XXI

Orion stared at his hands. He looked over the joints and the tips, rotating his hand to see his palm and the flat of the back of it. It didn't look all that different and yet it felt wrong. It felt as though he was looking at someone else's hand, looking through their optics. Orion sighed, lowering his hand and peering down at his legs over the edge of the berth. They used to dangle. Now, they're firmly planted. Taller. He was definitely taller.

"Optimus?"

Orion lifted his head, looking wearily as Ratchet entered. He looked tired, Orion thought softly. Had he always looked that tired? There were new scuff marks on his arms and legs, burns and welding marks from former wounds. How long had he had those? His optics were a soft backlit blue. Did they always look that tired? Ratchet stepped up, standing in front of him. They were eye level for the moment. If he stood up, Orion would definitely be taller. Had Ratchet always been this tall?

"How are you feeling?" Ratchet murmured, faking a smile.

"What…happened?" whispered Orion, looking toward the door. "The Matrix…"

"Taken."

"Right…"

Ratchet stared deep at Orion, trying to pick up on any subtle hints of feeling the latter would be given off. He was usual for keeping emotions to himself, but recently his train of thought was even harder to read. It was as if a new wall of defense had been put up, keeping outsiders from knowing the bot behind it. They spent so much time together, gone through so much, that Ratchet had the unique power to see through the new wall, even if it was just a glimpse.

"How are you feeling?" Ratchet repeated.

"Wrong."

Orion grimaced, lowering his head.

"What feels wrong? Medically speaking…"

"It's nothing physical," corrected Orion, shaking his head. "I just feel…disconnected like this…isn't me."

"Maybe that's normal for a prime?"

"It's not like we have anyone to ask."

A cry of voices fell over Orion's audio receptors, forcing him to shut his optics and cover his head. The voices cried out, begging him to return. They came from everywhere and nowhere. He stood up, startling Ratchet back. The voices stopped.

"Are you okay?" pleaded Ratchet, hovering a hand over Orion's arm. "Vision?"

"Voices," groaned Orion, lowering his arms. "I think…I think it's the Matrix…like the Cybertronians of old calling out to me."

"What do they say?"

"Come back…"

Ratchet nodded, not sure what else to say. Orion sighed, sitting back down. He kicked his legs out, relaxing them and letting the feet tilt slightly. He sighed again, louder than before, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Ratchet…"

"Yes?"

"What happened?"

"It was an ambush…"

Orion nodded slightly, closing his optics. He couldn't remember it all. Everything came in pieces. He remembered entering the tunnel with the others, reaching the final room and then nothing but fractured pieces such as the image of the Matrix before him, the inside of the armored truck, standing outside with guards around him, standing in front of Ratchet, then black. His memory finally began recording properly once he awoke at the base again.

"They…" Ratchet mumbled, "The councilman shot you…I thought…"

"He took the Matrix?"

"Yes."

"How'd we escape?"

Ratchet shook his head. He could still picture in his head the towering stance of Optimus dual wielding, surrounded by fallen guards. In that moment, Orion and Optimus were two different personalities. Ratchet wasn't sure how Orion would react to the actions Optimus took.

"You know Knockout and Shockwave. They have their ways," offered Ratchet with a shrug. "What does it matter? We got out, right?"

Orion nodded lightly, lowering his head to look at Ratchet again. He tried to smile but couldn't find the strength. He glanced down at his feet.

"Ratchet," Orion stuttered.

"Yes?"

"I can't move…"

Ratchet perked.

"What?"

"I can't move my legs…"

Orion winced, resting one hand on his thigh. Ratchet looked down at Orion's legs. There was no damage, he knew that. One of the first things they can done once arriving was check Orion over for damages and changes. No damage, aside from the small dead spot on his back and that was unlikely to kill complete connection to his legs without warning or pain. Ratchet pulled out his tablet.

"Primus, what'd I do…?" winced Orion, dragging his legs back toward him.

"I've checked you over earlier…" muttered Ratchet, scanning Orion. "I didn't see anything."

Orion sighed, rubbing his thigh. It was futile idea, to think that rubbing would reconnect his legs, but it was all he had to do at the moment. Ratchet's tablet beeped several times, with the medic nodding every so often. Orion stopped, raising a hand to grab Ratchet's wrist.

"It's back," he gasped, gently moving his foot from side to side. "How'd I…"

"I think it's a delay," suggested Ratchet, looking over his tablet. "An interruption in the connection."

"What do you mean?"

"I think when the Matrix was taken, we stopped the process of you becoming a Prime," Ratchet explained. "You know and I know, your body has been altered. You're taller and stronger, likely faster and smarter too, but we interrupted the process before it was finalized."

"I'm not finished yet…"

"The Matrix helped the process, making it more seamless, painless. Without it…" Ratchet shook his head. "I don't know if removing it just stunted the growth or completely stopped it."

"So, there's a chance I'll lose feeling in my legs again."

"Probably."

"Will it spread? Will I lose feeling in my arms at some point?"

"Possibly."

Orion sighed, getting to his feet. His legs struggled to hold him up, hardly recognizing the job it was given.

"What now?" whimpered Orion, shuffling toward the door.

"I think that's up to you…"

Orion nodded, exiting the room. Ratchet stood in the room, staring at the door Orion had just exited. His scanner was still beeping. After a moment, it finally stopped. Silence fell. Ratchet let out a deep sigh. He had hoped all the anxiety would have ended with the finding of the Matrix, but it just seems to have stirred up more problems.

A/N

I've decided to split this into a second book. It took a lot of consideration and thinking but I finally decided. I'm still working on the title but I have the general idea of what it'll be about and who to focus on. I'll give you more info on it in the up coming chapters.