"To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, money-making, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hopes, is to deprive one's self of the real joy of living." - David O. McKay
Ch 6
000
Room dimmed once again glowing that green and blue glow like the inside of a lab three mech's and a young women stared at the work in front of them not really sure what to make of it. Wheeljack was dumbstruck and completely mesmerized at the same time as he leaned over his commander's desk to get a better look at the large blue screen. Optimus Prime stood off to the side arms crossed tightly over his chest. Even though he stood as still and stiff as a statue the others-minus Wheeljack who was preoccupied at the moment- could sense something was off with their leader. They just couldn't seem to figure it out exactly. It was almost like he was uncomfortable with them being here.
Blair had known it form the beginning that something was drastically off with the Prime and it was bothering her to no end. But being who she was as a person she couldn't bring herself to ask and she hated herself for it.
She just kept on hoping it would all come to a stop soon and everything would go back like it use to be.
"This is just surreal." Muttered Wheeljack tapping the lower ridges of his mask "I have never questioned your intelligence sir. . ." turning his attention to Optimus whose blue optics glowed somewhat eerily under his helm ridge. ". . .But this seems out of your jurisdiction."
At first Optimus didn't move what so ever or even seemed that he would reply to the engineer's statement. He just continued to stand in the same place in the same position indeed like a statue.
Wheeljack suddenly felt a slight ping of nervousness creep into him.
"I don't know how I did it."
If he hadn't actually knew Prime was their Wheeljack was sure he would have jumped from the silence that had fell in the room and suddenly being shattered. But still Prime's voice was low and soft like he was exhausted from not getting an rest, which was most likely the case. Luckily he did know Optimus Prime was there.
Wheeljack's optics flickered in a blink as he regained his poseur it just registering with him that Prime had spoken. Turning to Ratchet who stood not to far behind him the doctor also had his arms crossed over his broad chest but nowhere near as tightly as Optimus.
"What do you make of it Ratchet?"
Craning her neck to look up at the medic who lowered his arms to his sides, sighing. "I staid up to late for my liking last night going over the tests I ran on you, Optimus." Blair remembered that, she had already been in the med-bay when Prime had arrived for the examine Ratchet had wanted to run yesterday. "I've only seen this once before but then again it a rare case."
Optimus Prime stood as he had been but his dark gray faceplate was no longer hidden in shadow since he'd lifted his head up slightly. He didn't look like an animal hiding his anger behind a calm demeanor who thought these two mech's in his personal quarters were threats.
"What?" asked Blair intrigued
Staring back at his commander's work "We all know what these are" raising his hand toward Prime's desk "there basic instructions for building a protoform."
"An infant Transformer, right."
"Essentially, yes" Ratchet nodded "What I was speaking of though was, is that for Prime to do this on his own is rare. Only a mech who has a sparkmate and is with spark can do this, considering."
Blair gapped and Wheeljack just felt slightly uncomfortable all of a sudden. Optimus Prime though did nothing except raise an optic ridge. Shutting her mouth Blair looked up and over at the Autobot commander.
"My sparkmate has passed and I'm certainly not baring." Stated Prime his voice blankly calm "What is wrong with me Ratchet?" he asked
They could here it in his voice as he spoke, his tone slightly rising into almost pleading. Taking a moment to gather his thought Ratchet brought his hand up and rubbed the bridge of his olfactory.
"I honestly don't know." Shaking his head "Incidents like this are rare only a small handful of documents on cases similar to Prime's exist. And I only have a few on hand."
Blair frowned "I'm confused"
"I know what you're talking about" stated Wheeljack back to the desk now "But it doesn't make any sense" Blair added in a murmured: "You're telling me,"
"I know." Replied Ratchet
The room feel silent from their own and it was almost unbearable for the lot but for some reason no one could think of anything to say. Optimus turned his blue helm to look over all the work he had done over the last couple of days but said nothing.
"It's not the same" the two mech's and human looked over at Ratchet who had the distant thought full look in his optics. "Its something. . .different."
This time Ratchet fixed his blue optics on Optimus like was trying to make his commander talk. To tell them the some answer they longed for to help them out in the predicament. And it seemed to work. Prime bowed his head staring down at the floor hiding his optics under the rim of his helm only the blue glow from them visible in the dark room.
"It's. . .it was like an. . .uncontrollable urge but at the same time I didn't even realize what I was doing. Only that I had to do it; a priority." He murmured his voice still that low tone he'd been using
Silence that irritating kind of silence seemed to becoming a common thing here but there was no room for humor here either. Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Blair looked Optimus Prime for a long moment as what he said sunk in. They weren't really sure of what to make of it.
"I think I know why but what do you want me to for?" asked Wheeljack looking over at his commander
Engineer and commander stared at each other for a few minutes as if daring the other to speak. And again the silence fell pushing down and almost crushing the chest. Finally Optimus optics flickered, and just like that they showed seriousness in them that seemed almost unnatural. It made Wheeljack slightly unnerved but he didn't let it show. But he couldn't completely mask how tired he looked. Blair briefly wondered if he had gotten any sleep recently when he should have. Mostly likely not.
"This phase, paternal instinct, whatever I'm going through it won't change that I can't build something like this." Holding his arm up to his desk in the same fashion Ratchet had done "That's your department."
Narrowing his optics in thought Wheeljack crossed his arms over his chest holding one elbow in the palm of his right hand. He went back to analyzing all the things on Prime's desk with optics only a mech like he could posses. It was uncompleted and the engineer knew until Ratchet intervened it wouldn't be finished.
Optimus had a good point, a valid one it made all the sense why he'd ask something of him, with this. He had built all the Dinobot's from the ground up, from scratch, and having to use some of Earth's materials at that. And of course with Ratchet's help. Wheeljack would always say the Dinobot's would be one of his greatest achievements to date even if they did have a few serious flaws here and there. At least they didn't explode without any warning what so ever.
A hand on his shoulder drew him out of his musing. Looking over his shoulder Wheeljack met the kind gaze he was so familiar with from his commander, his friend.
"I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't trust you, or knowing you couldn't handle it. I both trust you-with my life- and I know you can pull something like this off without breaking a bolt."
Even though he couldn't see Prime's face nor could he see his own they both knew somehow the other was smiling behind their masks.
"I'll gladly take on this task sir." Wheeljack didn't even try to hold back pride that came up with his voice
"You realize your missing something, right."
Both of them turned their heads toward Ratchet who still hadn't lowered his arms to his sides. Wheeljack admittedly knew what he was referring to.
"What is that?" asked Optimus successfully keeping back his concern from entering his voice
"Each spark is different, I know you know sir." Wheeljack began putting a hand on Optimus shoulder this time "Sparks are crucially different when they're first ignited. Size, strength, how delicate they our, and stamina, slag even their color is different."
"Most importantly their core-codes." Added Ratchet
That statement admittedly caught Blair's attention. It was a new term she hadn't heard before. Even though her studies with Ratchet and Wheeljack hadn't gotten to in depth in that regards of sparks she had only brushed against the basics of unraveling them.
"Core-codes?"
"Core-codes can't be changed by anything natural and even on come accounts unnatural. They reside in the very center or the core of our sparks nucleus," explained Ratchet "Think of it as Transformers DNA, our chromosomes. They make use who we our as far as personality and/or characteristics go." Finished Wheeljack for her
"Ah."
"We can't build a protoform to we have statistics on the spark itself. If the protoform is too big the spark could not except it and extinguish. If it's to small the spark will implode and extinguish."
Not speaking Optimus walked around to take a seat behind his desk. He said nothing as he looked over the items on his desk. Blair frowned slightly sharing a glance with Ratchet both had similar looks on their faces and similar thoughts running through their heads.
"I need Prowl . . .and maybe Jazz." Running a blue hand over his faceplate
"Are you sure?" Ratchet asked
"Yes." Nodding his head "We'll need someone who can keep the other from getting to. . .curious. Jazz knows the tricks of the trade and what to do with the curious."
They could hear it in their leader voice how tired he was. How tired he was getting. Ratchet knew it way before Prime's voice started betraying him and knew he was getting agitated. He was Prime's personal doctor and he knew his patient wasn't doing well.
Blowing air through his vents, "Alright I'll tell them you wish to speak with them later. Right now you need some rest before you go into stasis whether you like it or not."
Surprisingly Optimus didn't put up much of a fight, he didn't even protest as Ratchet go him to his feet and led him to his personal chambers in the next room. Wheeljack and Blair watched quietly not interrupting the two. As Optimus personal quarters door shut behind them Wheeljack let a nearly inaudible sigh and went over to his commander's desk. Blair knew what he was planning on doing so he didn't interrupt the engineer in task she waited patiently.
Thumbs hooked in the loops on her jeans Blair bowed her head and closed her eyes thinking. She wished she had some music or something along that line to listen to besides Wheeljack's quiet muttering the room was completely quiet. Annoyingly quiet in her opinion.
By the time Wheeljack was done was about the same time Blair raised her head to watched Ratchet walk out of Prime personal quarters. He looked tired to but then again she was to and not because it was getting late. She paused and backtracked. Raising her right arm she used her other hand and slider the sleeve her shirt back and looked at the time on her watch.
She muttered a swear. It was already late not getting there.
"Up ya get, Blair."
Blair snapped her head up and found a black hand hovering right in front of her in offering for her to climb on. Taking a quick glance up at the engineer Blair climbed into the mech's hand and let him take her up as she leaned back against his large digits. Running her hand through her dark brown hair Blair looked up at the inventor who had long since exited Optimus Prime's quarters.
"Is Optimus going to be alright 'Jack?" she asked
Wheeljack looked down at her quickly before looking back up so he could watch where he was going as he walked. "Yeah he's going to be fine. If he doesn't stop not recharging Ratchet going to go haywire and do something drastic."
They both chuckled at the mech's humor. He was probably right; Ratchet probably would do something like that. But in all seriousness they could tell that their commander, their friend really needed to start recharging properly, that and take in his energon like he needed to.
"Don't worry about it to much Blair I think everything will turn out alright in the end."
Stopping for a moment Blair stared at nothing particular then turned around and looked up at the engineer like something world changing just popped in her head or something. Wheeljack glanced down at her then double tacked a little concerned as to why she was looking at him like that. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong Blair turned around with a grin on her face.
"Blair, you alright? What was that look for?"
Placing her hand behind her head like a pillow of sorts, chuckling. "Nothing. I believe what you said. It will turn out alright in the end."
000
A/N:
I promise some how this story is getting somewhere, how I don't know. And like always hope you enjoyed, please leave me a review. Oh and if your curious as to what was up with Blair toward the end go read Lost But Not Forgotten, accident I asure you.
This story is detected to MyBlueOblivion, thanks bro.
Transformers and all related char(s) belong to Has/Tak and co.
Except for Blair, and the plot, are mine
Names and characters are entirely coincidental