IV

Orion groaned, looking around his house. The first bot coming to his apartment since Megatronus and Orion wasn't completely sure what to do. He put some of his take-home work away in the shelves but otherwise wasn't sure whether or not his apartment was presentable. Deep down, Orion felt that Ratchet wouldn't mind if the room was a mess or not. Soon enough, there was a knock on the door.

"Hello," greeted Orion, letting Ratchet in.

Ratchet scurried inside, a huge grin upon his lip. He sat on the couch, pulling out his various data pads and setting them on the table. Orion shut the door gently, taking a seat on the couch next to Ratchet. The medical student set a data pad on Orion's lap, which was labeled The Complete Cybertronian Medical Collection. Flipping through the pages, he couldn't make sense of anything though.

"So, you have theories?" mumbled Orion.

"Tons," grinned Ratchet. "None that are easy to identify."

"What do you think…"

"A signal connecting to your spark," hummed Ratchet, stroking his chin. "Something wants to connect but at this distance it can't."

"What would or could do that?" gasped Orion.

"Not sure. It could be something new, something old," nodded Ratchet, flipping through data pads. "You do work in the records room."

"I work with tons of old stuff," agreed Orion. "Narrowing that down might take a while."

"Well, only certain items can strike up a signal this powerful," instructed Ratchet, grabbing a data pad off the table. "You good at history?"

"Yes," smirked Orion, taking the data pad. "A strong signal?"

"Well, its stretching out from the hall of records to the medical facility and wherever you go," Ratchet nodded. "So the signal is strong and determined to stick with you."

"Right," sighed Orion. "But why do I see these hallucinations."

"Visions," corrected Ratchet. "I have a theory that they might be in fact visions from something, maybe the future, past or present possibilities. I have a scientist friend who would love in on this."

"Sounds like fun," nodded Orion, leaning back on the couch.

"Perceptor is nice and probably more suited for such ideas," suggested Ratchet. "He's out of town right now, visiting Kaon. Why anyone would wanna visit that pit is beyond me."

"What exactly are we doing, Ratchet?" question Orion. "I mean…are we coming up with a cause or a cure or…"

"Both, maybe," mumbled Ratchet, shrugging. "Finding a cause can lead to finding a cure."

"And you think that this is caused by some…artifact I might work with?"

"It is highly possible," nodded Ratchet.

"And if its not an artifact?" whispered Orion.

"I just wish I could see what you're seeing," hummed Ratchet, leaning back. "I feel like that would give me a good clear idea of what's going on."

"Isn't that impossible or illegal?" perked Orion.

Ratchet simply shrugged. "I've never heard of such a procedure so if it exists it's illegal."

Orion and Ratchet worked for a while before giving up completely. In the end, the entire room had data pads thrown about with Orion and Ratchet leaving the couch and finding comfortable positions in different areas. Ratchet hung upside-down on the couch, legs kicking the back and head resting on the ground. Orion sat on the ground, collecting the skewed data pads from around him. Ratchet groaned, pulling his feet down off the couch to sit up.

"Well this led us nowhere," he grumbled. "All these artifacts and we're not a step closer."

"Perhaps, the artifact just isn't listed in the history files," Orion offered.

"Everything I keep getting is prime, prime, Prime!" shouted Ratchet, throwing the data pad.

Orion caught it before it hit the ground. "Primes were once the head of the planet, chosen by Primus himself to lead the people to justice and light. Artifacts include the Forge of Solus Prime, the Star Saber…" Orion rambled, not really aware of what he was saying.

"But what made a prime a prime…?" whispered Ratchet, jumping to his feet. "The Matrix of Leadership! Passed from generation to generation until recently when no Prime was selected due to unworthy candidates!"

"What are you trying to say?" mumbled Orion, looking up wearily.

"I'm saying, my dear friend," cheered Ratchet, pulling Orion to his feet. "You may have been selected as new prime for Cybertron. These visions, headaches, signals could mean that this Matrix is reaching out. We have to find it!"

"I don't think I've seen that pass through my section," replied Orion. "I'd have to check the system."

"I'm coming too," grinned Ratchet. "This is a once in a lifetime event!"

"You don't really think I'm a Prime, do you?" gasped Orion.

"Wouldn't hurt to be hopeful," shrugged Ratchet. "Beside, you seem like a better candidate then anyone on the council right now."

"I wouldn't say that aloud," sighed Orion. "Last bot who spoke out against the council got arrested and imprisoned for life."

"Yes, the gladiator," purred Ratchet, stroking his chin. "He was right though, about the government being corrupt. I just wish more people were willing to stand up."

"I don't think numbers matter," whispered Orion, walking toward the door. "My shift is over for the day. I don't go to work again until tomorrow. We can meet up then."

"Great," Ratchet nodded, heading toward the door. "I'm gonna talk to some of my friends about this idea and get their opinions."

Orion opened the door for Ratchet. The medical student stepped out and immediately turned back around to face Orion.

"If you do have another episode, could you call?" Ratchet instructed. "I need to start a time table. Maybe these things are happening at certain times for a reason."

"I'll be sure to tell you," grinned Orion. "Thank you, Ratchet."

"No problem," smiled Ratchet, walking away. "To be completely honest, this is some of the most fun I've had in a while."

"Me too," whispered Orion, shutting the door.