Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. Vox belongs to a friend.

Pandimala: Oh I am so excited! First solar cycle of boot camp! Now our first excercise!

Authoress: *smirks* Yes it will be quite the adventure. You will have a grand adventure that is for sure. *walks out*

Pandimala: *whines* I hate it when she does that!

Ch. 4: When All Else Fails

Pandimala's 1st P.O.V.

I stayed at attention as Kup started to move back and forth in front of us. After he dropped the bomb about our first exercise…I was excited! This would be a perfect way to show the Autobots that I was worth being here and I didn't need my wings to make a difference for the Autobots. Of course, as I glanced at Kup, I knew that I was lucky. When he had called me over, our instructor had immediately demanded to know why I was hiding them. I had asked him what I was hiding and then he told me that Joint and Blockade had called him and told him about my being a triple changer.

The two of us had then discussed about what I was supposed to do now. He said that the rest of my boot camp bots deserved to know that I was a triple changer and that I should be using all that I had to help them overcome challenges. I then pointed out that this exercise he set up was made with only ground alt modes in processor. I told him that I could complete the mission by myself in five clicks at most if I were to use my wings. I then asked if I could at least keep it quiet until the end of the solar cycle. He agreed with me that this solar cycle's exercises would be simple for a flyer to complete. So, I was allowed to keep my wings hidden until we were dismissed for the solar cycle. Then, I had to tell my fellow cadets what I was hiding from those that didn't know.

"Now, the lasers are non-damaging lasers. If you are hit by one, the laser will take a non-intrusive scan of your energy and send it to this data-pad here." Kup spoke as he held up a data-pad. "I have each of your energies on a graph here and it will record how often you are hit. Obviously you want to be the person who is hit the least. Let's see how well you bots can do. Optimus, since you were the first one to arrive this cycle, you can choose your path first. Then Sentinel, Elita, Remcy, Balm, Tana, Zarron, Vox, and Pandimala you will get the path that is left."

I nodded at that and smiled. This was perfect. I would deal with whatever challenge that was given to me. This was so exciting! I was going to start the process of being an Autobot out in the field to take on the Decepticon menace. Those Decepticons…I wouldn't let them escape me. They would be brought to justice for all the crimes that they ever committed over the stellar cycles.

"Well, see you on the inside Pandimala." Vox spoke to me with a smirk, that drew me back to attention, before he ran to the far-right side path. Once he was through the path, a door shut over his path. So, that meant that the last one, which of course was the one in the middle, was the one for me.

"Here we go." I muttered to myself before running through the gateway. Once I was through, though, I stopped immediately and the door shut. I wasn't stupid as to run straight into fire. I had no doubt that there would be traps littered throughout the maze. I also had a feeling that the paths would meet up. If we weren't idiots about this, then the best thing to do would be to join up with the rest of our cadets so we could work together. Even if I was going to use my wings, they wouldn't be able to detect everything that was around me. Having a lookout to help move through the maze would be the best. Kup had never said how we were supposed to get over this challenge. That meant that the option of working together was open.

And I was thankful for that. While I knew how to work without my wings, I was not used to claustrophobia this powerful. It was usually alright when I was used to a place near me but, when I was alone and somewhere new…well…I could say that I was not going to be very well off if I didn't find somebot soon. Oh please Primus let me find somebot,

Motion from my right caused me to tense. Was this one of the lasers? I hadn't found any yet and I knew that they had to be coming soon. They were probably building up tension in us…since we know it is coming. Thankfully, I found myself relaxing when I saw that it was Optimus. He looked tense and studied me up and down. "So…what are we supposed to do when we find each other?" Optimus asked me nervously.

I shrugged and motioned around. "Kup didn't say anything about us all working together. So what do you say? Want to work together for now?" Plus, since we had both come out of different paths, then I knew that the path to my left was the way to go.

He looked at me hesitantly before nodding. "Sure. We can watch each other's backs." I nodded and so the two of us made it back down the only path left. As we walked, I felt slightly awkward. I wasn't able to introduce myself to Optimus, Elita, and Sentinel before we had to regroup for exercise…this one. "So, you're from housing right?" I nodded once. "What was that like?"

A smile snuck on my faceplate. What was housing like? "It was the best." I honestly told him. "I made friends and we were all able to group up together. I had such a wonderful time there that I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world." I checked around a corner and, seeing that it was clear, motioned us forward. "What about you Optimus? How did you grow up?"

He seemed hesitant before starting to speak. "When I came out of the Well, I was almost placed in housing." Ah, so that's why he wanted to know what it was like. "But, then Alpha Trion took me in and raised me. He helped me get to this point and I don't want to let him down."

My optics were wide with shock. I only knew of one bot named Alpha Trion. "Do you mean the Alpha Trion who is on the council? What's that like?"

Optimus smiled at that as we both turned another corner. "It was fun. He taught me so much and let me go to the archives whenever I wanted to read on Cybertron's past. Did you know that, in the past, Cybertron was a central hub of trade and information." Really? I actually didn't know that. With this war I wasn't sure about much of anything about Cybertron's past. I wonder what happened to, "Move!"

I flinched as Optimus tackled me to the side. Immediately, I saw a 'blaster' shot zoom through where I had just been standing. That had been close. "Thanks Optimus I," I flinched as the 'laser' hit the ground and left a sizeable mark. "holy slag Optimus those are real rounds!" I screamed as he and I both moved under cover. What the frag was going on? This wasn't right at all. Kup said that this was to be a test using fake rounds. They shouldn't be able to do that. "We need to move now!"

Optimus nodded and so the two of us quickly stood before sprinting down the path. We had to find the others and quickly. "Pandimala, we need to contact the others." Optimus suggested as we turned a corner and had to duck to the ground as a shot came at us.

A hiss escaped my vocals as the shot grazed my shoulder. I was not happy about this. Not at all. Fragging real rounds on a practice course? Something had to be wrong with the programming. No matter how hard an instructor was, they wouldn't risk real rounds in an enclosed space like this. Later one when we were doing battle simulations…yes. But, in a maze like this with enclosed spaces and barely any room to dodge? No.

"Pandimala where are you?" I heard Vox yell through the comm that he, Zarron, Tana, and I set up when we were younger to help with our pranks.

I glanced at Optimus. "Optimus, we need to hold this position for now. I've got Vox on the comm and I'll see what he thinks and where he is." Then, I touched the side of my helm before connecting myself to the call that Vox was trying to make. "I'm here Vox. I'm with Optimus and I'll send you a ping of my location." I did so and then continued. "Is anyone with you?"

Optimus doused a few of the lasers in his coolant before coming back into cover as Vox answered me. "Thanks Pandimala. From what I've gotten from you three, I've pretty much got the maze mapped out. I'm missing a small piece near you that I think is the center of the maze. From my scan, you seem to be the closest to the center. You'll head west from your current position and then take the next two rights. Then, you'll make a left and the entrance to the center is going to be four hundred yards straight ahead." He then paused and I heard him arguing with somebot in the background before he continued. "Oh, and I have Remcy and Elita with me. Elita isn't too thrilled about the change in pace." I heard a sound of metal hitting metal that I was sure was a helm slap. "Frag it Elita sorry!" He then sighed. "Anyways, Tana and Balm are together and Zarron is with Sentinel. Tana and Balm are the next closest out of us and then it's my group and then Zarron and Sentinel are the furthest away. Their paths took them around the far edge of the maze." The sound of a laser shot sounded over the comm before Vox finished. "Can't waste any more time talking. You two need to get to the center and get that system shut down now!" He then cut the line.

While I was worried for my family, I knew that now was not the time to panic. Since Optimus and I were the closest, then I knew that we had to make our way to the center. "Optimus, Vox says we are the closest to the center. Are we clear to move?" He was the one who was holding our position so he would know best if we were in good position to move.

Optimus peeked around the corner and seemed to study it before nodding. "Yeah, I took out the lasers down this section of the maze. Did Vox say which direction we needed to head?"

I relayed the instructions to him before motioning to the path. "I can't maneuver around well and dodge the lasers. If you take the lead and act as our scout, let me know where the lasers are and then I can freeze them so we aren't in a shoot-out with them. That way you can stay clear of the blasts since you don't have a blaster of your own."

He seemed to think about that for a moment before he nodded. "That's a good idea Pandimala. Let's get to the center so we can finish this nightmare."

Optimus then led the way so I made sure to keep pace behind him. While the last part of Vox's directions had a set distance we needed to travel, these right turns that we had to take were three hundred yards apart from each other! Thankfully, Optimus was resourceful and was able to identify where most of the lasers were the first time he looked at the path. There were only a few that he missed but I was able to spot them when I came out and froze them all.

The two of us continued to move down the path that Vox gave us quickly and efficiently and I felt like we were doing pretty good. If we were being watched, I hoped this proved to the Autobots that I did not need my wings to fight efficiently for the Autobot cause against the Decepticons. As Optimus looked around the left turn that we had to make before the straightaway four hundred yards, I felt like I got a pretty good boot camp team. We worked well together and I had a feeling that more than just Optimus was working well with us. Those other two, Balm and Remcy, seemed really eager to be our friends and that meant that we would all be able to help each other.

When Optimus moved back to me, I felt worried at the concerned look on his faceplate. "What's wrong Optimus?" I asked my partner in this.

He motioned back to the turn and frowned. "It's weird. There aren't any lasers on the walls and there is just a large block in the middle of the path that is stopping us from getting to the center. Do you mind if I go first?"

This wasn't feeling right with me but Optimus had a faster reaction time than I did. So, reluctantly, I nodded. "Go ahead Optimus. I'll wait until you are fifty yards out before moving. If you see even the slightest hint of movement not from me you get back to my position. I can take more of a beating from lasers than you can."

A nod came with his response. "Deal." He then moved around the left turn and slowly made his way down the path. Ten yards. Twenty. Forty. As soon as he hit fifty I moved around the corner and kept a cautious optic out. This wasn't right at all. Ever since the lasers started firing the real rounds, Optimus and I had been bombarded by laser fire. Now, at the end of our path, all was quiet? I think not. Something big was going to happen and I could tell that Optimus picked up on this too. He had talked about wanting to be a Prime eventually when our introductions were made and, from how he was reacting here, I knew that he would go far and maybe, one solar cycle, he would take over for Ultra Magnus and become Magnus. I knew that was Sentinel's dream but, from what I was seeing, Optimus had all of the qualifications he needed.

…Just in need of some training.

When I reached the one hundred twenty-five-yard mark, I studied ahead of me and the block that was stopping our progress was one hundred yards ahead of me. Something wasn't right about that thing and it was causing me to become jittery. Claustrophobia was making me nervous and I almost wished that I had my wings out. They would be able to help me decide what to do. I could read patterns in the air.

But, I had to be steadfast in my decision until I had no other choice and, while this was a pretty dire situation, I still had a choice to pound it out on pede. It was better to watch out for Optimus here on ground level for now anyways. I had to make sure that we all completed this mission as soundly as possible. Yeah…this was no longer a training exercise for me. It was a mission and I would not lose anybot.

"Pandimala move!"

I jumped as Optimus yelled that and it was only then that I realized that I had zoned out. That was something that could be deadly on the battlefield. I couldn't think of anything else as Optimus shoved me to the side and I heard his yell of pain.

Once I slammed to the ground, I immediately sat up and felt my optics widen when I saw that Optimus' leg had a hole blown straight through it. Scrap! Running over to Optimus position, I dragged him out of the way before looking over the wound. It was leaking energon and sparking dangerously. We had to finish this mission now and now the situation dictated that there was no other choice.

"Optimus can you use that ax well enough to chop up the generator in the center?" I asked my injured teammate.

He flinched and looked down at his injured leg before looking back at me. "Maybe if I could get to it. But, I can't even walk on my leg right now and you can't carry me and take out that block at the same time. Looks like we'll have to hide out here until the others get to the center."

We both flinched as the block continued to fire at us. While I wasn't happy about the circumstances that I had to use them, my wings were the best option for the situation and I didn't think the other's would get to the center in decent time to turn off the system and help Optimus. So, I opened up a comm with Tana. "Tana, this is 'Mala. Optimus has been hurt pretty bad in the leg. Hole blown clean through. Can you ask Balm if she can look at it once we take out that generator?"

The line was quiet for a few clicks before Tana came on. "Hey 'Mala. Balm says that she can help fix it until we can get a full medic here. But, how are you going to get to the generator unless…" She then drifted off as what I figured was her figuring out what I was going to do came to her. "Pandimala that's dangerous. You'll be more exposed to the lasers and you could get really hurt!"

I shook my helm at her response. "Tana, I doubt you all are as close as we are. I can almost see the generator. Plus, I bet you all have laser blocks stopping you as well. Just make sure to move double time to the center as soon as we take that thing down." I then cut the line before she could say anything else before moving and picking up Optimus from under his arms.

"Pandimala what are you doing?" Optimus asked me in a panicked voice. "You aren't seriously planning on running with me past the block and hoping to not get shot?" He yelled the second part and I knew that he was panicked.

Before I could answer him, I had to focus to open my thrusters and start the opening of my wings. Once that was started, I ran toward the block with him before saying, "There was something that I didn't tell any of you during introductions. The only bots who know are my fellow housing bots and Kup, who was told by one of the bots that raised us. Just…hang on tightly."

The block started to prime its blaster and I could feel Optimus try to squirm out of panic. But, I knew it was going to be alright. Just as the blaster was about to fire, my wings popped out and I activated my thrusters before flying into the air. I had to admit that Optimus' squirming was not helping me stay steady in the air…not in the slightest. "Pand…Pandimala you're a flier!?" Optimus squeaked in shock as we rose into the air above the block. I could see the generator now.

As my wings sent me information, I nodded. "Yeah…well I would technically be called a triple changer. Now, do you think you can take out the generator?"

I was surprised when he was able to answer me pretty quickly. "Y…yeah I can take it out. Just get me to it and it'll be gone." He then took his ax out of subspace and held it tight as I flew near the generator.

I was about to descend toward the generator when a flash of light appeared in front of my vision…the corner by one of the entrances to the center. Taking a quick glance in focus, I saw that one of the cubes was primed and aimed right at me. There wasn't enough time to land close enough to the generator to destroy it and Optimus needed to take out that generator so the others could get here. I knew Optimus leg had to be painful right now and it was only going to get worse. There was only one thing I could really do.

"Optimus get ready to swing!" I yelled before turning to get momentum and throwing him. "Now!" As he moved closer to the generator, the block in front of me fired its laser and, an instant later, my chest plate flared with pain and my world went dark.

Kup's 1st P.O.V.

I growled as I studied the data-pad in front of me. It was strange. In all the other boot camps that I had overseen, the cadets would throw caution to the winds since the lasers were fake. The least amount of blast hits before this solar cycle had been twelve and that had been a very nervous bot. But, as I looked over this information, there was only eleven hits between all nine cadets…and five were minor hits on Sentinel. Grazing hits really. Then, the warrior-to-be Tana took three minor hits, Vox and Zarron both had a hit each, also minor, and Optimus had a major hit on his right leg. Otherwise, there were no injuries. Something wasn't right about,

The sound of a jet engine caused myself, Anvil, and Boombox to glance toward the arena and I smirked when I saw Pandimala carrying Optimus into the air. Pandimala had told me that she was only going to use her wings if there was no other choice until the end of the solar cycle. So, why was she using them now? The center of the maze was too far away from us to get a clear view but I couldn't even begin to see what the problem could be.

"She's a triple changer?" I glanced at both Anvil and Boombox when they said that. Young bots these solar cycles. There used to be a time when all bots were able to identify what kind of mode a bot was, even if said bot was trying to hide it.

I let out a laugh, which caused the two of them to look at me, before I spoke. "Yes she is. You two need more training in identifying bots. I knew as soon as Pandimala finished showing her weapons that she was a triple changer. But, we can't focus on that right now. Pandimala will explain herself when they all finish," I paused myself when I saw the data pad flash and I saw that Pandimala had taken a critical hit to the chestplate. If that was a real hit, I would be calling medics immediately. The program then flashed to say that the lasers were deactivated.

"Looks like that explanation is going to be coming soon." Anvil smirked as we all waited.

But, I became worried as the clicks dragged by and no one came out. Something had to be wrong and I was not liking this. Without the risk of lasers, the cadets should have been able to come back right away without any issues. Of course, they could be questioning Pandimala about her wings but I didn't think it would be taking this long.

I jumped at the sound of a siren and I turned in surprise to see a medic alt mode barreling down toward us. Once it was in front of us, the bot transformed and I was surprised at who it was. "Where are the injured bots?" My old wartime friend, Ratchet, asked me as he stood with worry in his optics.

What…what was he talking about? "Ratchet…I didn't make a call. Plus…you don't work for any of the nearby med centers."

He gave me a look that I was used to. A look that said that he knew what I was saying and I was an idiot. I really hated that look. "Of course I don't work for any of the med centers. They're filled with a bunch of annoying brats. I listen to the emergency band in case I am the closest bot who can help or if the operators don't take a call seriously. That's why I'm here. A young femme who called herself Balm called the emergency line in a panic about a young mech with a blaster hole through his leg and a triple changer femme that was shot in the chest plate and was in serious condition that she needed a trained medic to the training grounds immediately. They told her that there were no triple changers in the Autobots and that she needed to make an appointment to see a psychiatrist immediately before they hung up. The idiots!"

I had to get Ratchet calmed down and to the cadets. Balm was a nervous femme and I doubted that she would call unless there was an emergency. That meant that I couldn't waste any more time. "Well hurry up Hatch. We need to get to the middle of the maze now!"

Leading the way through the maze, I lead Ratchet and my two assistants through. It wasn't complicated but the lasers should have been all over the place. But, it looked like some of them never came out of this path. "So there is a triple changer in your boot camp Kup?"

Smirking at his question, I nodded. "Yeah Ratchet, and frag did it surprise me. You remember Joint?"

He let out a huff of disbelief at my question. "Kup you know she was my last apprentice. Of course I remember her. She stopped being a medic after her tour of duty, though, and went into housing orphans. Why do you ask?"

We turned another corner before continuing. "Because I have the bots she was raising in this boot camp. Of course Balm wasn't one of them. I'll send you the file on that femme." He gave me a curious look but I needed to continue as we passed the halfway point. "Anyways, there were four of them but one is a triple changer femme called Pandimala."

I paused as I approached the final approach to the center. Not only were their blaster marks on the walls and ground, I saw spilt energon. That could only mean that,

"Say that again and the next energon spilled will be yours!" I heard Cadet Tana exclaim in anger.

When the four of us exited into the middle of the maze, I felt my optics widen in surprise. Elita-One was standing in front of Sentinel and seemed to be holding him back. Facing him on the other side were Zarron, Vox, and Remcy holding Tana back…who looked like she wanted to tear into Sentinel. But, the important detail was Balm and the two injured bots that she was moving between. Like she reported, Optimus had a hole through his leg and Pandimala looked close to offlining. Balm herself looked like she was in a panic trying to keep them both stable. For a rookie medic, she seemed to have studied up on what to do in emergencies.

"What happened?"

I jumped as Ratchet rushed by me and knelt down next to Balm, who was looking at Pandimala. "The lasers…they started firing real rounds. We all tried to get to the center quickly but most of us were still pretty far behind. Pandimala and Optimus…they got the closest and so we had them go to the center." I noticed that young Balm seemed to be close to panic.

However, that didn't last long as Ratchet nodded. "Calm down femme. I'll need your help with the triple changer. I'm surprised she has lasted this long and I'll be fragged to the Pit if I don't give her a chance to stay online." He then turned to me. "Kup, you get on the emergency band and get a med team down here to look at the mech. He should be alright until they get here." He then looked at Optimus. "You need to just stay calm and take slow intakes. I know it hurts but it could be a lot worse." Finally he transformed and used his magnets to load Pandimala on top of his alt mode. "And you…Balm right?"

Balm nodded nervously and I could now see that she was covered in energon. She must have been really working herself to keep both of the injured bots stable. "Yes…that's me."

Ratchet seemed to hesitate for a nano-click before continuing. "While you seem nervous to me, the only other bot I would trust with this would be too emotionally close to this since she helped raise the triple changer here. So, you need to snap out of this haze, transform into your alt mode, and follow me to my med bay so we can treat your fellow cadet." Balm seemed to hesitate, probably due to her nervousness, so Ratchet decided to 'nudge' her forward. "Now!"

She then transformed and followed Ratchet toward the direction of the exit. Once there, I knew that it would take them about ten clicks to get to Ratchet's house and med bay. I shook my head and went to call the emergency band when I heard a voice next to me. "Yes you idiots! My name is Anvil, assistant instructor at the boot camp being trained by Kup, and we do need a fragging medic team." My femme assistant yelled into her comm line. There was a pause before she sighed. "There was a triple changer but a medic with a working processor heeded Balm's call and has taken her back to his own med bay. Of course I'm not kidding! You can ask the bots down here all you like once you get a team down here! And I want it now!" I then recognized the signs of her hanging up on the medics. She was one unhappy femme.

"Calm down dear…it's going to be fine now." Boombox calmed down Anvil, who also happened to be his bondmate.

Anvil nodded and leaned next to Boombox before the three of us approached the other cadets, who were standing by the downed Optimus. I could still see sparks in the air between Tana and Sentinel so I coughed before saying, "Cadets, stand down. Given the events of this solar cycle, you have the rest of the solar cycle off. But, you better be ready for the next solar cycle. It's going to be a hard round of training that you won't like at all."

They all nodded and I was about to turn away when, to my surprise, Vox walked up to me with Zarron and Tana. "Sir," Vox started. "who was that mech that took Pandimala and Balm?"

I looked in the direction that the old medic took and smirked. Yeah, I guess this generation wouldn't know who he was. Taking a puff of my cygar, I let the smoke out before answering him. "Lad, that was one of the most famous medics still online. Served with me during the Great War and he is very good at what he does. His designation is Ratchet."

Ratchet's 1st P.O.V.

This solar cycle was not what I expected it to be. I had just been enjoying my mid-solar cycle energon and listening to the emergency band when I heard a young femme's voice call about an injured triple changer femme and vehicle mech at the training grounds. At first, I thought that the femme might be having a break-down due to the stress of the first solar cycle of boot camp. But, she immediately changed my opinion when she started to read of the vitals and the symptoms that she was taking on the two bots in question. This cadet, since she sounded too panicked to be an instructor, seemed to have some basic knowledge in the medical field and I just knew that she was serious about the situation.

I was angered when the operator on the other side told the femme that she should seek a psychiatrist appointment. No bot who could send statistics like that, especially on the triple changer, could be faking it. During the war, I had helped a couple of triple changers and they had a specific set of stats that only a bot working on one would be able to repeat to the operators. The femme driving behind me into my med bay had said those stats. So, I had made my way to the training grounds and, like the young femme…Balm, had reported to the operator, there was a triple changer who was close to offlining and a young mech with a hole through his leg.

Once the two of us were inside, I immediately stopped and used my magnets to move the triple changer to one of the four med berths that I had here. Once she was set down, I quickly transformed. "We don't have time to waste." I started to instruct Balm. "Top cabinet on the left side there should be some clamps. Grab all that you can, and a variety of sizes, and let's get to work on your friend."

The young femme nodded and immediately ran to do so. While she did that, I scanned the young triple changer's injury and saw that, thankfully, the blaster shot had sealed a good number of the major lines so only minimal energon was coming out. That would be a good thing when we got inside. I grabbed my tools and, as soon as Balm returned with the clamps, we set to work.

In total, the operation took nine cycles to complete. While at first, the injury had looked better than it could have, it actually ended up being worse. While the blaster shot had seared some of the lines shut, it had also disrupted her flow of energon and so we had to undo the searing and that had put the femme into even more pain. Pandimala, who was the triple changer, had come out of stasis due to the pain and I had to hold her down…which was not easy, as Balm hooked her up to the stasis drip. It wasn't long before she was in stasis again and we could proceed.

The young femme, Balm, was even more helpful than I thought. I was serious in saying that the only reason I had her coming with me was due to the only other bot who I trusted to help, Joint, being too close to this femme. If Kup hadn't told me that Joint had raised this triple changer in her housing program, then I would have called my previous apprentice to help me. But, since she was, then this femme, who had called in the emergency in the first place, was my only option. And from how she worked in here, I could tell that she had done a good deal of research on the medical field. She didn't even need me to tell her how to hook up the clamps and the young femme was able to react right away when one of the femme's lines suddenly burst and energon had started spraying everywhere. Instead of panicking at the energon spraying, like many of the idiot femmes at Iacon Central Hospital did, Balm immediately grabbed a clamp and reached into the wound before placing said clamp on the broken line.

Now I was just finishing sealing the triple changer's wound while Balm was turning off the output of the drip. This would allow Pandimala to come out of stasis slowly and naturally. That would give her wounds time to heal slightly so she would be in less pain. From her size and my experience in the past, I figured that it would take her about three cycles to wake up. Then, I would send her back to,

A ping on my private message system had me pause slightly before I returned to my work and opened it. The message was from Kup and it was a file on Balm…the femme that I was working with. I finished sealing the wound and motioned to a hall on the side before saying, "Once you finish up, I have a wash rack that you can use. I'll use the one in the house. Once you are done you can rest in here with your friend until I get back." She nodded hesitantly so I made my way to my house to my personal wash racks.

Once I was inside and turned on the water, I opened the file on the femme and started to read. Designation: Balm. Registered alt mode: Medical Response Vehicle. Hmm…so she had this alt mode registered. That probably meant that, given the circumstances, she was wanting to be a medic for a long time.

I then scrolled down the notes until I looked at the next important piece of information. The date that she emerged from the Well. I was curious as to how old she really was. However, I was confused when the date was unavailable but it said that she was 1.8 million stellar cycles old. That shouldn't be right. Why would a date be unavailable? I saw that there was a number taking me to a side note so I scrolled to it before I continued to read. My optics widened slightly when I saw that, 1.8 million stellar cycles ago, she was detached from a sparklet that was created by a spark bond between her sire, Dif, and her carrier, Cryal. While I wasn't familiar with Cryal, I did know about Dif. He was a very accomplished medic who was usually right on the front lines. He was injured on the front lines and, from what I heard, he could have been saved if there were more medics. I never realized that he had sparked his bondmate.

From her age, I didn't have to read Balm's age designation to know that she was a youngling. However, she would be an official adult in 200,000 stellar cycles. She was younger than I thought and, with how she handled herself at the operating table, I was curious as to what the bots in the psych department at Iacon Central thought about this femme. It was standard for all cadets to be pre-examined unless they came from the housing units. That would explain them not knowing about Pandimala since she was from housing. They probably didn't have any record on her.

Turning off the water and starting to dry off, I re-focused my attention on the report and scanned it until I found the 'personality' report…or in other terms the psych report.

Once I found it, I read it aloud as I continued to dry off. "Displays nervous tendencies…among those a habit of stuttering words. Medics have done comprehensive scans on vocals and find no medical reason for this. Seems hesitant when being introduced to new bots and seems to be socially inept." I paused at that. While she seemed a nervous type, I didn't see her as socially inept. If she were, she would not have been able to work with me in the operating room.

She wasn't the best at social interacting, I would give the bots at Iacon Central that much, but to say that she was socially inept was an exaggeration. No bot who was 'socially inept' could work in a strange medical bay with a complete stranger on a bot with a critical wound like Pandimala had received. Then, to stay calm when the unexpected happened just showed a sound processor that was capable to dealing with situations.

I focused back on the report to see what else this bot had to say about the femme who was probably still washing up from the operation. "It is recommended that the femme in question never be accepted into hi-stress work environments. The femme in question has expressed a want to enter the medical field. This is to be highly discouraged and prevented at all available costs. The only safe work environment that is seen for this femme is secretarial work for an employer with a low-stress work environment."

I hesitated for a nano-click after reading that. Then, I reread it to myself before feeling anger rise in my systems. That femme had just reacted more calmly in the operating room than most femmes…and mechs that were currently stationed at Iacon Central. And they were trained medical professionals. This 'Pendulum' was a bot that I was going to look into.

I moved to close the report when I noticed that Kup had made his own little side note on it next to Pendulum's name. It was a simple one worded note but it explained this entire report to me. That word was 'Politics'. Yes, now it made sense. There were so few bots that came from a carrier and sire these solar cycles, millions of stellar cycles in fact, and now I was starting to piece everything together. It wouldn't look good for the council if a femme who didn't come to a Well, a system they controlled, were able to grow up and gain a well-respected reputation such as a medic.

That gave me an idea and I knew that it would really irk the idiots on the council. I just had to hope that the femme, Balm, would accept my proposition. While I knew she wasn't socially inept, I knew that she was a nervous femme and I wasn't sure how she would react outside of the operating theater. But, as I made my way to the med bay, I knew that there was really only one way to find out and I couldn't worry myself over anything else. I had seen so much during the war that I couldn't let these things worry me. I had to just approach the femme and ask her what I wanted to ask her. It would be her choice as to what would happen.

When I got to the room, I saw that Balm was checking Pandimala's vitals and I knew even more now that she was going to go far if she accepted. If she didn't then I knew that the council would do everything that they could to deny her want of being a medic and stick her behind a desk. Balm had every instinct to be a capable medic and I knew that I could train those instincts in her while teaching her the tricks of the trade.

"How are her levels?" I asked Balm to let her know that I was here.

Said femme jumped and turned to me before sighing and saying, "S...sorry sir I didn't hear you come in. Pandimala's stable and it looks like she is going to make a full recovery. Her spark energy is stable and the patches we made on her lines are holding. Unless Pandimala still feels pain when she comes back online, I'm sure that she is going to be fine to go back to boot camp to train next solar cycle."

I walked up next to Balm and looked over Pandimala myself and I saw that Balm was correct in her findings. Now, however was time to get some information about Balm from the femme herself. So, I motioned to a couple of chairs that I keep in the room before continuing. "Why don't we sit and wait for her to wake up? I would like to ask you some questions if that is alright?"

Balm seemed to hesitate when I asked that but, after a few clicks, she nodded slightly. "That…that seems like a good idea." We both then walked over to the chairs and sat down before she motioned to me. "Wh…what would you like to know?"

I motioned to her before saying, "While we were working on Pandimala, you seemed to know the basics on what to do. Why is that?"

She seemed to grow very nervous before she spoke. "Well…my carrier used to tell me stories about all the devastation that the war caused on all bots and how, if there had been enough medics around during the war, that my sire would still be around this solar cycle. So…I wanted to make sure that there would at least be one more medic out in the galaxy that would be ready to help. So…I would read all of my sire's journals and notes along with the information data-pads that he would collect when he was online. Carrier never got rid of anything that belonged to sire. Late during the night cycles, if I couldn't recharge, carrier would read me Sire's medical journals. I was practically raised around knowledge of being a medic. I've wanted to be a medic for as long as I could remember." She then paused before adding. "Sir."

I felt surprised by the amount of time this femme had spent working for her dream. It reminded me of what it was like to work hard for what you believed in. This just made me even more sure about what I was going to ask. So, I nodded before saying, "So you want to be a medic. Seems like your friend here was lucky that you are so dedicated to your goal." I then paused and looked at her again before saying what I thought of earlier. "Now…I'll have to run this by your instructor at the academy but I want to ask you something."

Balm looked even more nervous. "Y…yes sir?"

I studied her again before speaking. "Now, it will be a lot of hard work and I will expect obedience as well as you retaining the lessons I teach…but I would like to offer to you the chance to be my apprentice. So…would you like to become my new apprentice?"

The femme in front of me stared straight at me in shock. I saw no hesitation but confusion and joy. That was probably the cause of her shock. If she didn't make a response soon then I, "Oh yes sir! I would love to be your apprentice! Thank you thank you! I promise I will work hard every solar cycle that I can! Oh thank you!" Then I jumped as she launched at me and, before I could dodge, I was smothered in a hug by said femme.

I wasn't usually a fan of hugs and I wasn't sure what to do now. While I wanted to push the femme off of me, I was afraid that it would be damaging to her mental state if I did so. She was trusting me but, if I pushed her away, then she might become reclusive during her apprenticeship and, if she did that, she would not be able to learn all that I could teach her. So, I settled on a middle ground. "Um…Balm?" I started forcing confusion into my vocals.

Her frame tensed and she slowly backed off with a nervous look on her faceplate. "Oh…um…s…sorry sir."

She looked extremely nervous now and I knew that, if I didn't react now, that she would remain nervous around me. So, I did something that I didn't do often since the war and smiled before nodding. "It's alright Balm…and you don't have to address me as sir. My designation is Ratchet."

Balm: I...I am an apprentice...*smiles widely* YES! *pauses and blushes at sudden outburst*

Authoress: *laughs* Yes and don't you worry Balm. I bet that, under Ratchet, you'll learn all that you need to learn and more. He is one of the best out there.

Balm: *nods and smiles* Oh I am so glad for this. *goes off to pack*

Tana: *walks in* What was that about?

Authoress: *smiles* Well, it seems like Balm is going to be the first out of you all to take that closer step to getting her dream. *smirks* So you all had better step up the pace.

Tana: *runs out to train*

AN: And here is the next exciting chapter to this story! I hope you all enjoyed it ( I know I did) and I can't wait for the fun to keep coming. Looks like we get a peek into the pasts of both Balm and Optimus. While Balm's past was fun to write I really enjoyed having Optimus raised by Alpha Trion. It may or may not be important later on. Also, Ratchet finally makes an appearance and we get to see that the Council is starting to become an important role in the story. Remember, I have many plans my readers and they are so intricately bound that even the smallest details can result in the largest of surprises. Next chapter I start with 'stand alone' chapter about each of Pandimala's close friends and their path to reaching their goal. It should be pretty interesting but I haven't decided who will be first. The only thing that I do know is that Balm will not be next...sorry to anyone that wanted it to be so. However, I have a birthday request to fill out next before I can continue with any of my other stories so things will have to hold off for a few days...depending on how quickly I can get the request filled to perfection (well...as perfect as I can...no one is more perfect than Knockout...*goes into Knockout fangirl daze*)

Well, that is all that I have to say for now. Please leave a review, even if it is to say hello, and I will greatly appreciate it! I try to respond to reviewers if I can but my email likes to play keep away at times so if I do not respond to your review I am terribly sorry but want you to know that I do eventually see them and they are greatly appreciated. Until next time...TTYL! *watches prisoners of war in POW camp at Stalag 13 and laughs at Schultz...who sees NOTHING!* (If you get that reference I love you...somewhat XD )