Hello everyone! I am glad to be back with this new chapter. It has been a little while since I have updated for this one but hey better late then never right?
Anyway... I do have a bit of news to tell. In the last chapter I told you all that I am joining the Navy, well something has changed. While I am still joining the Military I have been unable to join the Navy. Instead I have joined the Army! Yeah that is right, I am an Army man now. Its a long complicated story and I may tell it if enough people ask me for it...
Anyway, I will let you all go and enjoy the chapter. I hope you all like it.
Sam sat quietly on one of the large berths in the med bay, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He had a slight pain buzzing in his head which he was guessing was a Cybertronian version of a headache. His body hurt and every time he tried to move a flare of pain would run through him. Apparently fighting the way Alpha had wasn't as easy as movies made it out to be.
"Alpha..." Sam thought but didn't get a reply. "Alpha... you there?"
Sam could feel a slight stirring in his mind and spark and a moment later Alpha's voice sounded in his ear.
"Yes Sam... I am here." His voice sounded weak.
"Are you ok?" He asked. You have been quiet for a while."
The two of them had switched places once the Volt they were in had gotten a safe distance from the chasing Decepticons. Sam had found out a few moments after that, that the Volt they were in went by the name Jolt. Sam remembered seeing him around the base a few times while he still thought he was a sparkling but he had never talked to him. He had been much too scared to talk to many others.
"I am fine Sam... fighting has taken a lot of power from me." Alpha said. "I simply need rest."
Sam nodded his head, he understood that. He felt worn out and he was only feeling the after effects of the fight. He couldn't imagine how Alpha was feeling. Sam let out a sigh, or what passed for one, and rested his forehead on his knees. He wished that Ratchet would hurry and get back to the base. He had been set on the berth by Prowl and told that he was supposed to stay there until Ratchet got back. The police car then moved to the other side of the med bay and stood stock still his optics never moving from the small mech on the berth.
Silence filled his head again and Sam began to slowly shut down as he started to enter a recharge cycle. His only good optic shut off after a moment and he didn't even notice his body falling sideways until he was lying down on the berth. His tanks intake lowered along with the power being used by his body. In the extreme tired state that he was in, there was no dreaming or memory reviews. Just peaceful blackness.
It was some time later that Ratchet walked into the med bay to find the small sparkling fast asleep on the berth looking peaceful and relaxed. The peaceful image shattered the moment the medic started seeing all the damage done to the small body. Scratched and chard metal, exposed wires, a torched optic and he could only guess on what kind of internal damage.
"Sir." Prowl said finally moving from his sentry position.
"Prowl... is he alright?" Ratchet asked looking at the black and white mech.
"From my observation he is emotionally well." Prowl said. "He didn't talk much thought but he did not act as though he had a malfunction."
"Did this damage take place from the Decepticons?" Ratchet asked moving to the side of the berth.
"I am unsure." Prowl answered. "We found him on the ground under an unknown Decepticon. Jolt reported his injuries to me on the way back here."
"I see..." Ratchet said. "When did he enter recharge?"
"About two hours ago." Prowl said.
"The rest will help him..." Ratchet said.
"Agreed." Prowl said. "If that is all sir, I must report for monitor duty."
Ratchet nodded his head telling Prowl that he could go. Once Prowl was out of the med bay Ratchet carefully rolled the sparkling over so that he was laying on his back.
"I can only imagine what you have been through." Ratchet whispered to the off line sparkling.
"You shouldn't have any trouble fixing him though." An all to familiar voice said.
Ratchet shuttered his optics and shook his head.
"No... you aren't here..." He mumbled to himself.
"What do you mean?" The voice said closer now. "How could we be speaking like this if I wasn't here?"
Ratchet turned around and sure enough he saw Wheeljack standing not too far away. His face still covered by his visor and the panels on the side of his head glowing brightly.
"Please... leave me be." Ratchet begged. "It's too painful."
"Ratchet... I don't understand." Wheeljack said sounding hurt. "What is wrong?"
"You..." Ratchet said. "You are what's wrong. You are not here."
"But... but I am here." Wheeljack said. "I have always been here."
He began to move closer reaching out for Ratchet wanting to embrace his sparkmate. But Ratchet moved so that the berth was between him and the other mech.
"No you are not here!" Ratchet snapped. "I haven't seen you since I left the Ark for Earth and you left to go back to Cybertron."
Wheeljack froze where he was. His hands dropped to his sides and the lights on the side of his head faded to a dull gray.
"Ratchet..." He whispered sadly.
Ratchet shuttered his optics and shook his head several times before opening them again. The Wheeljack that had been standing there moments ago was now gone. Nothing showed that he had ever been there.
"What is wrong with me!" Ratchet yelled in his head.
Optimus paced back and forth in his office his mind running wild with thoughts on what had happened that day. But more importantly what had happened to his sparkling. He had failed to protect him yet again and once again they had come very close to losing him. He didn't know what he would do if something where to happen to the sparkling. The bond between him and the youngling was very strong now that he was sure that he would be driven mad if he were to lose him.
A buzz came from his office door and Optimus jerked his head up realizing that someone was asking to come in. Standing straight he tried to compose himself as best he could. Sending a quick data burst the door opened showing Major Lennox standing on the other side.
"Major Lennox." He greeted. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Will entered the Prime's office letting the door closed behind him. "We need to talk Optimus."
Optimus raised an optic ridge but nodded his head and offered his hand down so that Will could climb on. Once the Major was safe in his hand Optimus lifted him up and placed him on his desk. Moving around it he sat down and folded his hands in front of him.
"What is on your mind?" Optimus asked trying to remain polite.
"At the moment... You and Ironhide." Will said not even looking at the chair set up on the Prime's desk.
Optimus was more surprised than he let show. A few gears spun and a plate of metal on his arm shifted into a new position but other than that he didn't move.
"What about Ironhide and myself?" He asked carefully.
Will let out a slow breath and ran his hand over his shaved head. "I am worried about the fact that you might be... shutting Ironhide out."
A look of confusion crossed Optimus's face. "I... am afraid I don't understand. Ironhide is not being shut out of anything... he holds a vital role within our ranks and he is always informed on every aspect of what happens on the base and off it."
Will shook his head and wished that there was an easier way to say what he was about to. "I mean... I am worried that you are shutting him out of raising Sam."
Optimus's confused look vanished instantly and was replaced with one of pure shock. He could feel his body heating up as his spark pulsed quickly.
"Why would you think something like that?" He asked trying to keep his emotions under control.
"Because Ironhide told me that is how he felt." Will said. "After the clean up today he told me that ever since the Sam became a sparkling and you two became his parents, he feels as if you are trying to do most of the parenting by yourself."
"That is absurd." Optimus answered. "I would never..."
"You didn't even let him know how badly Sam was hurt." Will cut in. "Imagine how that would make you feel if someone knew how hurt your kid was but didn't let you know."
Optimus grew quiet as he processed the information. "I... I simply did not want him to over react. He threatened Galloway earlier; I didn't want a repeat or worse."
"Did you forget that you threatened him to?" Will asked. "You're gun was on him just as much as Ironhide's. And Ratchet had to hold you back just like Sunstreaker and Sideswipe did with Ironhide."
Optimus's optics grew wider as he realized that what Will was saying was true. He had lost control of himself just like Ironhide had. Looking back he also realized how much he was in fact blocking Ironhide from raising the youngling. Letting the air from his tanks, Optimus shuttered his optics and let his shoulders fall. At the site of the Prime, Will knew that Optimus was seeing the truth.
"You are right..." He said. "I have been blind to my own actions."
Will nodded his head. "Yeah... now you just need to go and let Ironhide know that."
"I only hope he will forgive me." Optimus said.
"Be honest with him, I am sure he will." Will told him.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe watched Bumblebee carefully from their seats in the rec room. They had been ordered to make sure that the scout didn't run off and try and get into the med bay to see the sparkling. He had already tried a few times to make a run for it and both times the two of them had only just managed to keep him from escaping. It had been a good hour since he had tried to get out and both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe where confident that he had finally given up.
Instead of trying to run, Bumblebee was occupying his time by pacing back and forth in a long like at the far end of the room. Sideswipe was willing to just let him be but Sunstreaker was quickly getting annoyed by the constant back and forth. A few of his gears began to grind together and finally he couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Will you just sit down!" He snapped glaring daggers at the other yellow mech.
Bumblebee didn't even act like he could hear Sunstreaker and just kept on pacing back and forth. Sunstreaker growled to himself and pushed himself violently from his seat. He began to stop closer to Bumblebee with the intention of forcing him to stand still. He was forced to stop though by Sideswipe who ran in front of him and placed both his servos on his brother's shoulders.
"Ease Sunny." He said. "Just let him be."
"He is driving me crazy with his constant moving." Sunstreaker hissed to his brother. "And don't call me Sunny!"
"Listen... you know Bee is worried about the sparkling." Sideswipe whispered. "Just leave him alone for now. Once Ratchet is done fixing the little guy Bumblebee will be free to go see him and we..." He whispered stroking the side of his brother's helm gently. "...will be free to do whatever we want to."
Sideswipe watched the all too familiar gleam appear in his brother's optics and the devious smile pulled up on both their face plates. They stayed looking at each other for a few minutes until they decided to break apart.
"Alright Bee..." Sunstreaker said. "... you can keep on..."
The words died in his vocal processors as he turned to look at the place where Bumblebee had been pacing. The area was now completely empty, along with the rest of the room. The only ones in the rec room where the two of them.
"Frag..." Sideswipe cursed.
"We are so dead." Sunstreaker added.
With the last of his tools polished and in there proper place, Ratchet finally took a moment to sit down and relax his stiff joints. Fixing the sparkling had been harder then he had first thought. Since there hadn't been any sparklings in a very long time he had stopped practicing their basic and more advanced repairs. Contrary to what some Mechs, and now humans, thought not every Cybertronian was the same and fixing damaged bots was just as hard and complex as treating an injured human. With sparklings, just like with human children, repairing their damage was hard and very dangerous. Since sparklings didn't have many of the advanced programs and safety guards as older mechs, a single slip or cut wire can cause there spark to shatter.
Ratchet had taken more than double the time he normally spent on similar repairs making sure that absolutely nothing went wrong. Every wire had been checked and double checked a dozen different times before he moved on to the next one. The damage to the armor wasn't what worried the medic though. The hardest part of the repairs was the damaged optic. Repairing any optic is hard and complex, but with sparklings it is more than twice as hard, wires and sensors smaller then even Cybertronian optics can see needed to be fixed and reconnected. Ratchet still wasn't even sure how he had managed it, but he had.
The sparkling was now lying peacefully on the berth, all the damage was gone as if it had never happened. The metal was shining like new and all the energy levels where in perfect balance.
"Some of my best work I think." Ratchet thought to himself.
The only thing left was to inform Optimus and Ironhide that there sparkling was in perfect condition again. However he didn't want the two of them storming into the med bay and bombarding him with dozens of questions just yet. He figured waiting a little while wouldn't do any harm, and it would give the young one more time to rest. His musings where interrupted by the sound of the doors to the med bay trying to open. But with the locks in place it only shuttered for a second before a small buzzing sound was heard. Apparently whoever was trying to get in didn't have the override code. That alone told Ratchet that it wasn't Optimus or Ironhide, both of whom could easily override the locks on the door.
With a grunt and a held back groan Ratchet got up and made his way to the doors that lead to the hall way. As he stood in front of the doors he activated a small screen on the wall just beside the doors. It flickered for a second before a clear picture of the hallway outside popped up. In the middle of hallway stood a yellow mech who looked almost ready to bash the doors in.
"I am surprised it took him this long to get away from the two of them..." Ratchet thought to himself.
With a small sigh Ratchet activated the comm that linked the inside of the med bay to the outside.
"What do you want?" He asked a little harshly.
A series of high pitched screeches and recorded voices flowed over the speaker.
"Calm down Bumblebee..." He said. "The sparkling is fine, he is resting."
There was silence for a moment and Ratchet watched Bumblebee lower his wings in relief.
"Can I see him?" He asked over the speaker.
"Not just yet..." Ratchet answered. "He is still recharging and I would like for him to get as much rest as possible."
Another series of sounds rushed over the speaker and Ratchet couldn't help but growl to himself.
"Bumblebee!" He snapped. "I know that you are worried but this is final. The sparkling needs to rest and I don't have time to argue with you. Leave before I come out there and make you."
Ratchet's threat hung in the air for a few moments before Bumblebee finally let his shoulders drop and he began to slowly walk off down the hall. Ratchet let out a sigh, he hated when he had to act like a bad mech but sometimes it was the only way to make others understand. Standing straighter Ratchet turned around and began to work on some of the other things that needed to be done around his med bay. He made sure to not make too much noise so as not to wake up the sparkling.
A large explosion ripped through the air, at the same moment a large targeting dummy burst apart in a shower of fire and debris. A fair distance away Ironhide let out a heavy grunt as the large cannon on his right arm slowly stopped spinning and started to cool down. His optics narrowed as he looked at the destroyed remains of the target. An angry growl came from the black mech as he saw that more than half of his target was still standing. Charging up his cannon again he sent out several high powered shots that ripped through the air faster than the eye could blink. What was left of the target exploded violently sending even more large chunks flying in every direction.
Ironhide vented the air from his tanks hard and fast making his chest rise and fall. A few of his gears ground together as his body tried to cool down. Growling in his anger Ironhide quickly set his sights on the next target on the firing line. Raising his cannon again he tried to destroy the new target but a heavy click and the sound of metal grinding against metal was all that came from his cannon. The sound continued to come out every time he tried to fire. Clenching his hands into tight fists Ironhide threw his head back and let out a loud angry yell that rang through you the firing range.
Ironhide continued to yell until a warning began to flash in his vision telling him that his vocal processor was starting to strain. The only reason he stopped his fit was because he didn't want Ratchet to hit him for having to fix his cannon and his vocal processor. Slowly he unclenched his fists and let his head fall forward. Letting out a sigh he turned around ready to leave for the med bay. He froze in mild surprise as his optics settled on the large blue flamed figure of the Prime.
"...that was quite a display..." Optimus said.
The comment hung awkwardly in the between them. It wasn't close to what the Prime wanted to say but he hadn't truly been able to think of the right thing to say before making it to the training ground.
"Is there something I can do for you sir?" Ironhide said.
The question was said in a tone befitting a soldier speaking with his commander. But it didn't take a genius to catch the true tension behind each word. Optimus held back a shutter. He was unaware of just how angry Ironhide was until that moment. Optimus knew that it would take a lot of work to mend things between them. He just hoped that he would be able to.
"No... I was hoping that we could talk." Optimus said hopefully.
Ironhide grunted before walking past the Prime.
"Can't... I have to go see Ratchet." Ironhide said, all trace of formality was gone from his voice.
"I'll accompany you." Optimus said starting to walk behind him.
"Not needed." Ironhide said flatly.
"Ironhide..." Optimus began but was cut off.
"Optimus sir... there is an urgent transmission for you in the communications room."
The voice of Prowl sounded out from the speakers set outside the base. Optimus let out a sigh and lowered his head for a moment. When he looked back up he saw, to his disappointment, Ironhide walking off in the direction of the med bay.
"Sounds like your needed Prime." The mech said as he moved out of site behind a building.
Optimus ran his hand down his face letting out another sigh.
"This will be much harder than I thought..." He spoke to himself.
Letting his arm fall to his side, Optimus started to walk off in the opposite direction Ironhide left in. He would have to do more thinking on how to get the black mech to stay in the same room as him so that he could talk. He could always order him to stay but he doubted that would help his cause. His mind continued to dwell on his problem until he reached the communications room. Instantly he stood up straight as he was greeted by Prowl.
"What is the transmission?" He asked.
"A message from the human government regarding the attack." Prowl said. "Also the human female has just arrived and is demanding entrance."
Optimus nodded his head, while at the same time holding in a sigh. He really didn't want to deal with politics at the moment.
"Bring the message up on the screen." He said. "And grant Mikaela permission to enter the base. But have her brought to my office first."
Prowl nodded his head and began to do as he was told. Optimus took in a large amount of air for his cooling system just before the screen turned on showing the face of a very upset looking General.
I hope that you all enjoyed this new chapter. I did actually have fun writing it. The part with Ironhide and Optimus was a little tricky to write since I wanted to avoid them getting into an actual fight. But let me know what you think.
Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Until later have a great day/night.