Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Only Crystal belongs to me.
Chapter 4 – The Ark
Crystal's first full day at the Ark had begun with Ratchet waking her up at nine o'clock in the morning and taking her on a tour of the base. From the safety of her perch on the medic's shoulder she was introduced to some of the Autobots who had arrived on Earth aboard the gigantic space cruiser.
The bots' chief security officer and military strategist, Prowl, seemed indifferent to her presence. When Ratchet introduced her to him he had merely said, "It is a pleasure to have you here, Doctor Greene" before nodding curtly to the medic and continuing his brisk walk down a long corridor.
When Ratchet had taken her into the rec room she had been immediately greeted by a grinning Jazz and a fully repaired Bumblebee. The yellow 'bot had scooped the young woman up into the best hug he could manage without crushing her, obviously pleased that at least one of his humans had returned to the Ark with them. He had then introduced her to the two curious mechs who were also present in the lounge that morning. The green mech named Hound chuckled at the sight of Bumblebee attempting to hug the human while the mech named Wheeljack bent down to get a closer look at her. They both had seemed incredibly friendly and eager to learn as much as they could about the humans and their strange organic planet, but while Hound was a little more soft-spoken and reserved, Wheeljack was a chatterbox. His CPU seemed to run in a million different directions at once. Ratchet had warned her to stay away from his lab if she valued her body in one piece.
The medic had also taken her with him to Optimus' office. The CMO had worked tirelessly the night before to repair the commander's multiple injuries and needed to check on some of the welds he'd made in the wounded mech's armor. The leader had greeted the young woman as Ratchet set her down on Prime's desk. "Good morning, Doctor Greene. Did you sleep well?" She had stuttered out a clumsy, "Yes, thank you," surprised that the leader of a group of alien robot soldiers was concerned about her comfort. He had simply nodded and smiled kindly down at her as Ratchet began to look him over. Optimus had clearly still been in pain, but refused to return to the medbay. There was just too much to do. Ratchet had left him with stern instructions to take it easy and to contact him if any of the welds started to open up.
Then there were the twins. Ratchet did not introduce her to the twins, they introduced themselves. They had barged into the medbay later that morning, demanding to meet the first human to set foot on the Ark. Sideswipe had been fascinated by her, even picking her up to get a closer look. Ratchet had gently plucked her out of the red Lamborghini's hand, before smacking him upside the head. Sideswipe's brother, Sunstreaker, had simply stood there eyeing her with a passive expression. She had shifted uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze, until he cracked a sarcastic grin at her. "Welcome to the Ark, Crystal. Good luck sharing the medbay with the Hatchet." It was then that Ratchet threw them out, threatening to weld their skidplates together if they sashayed their sorry afts through the medbay doors one more time that day.
Now she was sitting in Ratchet's office, on the cool metal surface that was the medic's desk, performing the stressful and tedious task of putting together a list of equipment and supplies she would need for the human portion of the medbay. The task had taken hours to complete, and if it weren't for the strange reassurance the medic's presence provided she may have allowed her mind to wander back to the worries that had haunted her the night before. She took a moment to stand and stretch her cramping muscles, glancing over at the Autobot CMO who was currently recalibrating one of his circuit sensors. She watched as his nimble fingers manipulated the delicate circuitry of the medical device. She had spent the better part of the day filling out equipment requisitions and listening to the sounds of small clicks and clanks as the medic worked on some of his field equipment that had been damaged in Mission City, but the sound that had caught her attention was the gentle hum of the large mech's internal systems. She found it oddly soothing. And there was something strangely familiar about the soft thrum that could also be heard coming from within his body, steady and constant, almost like a heartbeat.
Ratchet felt the woman's gaze and turned his head to look at her. "How's that list comin' along?"
She stared at him for a moment longer before yawning and bending down to pick up her laptop. "I think I'm done."
Much to her surprise, the medic reached over and snatched the computer from her hands. He scanned one of the USB ports then extended a small cable from the tip of his pinky finger. The end of the cable transformed and plugged into the computer's port. Seconds later he retracted the cable and handed the laptop back to the curious doctor.
"What did you just do?"
"I downloaded your list."
"Why?"
"I'm going to upgrade some of your equipment."
She continued to stare at him. "What do you mean 'upgrade'?"
"I've been doing some extensive research on human anatomy and medicine and I have some ideas on how we can improve some of your medical techniques." She raised an eyebrow and he continued. "I'd like to work with you on implementing these modifications."
Her first reaction to his statement was one of apprehension and she almost told him to forget it. But this was Ratchet, the best doctor Cybertron had to offer according to Jazz. And a being of higher intelligence could obviously design more effective medical procedures and equipment better than any human on Earth. She smiled as she realized the quality of the care her future patients would be receiving.
"That's great, Ratchet. Thank you. I can't wait to see what you have in mind."
He nodded, but instead of turning his attention back to his circuit sensor his optics remained focused on the young woman standing on his desk next to him. Bright blue eyes locked onto cool blue optics as Crystal looked up from her computer screen and met his gaze. The medic's brow furrowed slightly. The two were still for a moment before the young woman shifted on her feet and tilted her head to one side. It looked as though Ratchet were deep in thought about something. Before she could ask him if something was wrong, the sound of the main medbay doors opening broke the entrancing silence and whatever Ratchet had been quietly contemplating was quickly pushed aside.
"I suppose we should go see who that is. It's time for a break anyway, I think. You've been at that for hours." He stood up from his desk and held his hand out to her. She sighed heavily and stepped onto his awaiting palm. He grinned as he gently set her down on the floor. "I'll build you a set of stairs as soon as I get a free moment."
She chuckled as she stepped out of his hand and headed for the doorway. "You read my mind." She was already getting tired of constantly needing to be lifted up and set back down in order to reach anything in the medbay, and this was only her first day.
She strode out of Ratchet's office and into the main part of the medbay only to find herself immediately caught up in a pair of powerful arms. She let out a surprised cry and tried to break free, but the arms hoisted her up and slung her over a muscular shoulder. Now she was spinning, and a loud chorus of whoops and hollers echoed around the medbay. Her assailant set her back down and she laughed in disbelief when she surveyed the group of soldiers that surrounded her. Sergeant Robert Epps kept a large arm slung around the doctor's shoulders.
Crystal grinned and shook her head. "I thought I was rid of you creeps for good."
Lennox laughed and motioned to the other men. The soldiers encircled her and began to close in.
"No." She held up a finger in warning. "Will, no. NO!" She tried to back away but it was too late.
Lennox continued to laugh and Epps yelled out over her protests, "Doc pile!!" She shrieked as the soldiers rushed in on her all at once, forming a massive 'group glomp'. She was caught in a sea of rowdy, smelly male bodies and she fought in vain to be released from their collective grasp. Once they had their fill of crushing and jostling the poor doctor the men backed off and she was able to catch her breath.
"I hate it when you guys do that." She huffed and began straightening out her clothes and fixing her hair. Lennox reached over and squeezed her shoulder.
"Aw, c'mon, Doc, admit it. You missed us." He pulled her in for a rough hug.
"Are you kidding?!' She shook him off. "You guys are some of the most irresponsible, reckless, irritating-"
The rest of her tirade was drowned out by the boisterous laugh of Sergeant Epps. "Yea, she missed us."
He gave her a playful shove with one hand. She glared at the tech sergeant but couldn't stop the grin that was slowly creeping across her face. Though she had just seen them the day before, she had missed them. When Keller had reassigned her she had hoped beyond hope that her guys would be a part of the new nonexistent special operations division. They had all grown close during their time together in Qatar. She had patched each of them up countless times, and they, in turn, had saved her skin more than once. She was relieved to be stationed with them again. They may be reckless idiots, but they were her reckless idiots and she didn't want anyone else taking care of them.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So, I'm stuck with you guys again, huh?"
"Oh, yea." Lennox nodded and smirked at her. "Keller decided that since we're already, uh, familiar with the aliens that we should be the first squad of the new special ops division."
Epps spoke up, "Which means you get to keep lookin' at mah beautiful, smilin' face, Doc." He winked at her and she snorted.
"Well, she'll have to admire your good looks later, Epps. We gotta get going." Lennox motioned for his men to head out.
"Whao whao whao. Wait a second." Crystal held up her hands and stepped in front of them, effectively positioning herself between the men and the doors. "Where do you guys think you're going?"
"We need to start on supply runs, Doc. This base has gotta be able to house humans," Lennox pointed a nonthreatening finger at her, "and your medical equipment ain't gonna walk here by itself. Speaking of which, Keller wants you to send him your requisitions as soon as you're done with 'em."
"I'd really like to check you guys over before you head out. You've all had a rough couple of days." Her eyes roamed over the group of men in front of her as she spoke.
"We're fine, Greene. All the guys with the major injuries are still at Mission City Memorial. Keller's gonna have 'em transferred here soon as we get this place up and running."
She made no move to get out of their way and Lennox sighed. "Look, I'll bring 'em all in first thing tomorrow and you can have your way with 'em, ok?"
She ignored the whoops and 'oh yea's of the rowdy bunch as she chewed on her lip and visually scanned each of them again. After a moment she nodded slowly. "Alright." She stepped aside and Lennox patted her shoulder as he passed. She turned and watched the men exit the medbay. Epps turned briefly to wave and blow her an overly-dramatic kiss. She rolled her eyes. What a bunch of goofballs.
Ratchet leaned against the doorway of his office and chuckled as he watched the comical scene in front of him unfold. Crystal was being helplessly picked up, spun around, and jostled about by the group of men that had aided the Autobots at Mission City. Captain Lennox spotted the CMO in the doorway and sent up a salute in greeting. He smiled and nodded at the man before turning his head toward the large black mech who had escorted the soldiers to the medbay. The group of humans paid the mech no mind as he strode over and stood next to Ratchet.
"How's she doin'?" Ironhide leaned back against the wall next to the doorframe.
"She's holding up ok." Ratchet kept his voice low. "Jazz said she was a little stressed on their way here last night, but she's seems alright today."
They both looked down at the group of humans when a distressed Crystal began to yell.
"No. Will, no! NO!"
One of the men yelled 'Doc pile!', and the two mechs chuckled as the soldiers encircled her in one rowdy mass hug. Ironhide made the mistake of grunting as he shifted his weight to his left leg.
"How's that leg?" Ratchet eyed the warrior's limb. After working on Optimus and Bumblebee the entire night, he'd spent a considerable amount of time early that morning pulling shrapnel out of the circuits and energon lines in the black mech's knee.
"Eh." He waved him off. "It's fine, Ratch. Ya fixed me up good as new."
"No pain?"
"Nope." He grimaced.
The medic gave him a level glare. "You really should take a few lessons on lying from the twins."
Ironhide grinned sheepishly at the medic who continued to stare at him with a gaze that could pierce armor. The black mech made a sputtering sound and turned his attention back to the group of humans in front of them. The soldiers had released the doctor and she was now straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair.
"Aw, c'mon, Doc, admit it. You missed us." Captain Lennox was grinning as he reached over and pulled Crystal into an embrace.
"Are you kidding?!' She wriggled out of his grasp. "You guys are some of the most irresponsible, reckless, irritating-"
Ironhide laughed, "Primus, Ratchet, she sounds like you."
Ratchet snorted, but he wore an amused expression as he shook his head and took a hold of Ironhide's arm. "Well, dealing with a bunch of idiotic, slag-for-brains, trigger happy, soldier-wannabes will do that to anybody. Now get your aft into my office so I can take another look at that leg."
Sam Witwicky sprinted down the hallway and into the bathroom, nearly killing himself tripping over his chihuahua in the process. Mojo yelped and ran into Sam's room. "Sorry, Pal! Ohhhhh, I'm late. Late late late." He furiously tore through the many drawers and cupboards grabbing his tooth brush, tooth paste, and various other hygiene items, and stuffing them into his backpack. Bumblebee would be there any minute.
"Sam? Sweetie, what on Earth are you doing?" Judy Witwicky stood in the hallway with her arms crossed gingerly over her chest, obviously wondering why her son was tearing the bathroom apart drawer by drawer.
"Mom, why didn't you wake me up?!" Sam didn't look at her as he battled the tangle of cords on the bathroom counter, trying to free his electric shaver.
"Sam…"
"Seven o'clock, Mom. I said seven o'clock!" He hurried past her and back down the hallway into his bedroom.
"Well, I did come up, but you just looked so tired, Sammy. I didn't want to wake you just yet." She followed him down the hall and stood in his doorway.
"Of course I looked tired, Mom. I was sleeping! People tend to look tired when they are asleep. And for the love of God, please don't call me Sammy ever again." He was frantically stuffing clothes into a duffle bag.
She sighed heavily. "So, what time is Mikaela picking you up?"
His parents had been understandably concerned when Sam was dropped off the week before by a mysterious black GMC Topkick, and he had been forced to construct an intricate web of falsities on the spot. He had told them that he had been caught up in the 'terrorist attack' in downtown Mission City and forced to leave his car behind. He and Mikaela had obtained a ride home from her uncle who lived in the city. He'd told them that this 'uncle' was going to come and pick them both up in a week and bring them back to Mission City to spend a few days with him. He had asked the teens to help him repair the damage done to his apartment during the 'attack', and Sam could also pick up his car. Much to Sam's relief, his parents bought the hastily and poorly woven string of lies.
In fact, he was actually waiting for Bumblebee to pick both he and Mikaela up and take them back to the Autobot base. He was dying to see this "Ark" Ironhide had told him about as well as his new friends, especially his guardian. He had told the yellow 'bot to meet him a block from his house.
"She's not, Mom."
"What? Well then who is?"
Sam stopped himself as he realized he was about to say 'Bumblebee'. "Her uncle, Mom. I'm going over to Mikaeala's and he's picking both of us up there. I told you that last week!"
She sighed again and her face fell. "I don't know why you feel the need to leave home a week after terrorists blew up half of Mission City." Sam was about to let out a snort but stopped himself when he caught sight of the downcast look on his mother's face. He suddenly felt sorry for all of the anxiety he had caused her and the lies he'd told her the past few days. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's ok, Mom. I'll be fine. I promise. I'll call you every night, ok?" He let go of her and she let a small smile cross her features.
"Ok. I'll go pack you some sandwiches."
"Thanks, Mom. Love you."
She smiled brightly. That made her day. "Love you too, Sammy."
Half an hour later Sam and Mikaela were riding with an excited and talkative Bumblebee on their way to the Ark.
The week after the battle at Mission City had proven to be more trying than Crystal had been prepared for. Not only was she forced to adjust rather quickly to the fact that a race of giant mechanoids was now residing on her planet and that she was going to be living with them, but she had been working with Ratchet non-stop all week to get the human portion of the medbay ready. In her "free time", she worked with Lennox's men, Bumblebee, Jazz, and the Lambo twins to get the human living quarters ready as well. Ironhide and Hound had been running back and forth with the humans on supply runs for both major projects.
In the few hours that she wasn't in the medbay or working on the living quarters, she had spent her time with Bumblebee and Jazz. The yellow mech had taken a tremendous liking to the three humans he had spent his first few days on Earth with, and Jazz had also begun to form something of a friendship with the young doctor. One night, after a particularly stressful day in the medbay, they had taken Crystal out for a drive. They found an incredible lookout point on one of the smaller desert mountains where they had spent an hour or so looking up at the stars and letting the stresses of the day melt away. She had been absolutely fascinated as the two mechs pointed out the locations of various planets and galaxies. She had fallen asleep on their way back to the base, and woke up the next morning in her own, almost completed, quarters.
Now she sat in her newly built office, leaning back in her chair and taking the moment of respite to think. There was something gnawing away at her, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her door was open and she could see into Ratchet's office on the other side of the medbay. He was hunched over his workbench, though what he was working on she couldn't tell. She could hear the occasional familiar clanks and scrapes of metal on metal, but his hands were obscured from her vision by the door frame. His face bore a look of concentration. These beings truly were incredible. Their face plates were made of what Ratchet had called "flex metal", enabling them to display incredibly human-like expressions. They experienced the same range of emotions as humans as well, and each mech had his own unique personality. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that the humans resembled the Autobots, since the 'bots had clearly existed first.
Her eyes remained glued on the medic, watching the various wires and cables visible between sections of his armor flex with each deliberate movement of his hands. She sat up straight and gripped the edge of her desk. This wasn't right. She had caught herself actually admiring the physique of a male that wasn't even of her own species, and this wasn't the first time. She suddenly realized that this was exactly what was bothering her. What the hell is wrong with me? She got up and closed her door, then walked back to her desk and sank down into her chair. How could she feel … attracted to an alien robot? It wasn't just a physical attraction either. She found his personality to be magnetic. Though she'd only known him for a week, she could tell that beneath his gruff exterior was a devoted doctor who cared deeply for his friends. He would drop whatever he was doing in an instant in order to tend to a mech in pain, and he always worked quickly and efficiently, paying extreme attention to every detail. The Autobots were very fortunate to have such a dedicated member in their medical ranks.
She took a deep breath and reflected on the odd emotions she'd experienced in the previous week. Once she had somewhat gotten over her fear of living with the 'bots, she had begun to feel something of a strange connection to the massive autonomous beings. As if this wasn't troubling enough, she was also beginning to feel an even stranger connection between herself and the CMO. She buried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated moan. I'm just tired. I'm just tired. I'm just tired…
Ratchet looked up from rewiring one of his field scanners when he heard Crystal's door close from across the medbay. He frowned. Though he had only known her for a few orns, it seemed unlike her to close her office door. He put the scanner down and stretched his arms above his head. His weary shoulder joints let out a series of loud creaks and pops that echoed across the medbay. He grunted and leaned back over his desk, glancing over at Crystal's door before resting his forehead on his fist. He couldn't help but enjoy the human doctor's company. She was a lot like him…a little rough around the edges, but extremely dedicated to her profession and the soldiers in her care. She was also a fast learner. He had worked with her all week implementing some of the modifications to her medical equipment, and she'd caught on much faster than he'd expected. But there was something else about her. He didn't quite yet know what it was, but he couldn't help but feel that it made her much different from the other humans he'd met thus far. It was almost as if she somehow belonged there on the Ark with them. He had no idea what it could possibly be, but his keen intuition had never mislead him before. It troubled him.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the main doors to the medbay opening. He stood and strode out of his office to find Bumblebee passing over the threshold. Sam and Mikaela smiled and waved at him from where they were perched on each of the yellow mech's shoulders. Ratchet smiled and nodded in greeting as he approached. "It's good to see you both again. Welcome to the Ark."
"So, what'd you do with Crystal, Ratchet?" Sam grinned. Mikaela and Bumblebee snickered. Obviously their joke from the previous week was still funny.
He motioned toward the door in the far corner of the medbay. "She's in her office."
Bumblebee set Sam and Mikaela down and the boy ran over and pounded on the door. A few seconds later a flustered-looking Crystal appeared. Her irritation faded immediately and she smiled at the teens. "Hey, you're here earlier than I thought you'd be."
"Yea, it was awesome. Bumblebee drove so fa-" Sam stopped in mid-sentence as he noticed Bumblebee frantically waving his hands and nodding toward Ratchet, whose back was facing him. The medic raised an optic ridge and folded his arms over his chassis.
"Bumblebee did what?" His voice had taken on a dangerous tone. He glared at the young scout who shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "What did I tell you about being careful with human passengers, you little glitch-head?" Bumblebee's mouth plates worked, but nothing came out as he tried to come up with an answer. Just then the communications panel on the medbay's teletraan one station began to beep, saving the young mech from his impending doom. "We'll discuss this later," Ratchet warned him before walking over and hitting a button on the keypad.
The gentle countenance of Optimus Prime filled the screen. He opened his mouth to speak to his CMO, but stopped and smiled when he noticed Sam and Mikaela standing next to a shaken-looking Bumblebee. "Hello, Sam. Mikaela. I am pleased to see that you have both arrived safely. Welcome to the Ark." Sam and Mikalea both waved and smiled broadly up at his image. He turned his attention back to the medic. "Ratchet, we have received a transmission."
Ratchet dropped his hands to his sides. "An Autobot?"
"Yes. We do not yet know who it is. The signal was incomplete. All we know at this point is that they will arrive in approximately half a stellar cycle. I will keep you informed of any further transmissions."
Ratchet nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Prime." Optimus nodded before closing the channel. Ratchet and Bumblebee stood staring at the black screen.
"Who do you think it could be?" Bumblebee's voice was a low whisper. Ratchet shook his head. It had been a long time since any of them had seen another one of their comrades.
"I don't know, Kid. Your guess is as good as mine."
Bumblebee looked down when Mikaela reached out and touched his leg. "Another Autobot is really coming?" He nodded. "How long until they get here? I mean, how long is, uh…half a stellar cycle?"
"About three of your Earth months." He replied.
Ratchet looked away from the darkened screen and glanced around the medbay. "It'll give me plenty of time to update some of my equipment. Who knows what kind of shape they'll be in when they get here."
The five of them turned as the medbay doors opened once more. Prowl strode in with his characteristically stiff gait, each heavy footstep falling on the floor with military precision. Sam and Mikaela moved closer to Bumblebee as the intimidating mech approached.
"Prowl." Ratchet, who was now leaning against the communications panel with his arms folded across his chest, acknowledged the security officer.
Prowl stopped and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "I assume Optimus has informed you of the transmission we received?"
"Yes."
"Good." He looked down at the two new arrivals to the Ark. "You are Samuel Witwicky and Mikaela Banes?" His voice was painfully flat and dry. The two humans nodded.
Bumblebee spoke up, "This is Prowl. He's our chief security officer and strategist."
"Uh, nice to meet you, Prowl," Sam offered. Prowl acknowledged him with the same indifference he had shown Crystal.
"I'd like the two of you to come with me for a security briefing."
Crystal stifled a giggle. She had sat through that briefing with her guys earlier in the week and had nearly fallen asleep several times as his monotone voice droned on and on about security protocols. He had spent nearly an hour just telling them why they should never bring in any strange or out of place objects from the surrounding desert. It could be a Decepticon trick. She had been slightly irritated at that. Why the hell would they pick up random objects lying in the desert and bring them into the base? Did he really think they were that stupid?
"Now?" Ratchet scoffed. "It's late, Prowl, let 'em get some rest first."
Prowl cast him a sharp look that soon dissipated when confronted with Ratchet's own lethal glare. Prowl had learned long ago not to mess with the moody medic.
"I won't keep them long. I'd prefer to get it done tonight while I have some spare time."
Ratchet tapped his fingers on his arm. "Fine. One of us will come over in one hour to show them to their quarters." He emphasized the word "one" by holding up his index finger.
Prowl sniffed and then nodded before looking back down at Sam and Mikaela. "Follow me, please."
"Ratchet, 'Bee went to get Sam and Mikaeala. I'm going to head to my quarters and go to bed." The medic heard Crystal call to him as she made her way across the medbay over to his office. She poked her head through the doorway. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Crystal," he replied calmly without looking down at her. He was busy organizing a cabinet full of assorted tools, every now and then emitting a few choice words in Cybertronian. He was going to have to have yet another chat with Wheeljack about returning his equipment to its proper place.
He heard the scuff of her shoes on the floor as she turned and began to head toward the main doors. Her footsteps stopped and they both momentarily froze as a dull humming sound began to fill the medbay. Ratchet slowly rose to his feet and frowned when he located the source of the noise. It was coming from the armored cabinet that housed the Allspark fragment on the back wall of his office. He strode over to it and began unlocking the door. Crystal turned and headed back towards him, approaching the cabinet slowly. As soon as the medic opened the cabinet doors, the strange humming sound grew louder. It was coming from the Allspark fragment.
Crystal covered her ears and cringed. "Ratchet, why is it doing that?!" She had to raise her voice significantly to be heard over the ear-splitting noise.
He didn't answer. He was scanning the fragment, puzzled as to why its vibration signature had suddenly moved into audible range. She moved closer and stared at the jagged object. Suddenly she gasped and clutched at her chest. Ratchet looked down at her, startled.
"Crystal?"
She continued to stare at the fragment. Her heartbeat had become rapid and irregular. He immediately reached up to close the cabinet doors, but snapped his hand back as the fragment buzzed violently and emitted a sudden, brilliant flash of purple that hit Crystal square in the chest. She let out a surprised cry and fell back onto the floor with a sickening thud. Ratchet had the cabinet door closed and locked in an astrosecond. He scooped up the stunned doctor and carried her quickly into the medbay, laying her on one of the examination tables and running a thorough scan on her body. He quickly pulled open the top part of her button-up blouse to get a better look at where she had been hit. The skin didn't appear to be irritated in the slightest. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she tried to sit up. He gently pushed her back down onto the table.
"Easy. Just lie still for a moment."
"Wh-what just happened?" Her voice was weak.
"You were hit by an energy flare from the Allspark fragment." He glanced back at the cabinet. The humming had stopped.
She frowned up at him. "Why?"
His scans revealed nothing. Her heartbeat had returned to normal and the rest of her bodily systems seemed unaffected by the sudden burst of energy. "Do you feel any pain anywhere?"
She frowned and rubbed at her chest where the energy flare had hit her. "No…" She pushed his hand away and he reluctantly allowed her to sit up. She swung her legs over the edge of the mech sized table and stopped herself as she almost plummeted to the floor. He quickly caught her shoulder and pulled her back onto the table.
"Will you just stay put for an astrosecond?" The medic's tone was rough, but his fingers were gentle as he placed them under her chin and tilted her head up. The tip of his index finger on his other hand transformed back to reveal a bright, internally-mounted penlight. He raised it up and shown it into each of her eyes. She squinted against the bright light. No wonder her patients' first reaction was to bat her hands away when she used hers.
Unnoticed by either of them, two teens and a yellow mech had entered the medbay to see Ratchet raising a glowing fingertip to the face of a stunned-looking Crystal. Sam's eyes widened and he doubled over, suddenly falling victim to a fit of extremely manly high-pitched giggles. Ratchet and Crystal both jumped a little and quickly turned around to see the teen leaning against Bumblebee's leg, shaking with laughter. Mikaela raised an eyebrow and Bumblebee shrugged. Sam looked up at them and struggled to regain control of his breathing. Slowly, he raised his own index finger up to Mikaeala's face and in a very E.T.-esque voice said, "Ooooouch." Now Mikaela was also laughing, and Bumblebee still looked completely lost. Crystal hid a smirk. She might have joined them in their laughing fit if weren't for her recent traumatic experience.
Ratchet frowned at the two incapacitated teens before turning to Bumblebee. "Excuse us for a moment." He picked Crystal up off the examination table and carried her into his office, closing the door behind him. He set her down on his desk and began to run yet another full body scan. She narrowed her eyes and glowered up at him.
"Don't do that again."
"What?"
"You can't just pick me up and carry me off whenever you damn well feel like it. I-"
"Hush." He finished his scan and met her poisonous glare. "I'm sorry, Crystal, but I'm more concerned with your health right now than proper transformer-human etiquette."
She slumped forward and rested her chin on her hand, too tired to argue.
"Why did the fragment do that?"
Ratchet shook his head. "I don't know. But, it doesn't appear to have had any effect on you…yet."
A worried expression crossed her features. "Yet?"
"I can't be sure, but it may take a while for any residual effects of the energy flare to appear. I want you to stay here tonight so I can keep an optic on you."
"No." She shook her head and held up a hand in protest. "That's not necessary, Ratchet."
"Crystal, I think it would be best-" The sudden sensation of her small hand overtop his own larger one cut his words short.
"I'm a doctor too, remember? If I feel like something's wrong I'll contact you, ok?"
He wasn't in the habit of taking no for an answer, and he almost gave her the "save it for your creator" speech he often used on Ironhide and Optimus. However, he was perfectly aware that medics made the worst patients, and that those words would be useless on someone who probably used the same kind of tactic to subdue their own medical charges. He was concerned though. He couldn't figure out why the Allspark fragment directed a pointed energy flare at the young woman, and why it had no detectable effect on her body. He sighed and turned his hand over, clasping his fingers over her hand. He helped her to step onto his other palm and carefully set her down on the floor.
He furrowed his brow slightly. "Promise me you'll contact me if you so much as sneeze tonight."
She snorted.
"I mean it. And I'll want to run some more tests on you in the morning. You may be a doctor too, but you don't have the experience to deal with a situation like this. As of tonight, you're one of my patients."
She crossed her arms and studied the medic's face, taking note of the slight frown he wore. It was one of concern, though, not of smugness, and she realized that this was not a battle of stubborn wills. He was right.
"That's fine. I just want to go get some sleep." She suddenly looked very defeated, and very tired.
"I know." He opened the door to allow her passage into the main part of the medbay.
"Thank you, Ratchet."
He nodded. "Goodnight, Crystal."
She exited his office and he followed closely behind her, watching as she strode over to the two teens and Bumblebee who were waiting for her with puzzled expressions.
She smiled at them, all traces of fear or worry sufficiently hidden. "You guys look exhausted. Let's get you to your rooms." With that she ushered the teens out of the medbay.
The CMO watched the three humans exit. Bumblebee still stood there, staring at the medic with an optic ridge raised. Ratchet cast him a pointed glare and nodded toward the door. He wasn't about to explain himself to the kid tonight. The yellow Camero sighed, threw his hands up, and followed the humans out the door, shaking his head. The main doors closed behind him and Ratchet turned and walked slowly back into his office, deep in thought. He made his way over to the armored cabinet and unlocked the door once more. With a hesitant hand, he carefully extracted the jagged piece of metal that was the Allspark shard. The medic turned the fragment over in his hands. There was no way he was getting any recharge tonight. With the shard still in his grasp, he exited his office. He needed to figure out just what had happened tonight.
Ratchet to optimus.
Go ahead, Ratchet.
You busy?
Optimus chuckled softly. I'm always busy. What do you need?
Can you come down to the medbay? I need to speak with you.
What's wrong?
There's been an incident. He paused. It involves the Allspark fragment.
I'll be right there.
Thanks for reading chapter 4! I hope you take the time to review. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, just no flames please.
A big piece of "thank you cake" to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I really appreciate it. You guys rawk!
Also, I hope at least some people appreciated my E.T. reference (do not own). I absolutely adore that movie and it was on the other day while I was working on this, so I couldn't resist putting in a little something. XD If you have never seen that movie, I highly recommend it.
