Hey guys! So I'm sure I've made some fans bummed by going so long without updating. Well we can all thank my old laptop for that. It crashed and it took forever for me to save up for another one and get the software for it. Of course, saving up the money meant getting a second job so now I hardly have any time to write. But anyway, I finally came up with the time to sit down and write so here's Chapter 10. A little Christmas present from me to you!
Bumblebee remained with Jazira until she seemed content with the amount of sunlight she had absorbed and the glowing dissipated into nothingness.
He watched as Jazira got to her feet with a fair amount of difficulty. It was clear that she had not generated enough energy and still needed a considerable amount of rest. Her wings still drooped and the nasty gash on her leg and shredded scales and flesh on her back still appeared to carry risk of infection.
As Jazira made a move to walk to the base, Bumblebee stepped into her path, forcing her to stop. Jazira looked at the young scout questioningly.
"You've done enough," came a voice from his radio. "Become human….I'll carry you." Static laced Bumblebee's radio between playbacks of different quotes of movies and songs.
Jazira shook her head and straightened her neck upwards to appear less worn down.
"I can't Bumblebee." She said. Bumblebee marveled at how the creature before him was clearly speaking to him but wasn't moving its mouth. The voice sounded female with a purring echo behind it.
"My shoulder muscles are too badly torn for me to transform back into human form right now." She explained. "A cut is one thing, torn muscles is another. It would be like you trying to transform with damaged joints."
Bumblebee understood. But Jazira could still see defiance in his features. He still refused to allow her to walk. Jazira lowered her head slightly and blinked.
"Bumblebee, I'm alright," she said gently. "I am not the priority right now, Optimus is."
The scout froze at the sound of Optimus's name. Horrific images on his leader lying dead in the forest at Megatron's peds flooded his processor. His shoulders sagged and the door wings on his back drooped as he let out a sad whine.
He knew Jazira was right and he couldn't bear to see Optimus dead again.
After a moment's silence, Jazira approached the scout, dipped her head, and nuzzled Bumblebee's chin. He raised his head but avoided her gaze.
"Let's get Optimus taken care of," she purred softly "Then you can take care of me all you want." She lifted her tail off the ground and circled it around herself until the tip was between the two of them in a gesture to shake. "Deal?"
Bumblebee looked from the tail to the glowing emerald eyes before him. Slowly, his facial plates shifted to a small smile and he grasped the tail and shook.
From there they made their way to the base. The pace was slow: Jazira's shoulder muscles made walking more difficult than she initially anticipated. Dried crimson blood and dirt cached her scales making each movement feel as if her flesh was being peeled away with a belt sander.
To take her mind off the discomfort, Jazira scoped out the landscape. All the soldiers had returned to base with Lennox to give Jazira some space to rest and all that remained were footprints and an expanse of sand and dry plants.
Hoping the other parts of the island were more colorful, Jazira turned her head to look forward and saw the large hangars and landing strips of NEST. It was simpler than she imagined it. But she liked simple.
A large crowd of humans was gathered around one of the hangars. Jazira guessed by the red cross over the hangar door that it was Ratchet's medical bay. She gathered her strength and quickened her pace.
A few startled exclamations echoed through the members of the crowd who had not been present for Jazira's arrival. Bumblebee gently raised a hand to quell their nervousness. The soldiers parted to make way for the dragon and scout and a new and terrible sight met Jazira's eyes as she stepped into the cool shelter.
Optimus lay on a large metal berth by the right wall with tubes of energon hooked to his chest and arms. Many of his armor plates had been removed and lay in a pile against the wall. However, most of the armor resembled crushed cars more than protective plates.
Even without his armor, Optimus was a mess. Dirt caked every inch of his scratched and dented body. The puncture wound in his torso sparked and steamed as Ratchet worked feverishly to repair it.
A frenzy of whispers on the opposite wall tore her attention away from the gruesome sight. She turned her head to see a number of Autobots crowded together, staring at her. An awkward silence ensued as both sides thought of the right thing to say.
"You might start by thanking her." said Ratchet without taking his optics off the task at hand. "She did just save Optimus after all."
The largest of the group stepped forward and stared at her. The mech eyed her long talons and the horn on her nose and Jazira admired his sleek, shiny, black paint job. They both studied each other momentarily before the mech jerked his arms forward to retract his hands and bring out his plasma cannons. They whirred threateningly as he pointed them at her. Jazira reacted instantly and her muscles tensed as she opened her mouth slightly and brought the fire in her gut to her mouth where it pulsated and flickered, at the ready.
A twinkle of amusement flashed across the Autobot's optics and he retracted his cannons.
"She's got good reflexes." He boomed in his gruff voice. "I like her already." Jazira eyed the black mech with suspicion. She snuffed out the fire in her mouth by snapping her teeth shut. The silver Autobot in the group skated forward.
"Don't mine Ironhide." He said as he approached her. "He's our weapons specialist. It's hard wired into his processor. The name's Sideswipe." He said with a smile. "The blue one over there is Jolt, the little one is Wheelie, the green and red morons over there are Skids and Mudflap, and I know you've met Bumblebee and Doc. Grouch over there."
Ratchet ignored the comment as Skids and Mudflap stalked over.
"Who ya callin' morons ya talkin' roller skate?" piped up Skids. They both moved to stand on either side of Jazira as Mudflap chimed in too.
"Yeah, and who says you get to be her best friend?" he said "Maybe she wants to hang with us." And with that they both gave Jazira a friendly slap on the shoulders.
The double slap triggered fresh waves of pain to lance down her back and up her wings. Her eyes clamped shut and she bellowed in agony before falling to the floor, unable to bear her own weight under the shock.
Ratchet dropped his tools and stepped out from behind the berth.
"Alright!" he shouted "Everyone out!" He pointed at the twins. "Especially you two, before I use you for parts to repair Optimus!"
As the bots left, Ratchet turned to see Bumblebee trying to help Jazira stand so they could leave the medic to his work.
"You two stay here." He said in a gentler tone once everyone else had left. Ratchet closed the door and turned to address Bumblebee. "Go get one of the blankets and a bucket of hot water." He said.
Bumblebee obeyed and within minutes he had returned with a ratty old military blanket that had clearly been recycled to let Ratchet use as a rag, and a large, Autobot-sized bucket of hot water.
"Get her cleaned up so I can bandage her wounds." Ratchet said.
It was a painful process for both Jazira and Bumblebee. The extent of Jazira's injuries was worse than Bumblebee expected. Some of the gashes in her back and shoulders had shards of Optimus's armor protruding from them. Each time Bumblebee would pluck a piece of metal from her back, Jazira would give a twitch of discomfort. Bumblebee worked efficiently however, as each tiny speck of dirt and each bit of steel was removed. The stitches in her leg, which had been torn completely out, were given special attention and cleaning.
Ratchet stabilized Optimus enough to plaster bandages on her and check for any sign of infection.
Once convinced that rest was the only medicine Jazira needed, Ratchet returned to Optimus.
Bumblebee helped Jazira stand and walk to the berth. They stood side by side and watched Ratchet until the medic finally insisted that Bumblebee had done all he could and he should leave Jazira to her rest.
"Go ahead Bumblebee." Jazira said softly. "I'll be alright and you need to rest too." Bumblebee reluctantly gave in and left the hangar.
Jazira settled to the floor and spent a few moments shifting uncomfortably as the bandages pulled awkwardly at her scales. Once she had found a comfortable position, she lay there and watched Ratchet finish repairing Optimus's torso.
"That was a fine welding job you did on him." Ratchet commented as he looked over his work. Optimus's frame was still quite dirty but otherwise good as new.
"Will he be alright?" Jazira asked. The medic looked up at her and the slightest flash of a smile passed over his facial plates as he nodded.
Relieved, Jazira rested her head on Optimus's chest and dozed off watching Ratchet fix the pile of mangled armor.
She slept through the noise of the repairs, embraced by the comfort of knowing that she had succeeded and everything would be alright.
YEESSSSS! I'm so glad I've finally got this done for you guys! I hope you liked it. There's a few chapters to go. Love you guys! Hope you had a great Christmas or whatever else you may celebrate! XOXO