is. He's going to be fine." Ratchet stared at Springer. "Do you understand?"
Springer stared at him with a dazed expression. "Where is he?" he croaked.
"In recovery. I'm giving you the same room," Ratchet said. "I want you to rest now. Don't worry about either of you. I'll take care of you."
Springer listened, then drifted off into an induced state. He wouldn't notice when Drift was wheeled in later. Both of them would sleep all night long.
=0=Out there
Ratchet walked down the hallway toward the group, then halted as they stood up to get the word. "Both of them are out of danger. Both of them broke a lot of stuff. Its all repaired, some of it improved even. You slaggers. I'm ordering you to come to me if you have hurts. I'm not going to allow even one of you to go around with a boo-boo and your pain receptors dialed down. CONSIDER THAT AN ORDER!" He grinned smugly at Prime. "I even outrank you regarding this sort of thing."
Prime nodded, his relief evident. "You do. They will fully recover then?"
"They will," Ratchet said. "Someone else is going to have to run the Watch for a while. Neither of them will come back swiftly."
"Steiner has it," Hard Drive said solemnly. "When can we see our boys?"
"Not tonight," Ratchet said. "I'm going to stay with them. By morning, the fog should lift and they can have visitors. Right now, recharging through the pain is a good thing. When their bodies integrate everything, then all will be better."
They chatted together, then most of them broke up to go wherever they were going. Prime and Ironhide along with Ironhide's elders would head back to Metrotitan to figure out what happened. Jazz would handle the press.
=0=TBC 4-28-2020 5-8-2020