Disclaimer: Not mine!
A/N: So this chapter is a bit mary-sueish. It amuses me, and makes sense in my brain. ^.^ Do review!
- Chapter 12 -
I woke in med bay a full twelve hours later, an exhausted-looking Magnus sitting on the berth next to me, and Vector not far beyond him. On the other side of me, Ratchet straightened and glared at the two of them.
"There. She's awake. Now will you get out of my med bay?" he demanded.
"Ratchet, please," Magnus even sounded exhausted.
"Fine, you have five minutes, then she goes back into recharge, and you go back to your quarters and get some of the same," Ratchet said, then stormed off. Magnus watched him go for a moment, then slid off the berth he was sitting on and came to stand by me. In the background, Vector nodded once to me, a fond smile on his face, and then left.
"Hello," Magnus said softly, drawing my attention back to him. A mess of emotions crossed his face as I looked at him, and I tried to smile a bit as I replied.
"Hello yourself."
"How are you feeling?" he asked, and I contemplated that answer for a moment.
"Numb," I settled on. "I think Ratchet did something to my pain sensors. Or the Cybertronian recovery process feels really weird." Magnus smiled tiredly.
"He turned them off," he said. "One of the perks of being Cybertronian."
"Oh, well, that's good," I said, then, because I couldn't think of anything else to say, added, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Magnus asked, looking surprised.
"I dunno, for getting my aft captured, for making you take Soundwave with us and then let him go?" I suggested. "Seemed like the thing to say."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Magnus assured me. "You were right on all counts regarding Soundwave, and we should have set up a moon-wide bridge jammer a long time ago. I'm just glad you had Vector with you, and that he can bypass bridge jammers."
"Me too," I said. Magnus didn't say anymore, but leaned over and kissed me lightly - though I could barely feel it, I suspected Ratchet had turned off more than just my pain sensors. Then Magnus was gone, walking out of the med bay, and Ratchet was by my berth again, putting me into a forced recharge.
Ratchet was there again when I woke up, immediately identifiable, and my only lucid thought from after Soundwave bridged out came back to me.
"You picked that ugly-aft colour on purpose because you knew no one else would, didn't you?" I asked, and the medic looked up at me from where he was doing something to my arm (which, I realized, I couldn't feel, or move).
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"Your plating. You picked that horrible colour so that injured Autobots would know just from it that you were there," I elaborated.
"Of course not," he said with a snort. I was quiet for a few moments before speaking again.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked, feeling decidedly awake and in need of entertainment. My systems may have still been sending me error messages, and half my sensors may have still been turned off, but my mind was wide awake.
"Fixing you," Ratchet replied.
"Obviously. What part in particular?" I asked. "I mean, I know it's on my arm, but I can't lift my head to see."
"Your hand. Astrotrain crushed it," Ratchet ground out.
"Oh. Right," I replied.
"If this is how humans react to trauma, I am letting their own doctors handle them," Ratchet muttered.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You know what? You're not even supposed to be conscious," Ratchet said, and reached out with one hand to a console above my head.
"Hey, wait -" Recharge closed around me.
When I woke up the next time, all the error messages were gone, and my sensors were all back online. Ratchet was once again waiting for me, with, oddly, Prowl in the background.
"How are you feeling?" Ratchet asked me when I looked over at him.
"Fine?" I replied. I'd felt fine the last two times I'd woken up, too, so I wasn't so sure that was the correct answer.
"No pains in your joints or anything? No error messages?" Ratchet asked.
"Hmm...nope," I replied honestly.
"Good," Ratchet said, then walked away, nodding to Prowl as he went, and the tactician came to stand beside my berth. He gave me an intent look, and I squirmed a bit.
"Something up, Prowl?" I asked.
"Perhaps," he said. "Vector told us that Megatron had Astrotrain...work you over."
"Yeah, and I'd tell you he hits like a train, but I think that pun is too horrible even for me," I said with a small groan, remembering the armor-bending punches.
"I see," Prowl said with a sigh. "I am impressed you were coherent enough to debate with us about Soundwave, after that."
"Uhm," I didn't know quite what to say to that. I mean, it had hurt, but I had figured it was just, well, a warm-up. It wasn't as painful as I imagined real torture would be, and by the time I'd been rescued, my self repair systems had already taken care of the worst of it.
"Should you wish to talk about it," Prowl began, and I suddenly realized why he was there.
"You're the Autobot's trauma counselor? Really?" I blurted out in surprise, and Prowl frowned at me.
"I studied psychology before the war," he said. "I am qualified for the task, though usually there are others to do it instead. However, none of them have arrived here yet, and when Vector told us who had tortured you, I thought it best not to wait for them." I chewed on that statement for a moment, realizing what he was implying.
"Uhm. Not to shut you down or anything, because really the thought is appreciated, but honestly? It didn't hurt that much," I said carefully. Prowl looked disconcerted.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I've felt worse," I said, shrugging. "It hurt, but the cramps I've had some months were just as bad, and the time I broke my leg hurt a hell of a lot more than that. I figure he was just warming up for the real painful part later." Prowl looked completely dumbfounded.
"Terry...Astrotrain is well known for his ability to cause severe pain without needing to 'warm up', and Ratchet has had the unfortunate opportunity to treat more than a few of his victims. He considered you one of the more damaged of those he's had to treat," the tactician finally said.
"I, uh, have a high pain tolerance?" I said after a moment, frowning.
"Evidently." Prowl's incredulity was thick. He sounded like he could barely believe what he was hearing.
"Tell me, Terry, do you find your sense of touch has been diminished since you became Cybertronian?" Ratchet was suddenly on my other side, and I looked at him in surprise.
"What? Uhm. Yeah, somewhat. Definitely a fair bit in my fingers," I replied. "Why?" Ratchet sighed.
"Of course. Humans have more nerve endings than a Cybertronian has sensors in their body, even without taking into account relative sizes," he said. "I'd wondered if human nerves just weren't as sensitive, with organic tissue losing more of the signal than our sensors, but this - this explains so many things."
"What does it explain?" I asked, utterly confused now.
"The human sense of touch - and pain - is evidently far more acute than a Cybertronians. And while you are Cybertronian now, you have experienced touch, and pain, as a human. Hence, what would be a debilitating and traumatic experience for one of us was not so for you," Ratchet replied, sounding annoyed, and glared at Prowl. "After all that fuss you, Magnus, and Vector made, it turns out she's 'felt worse' - monthly, if I understand her correctly."
"Apparently," Prowl said dryly. "Shall I go tell them to stop worrying?"
"Wait, everybody was all worked up about this?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes, they were worked up over the fact that you were tortured. Of course, they didn't know that you'd felt worse..." Ratchet was glaring at me now, and I suspected he'd be holding this against me for awhile.
"I could pretend I hadn't?" I suggested meekly.
"You're fine. Get out of my med bay," Ratchet stated, then turned and walked away. I watched him go for a moment, then turned to look up at Prowl.
"I feel like I should be apologizing," I said timidly.
"Don't. It's not necessary," Prowl said, shaking his head. "Frankly, I'm relieved you're fine. It is never a pleasant task to speak with someone suffering the mental after-effects of an encounter with Astrotrain. If anything, I should be thanking you."
"Er, ok," I said.
"However, I believe Ratchet said you were fine, and after all he's had to put up with over the past two days, you should leave before he comes back and you learn what it truly means to be traumatized," Prowl said dryly.
"I'm in favour of avoiding that," I said, sitting up. I was cautious at first, but it seemed Cybertronians were not like humans - I didn't ache, and I wasn't unsteady on my feet in the least. Everything worked fine, and at Prowl's urging, I proceeded him out of the med bay.
Not only were Magnus and Vector out in the hall, but so were Optimus, Elita, and Chromia, and they all looked up as I walked out. Their worried expressions, quickly smoothed away, made me want to run back inside. Fortunately, Prowl was behind me, stopping me from returning to the Wrath of Ratchet, and also ready with a helpful explanation.
"She's fine. She's 'felt worse'," he said dryly, seeming inordinately amused, and then slipped past me and down the hall as the five waiting Autobots looked at me in confusion.
"Apparently humans have a much higher pain tolerance than Cybertronians?" I said, feeling nervous. They'd obviously all been worried about me, and here I was, completely fine. "Not that your worry isn't appreciated and all, just, y'know. Turns out that it wasn't needed. Much." Silence for a few moments, and then Vector started snickering. He stepped forward, still snickering, and clapped me on the shoulder.
"You know, you were right, I don't think I would make it as a human," he said, which made no sense to anyone but him, and then walked off down the corridor still snickering. I turned to the other four and shrugged. Magnus slowly shook his head and stepped forward, wrapping me in a gentle hug, which got stronger when he realized I wasn't flinching away.
"I'm glad you're alright," he said softly, then backed away.
"As are we all," Elita said, and suddenly I was surrounded by the four of them, being led down the corridors to Magnus's and my quarters while they talked about various unrelated things. At our quarters, Optimus, Elita, and Chromia said goodbye, pleading business elsewhere, and Magnus and I entered alone. When the door shut, he turned and gave me a funny look.
"You are...incredible, do you know that?" he said.
"Um. Really, this was just a case of the difference between human and Cybertronian physiology, it was nothing in specific to do with me," I tried to explain.
"That doesn't make you any less incredible," Magnus said solemnly, stepped over and wrapping his arms around me. "When we realized the Decepticons had you, I was terrified. I know what they're capable of, and I didn't want you to be subjected to any of it. But you were. You were at the mercy of one of the worst of them. I've seen the results of Astrotrain's work before, Terry. It's never pleasant, and some Autobots have never recovered from it. He had his hands on them for more than a day, it is true, but still..." Magnus trailed off. "I was worried. Very worried. And I am very, very glad that you are alright, no matter the reason."
"Me too," I murmured, leaning into the embrace. Magnus was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Not that I want to pressure you about it, but this would have been much easier if we were bonded," he said.
"How?" I asked him incredulously. "Even bonded, you wouldn't have been able to stop them from taking Vector and I, and you came to rescue me pretty much as soon as possible."
"Yes, but I would have known whether or not you were alive, instead of panicking that I'd lost you, despite what Vector said," Magnus said, kissing me softly. "It's not so much preventing it from happening, as it is knowing how much I need to panic as it's happening."
"So essentially you just want to know what's happening to me at all times," I mused. "Sounds kinda like a stalker." Magnus chuckled.
"Well, apparently I do have 'creepy' tendencies," he said, and I giggled at the throw-back to the early days of our relationship, when things were so much simpler.
"By the way, I meant to ask but never got around to it - when you said the Stunticons took a shot at the restaurant, did you mean literally?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. It was a smoking ruin by the time Optimus and the others drove off the Stunticons," Magnus replied, sounding regretful.
"Ah well, I'm sure Eric had it insured out the wazoo," I said.
"And he got a healthy grant from the government for an unspecified reason, too," Magnus assured me. "Still, I wish they hadn't destroyed it."
"Nostalgia?" I asked.
"Mmm, for a simpler time when there weren't multiple Primes and members of the First Thirteen wandering around," Magnus confirmed, kissing me again.
"And for when I was squishy?" I said when we broke apart.
"No, you know, I think I've lost any nostalgia for that," Magnus murmured, his hands starting to wander as he turned his attention to my neck cables.
"Well, haven't we come a long waaaa-" I jumped as on of his fingers brushed over something particularly sensitive. "What the frag was -" he did it again, and I found myself thoroughly distracted from any attempt at conversation as Magnus apparently decided to test boundaries again. He was quick enough to stop when I started getting uncomfortable, though he was obviously a little frustrated. Thinking about it as I powered down for recharge that night next to him, I realized I was probably torturing the poor mech - he'd lived quite awhile, most of it single, and a fair bit of it involved in a war when there wasn't exactly the opportunity to find 'casual company'. I resolved to see what I could do about feeling more comfortable with Cybertronian intimacy in the near future, though I had no idea how I was going to do that.
Prowl had taken over Magnus's duties for the next day, giving us the day off together, which I fully approved of, especially since Vector had apparently brought me back a gift from the future.
"Vector said it was the most advanced jukebox he could bring back without breaking the timeline," Magnus explained when I asked him what was in the giant box by the door. "Even then, he said you two were going to have to install it yourselves, since he doesn't want anyone else seeing it's internals."
"Oh really?" I peered curiously at the box, and Magnus sighed.
"You want to go install it now, don't you?" he asked.
"No, of course not, I want to spend the day with you!" I immediately protested, but couldn't stop myself from glancing over at the box. Magnus laughed.
"I'm sure you do - right after you install your futuristic jukebox," he said, and I pouted.
"It's shiney! And a present! I can't help it!" I whined, and Magnus shook his head as he stood up from the couch.
"Alright, let's go find Vector, then," he said, heading over to the box and picking it up.
"But -" I didn't protest any further at the look Magnus gave me. I followed him quietly for a few moments, but then I couldn't stop wondering what a futuristic jukebox would be like, and I started chattering to Magnus about it, wondering what it looked like, what features it would have, if it would have any future-music on it. Magnus let me go, though he seemed more than a little relieved when we finally found Vector - who, of course, wouldn't answer any of my questions, just telling me that I'd find out. Which I would, but that didn't stop me from pestering him all the way to The Lounge.
Fortunately, there weren't any Autobots in The Lounge when we entered, so we just went in and locked the door. As I opened the box, Magnus made to leave, only to have Vector stop him.
"It's not like you won't end up seeing more timeline-damaging things when you two bond," Vector grumbled, then turned back to the box. Magnus chuckled at that, while I became overly distracted by unpacking the jukebox. There wasn't anything really futuristic about it, I was disappointed to discover - in fact, it was made to look like a classic Earth jukebox, only with Cybertronian wiring. I couldn't see anything really damaging to the timeline, but Magnus perked up at a few points while he helped, inspecting a part carefully for a moment before passing it on. Vector seemed unconcerned with Magnus's inspection of the parts, though.
It was noon by the time we'd finished installing the jukebox, and we decided that tomorrow, Vector and I would load up songs on the thing. In the meantime, however, we unlocked The Lounge's doors, letting the Autobots access it again as Magnus and I returned to our quarters. The older Vector had things to do now, apparently, unlike his younger self - he assured me he wouldn't be 'wandering around bored'.
"Thank you," I told Magnus, kissing him lightly once we were inside.
"There's nothing to thank me for," Magnus assured me.
"Not even for being absurdly patient and incredibly understanding about how weird I am?" I asked him, and he chuckled.
"If you wish," he said. "However, we wouldn't be sparkmates if I wasn't able to deal with the more interesting aspects of your personality - and you with mine."
"I dunno, I think you have to put up with a lot more crap from me than I do with you," I told him dubiously. One of my wires was suddenly tweaked, sending a shiver through my systems, and I squeaked.
"Perhaps it just depends on your definition," Magnus purred, pulling me close. He drew away again almost as quickly, though, a lazy smile falling into place. "I believe I've already proven that I can push your human mind too far - and you have already proven that you are willing to put up with it, and to work with me in that regard." He kissed me lightly again, and as a response to his comment, I pulled him back to me to lengthen the kiss. He came willingly.
The next day Magnus returned to duty, and as planned, Vector and I spent it programming the jukebox, loading it with suitable songs. Various Autobots stopped by to express preferences or give suggestions - including Jazz, though I was the only one that knew about that - and we quickly had the jukebox loaded with a varied selection. We wrapped up as evening approached, wanting to give the Autobots the chance to try out the new jukebox. We weren't finished with it, not by a long shot - we'd barely gone through half of Jazz's music collection, and there were only a couple dozen human songs on it. We could work on it more tomorrow, however, and so Vector and I set off to find energon before enjoying the fruits of our labours for the day, sitting in The Lounge and listening to the various songs mechs picked. I found the Cybertronian music quite interesting, pretty in its own way and certainly unique - not in a bad way, either. It fit their race, having a digital quality to it that even electronica on Earth couldn't manage.
After we finished our energon, we headed out, Vector to a meeting with Optimus about something he wouldn't tell me, and me to find Magnus. I didn't make it.
"Oh god, where's Megatron when you need him," I whimpered, seeing the look on Chromia's face when she pounced, looping her arm through mine and dragging me off through the corridors.
"Awww, don't be like that," she said with a mock-pout. "I'm here to help!"
"With what?" I asked in alarm. "Ratchet hasn't cleared me for any sort of combat, even training, yet!"
"No, not combat, we'll deal with that later," Chromia said, giving me an appraising look, and I groaned.
"What, then?" I dreaded the answered, especially with the gleeful grin that spread across her face when I asked the question.
"You and Magnus, of course!" she said.
"What?" I spluttered.
"He was all worried when you were kidnapped, and it led to the asking of certain questions, which revealed that you two not only haven't bonded, but you haven't even interfaced!" Chromia explained cheerfully.
"...I don't even want to know how it led to the asking of those questions."
"Ironhide was just concerned," Chromia assured me.
"Ironhide was in on - Ironhide knows that we haven't -" The thought that Ironhide had been discussing Magnus's and my sex life made my processor stutter, and I wondered for a moment if I was about to have one of those rare lock-ups that Ratchet had warned me could happen. Chromia kept chattering, oblivious.
"Well Ironhide, Optimus and Ironhide have been friends for a long time, and while Optimus and Magnus are brothers and naturally closer, Optimus isn't exactly the type to ask his brother why he's so tense all the time, when by all rights he should be getting regular interfacing, so Ironhide stepped up, which -"
"I said I didn't want to know," I whimpered, and Chromia, mercifully, stopped - both verbally and physically.
"See, this is exactly what I thought was the issue," she said, giving me a thoughtful look, and I stared at her dumbly.
"Huh?"
"Inside, I'll explain," she said, and turned to open a door, shoving me inside. It took only a brief glance around to realize where we were - her and Ironhide's quarters.
"Oh hell no!" I said, trying to scramble back out, but she was blocking my way, and then the door was shut.
"Don't worry, Ironhide is off distracting Magnus for the evening," Chromia said cheerfully.
"Why does that not reassure me," I muttered, then crossed my arms and glared at the cobalt-blue femme. "Alright, you said you'd explain."
"Yes, of course, have a seat," she said, motioning to a large couch in the center of the room, facing the computer terminal - they had, like most Autobots, set it up like a TV screen. Magnus had once confided that the only reason terminals in quarters didn't come already set up like that was because Prowl was a stickler for protocol - technically, watching vids or whatnot on the computer terminals was an unauthorized usage of Autobot hardware or some such. Not that anybody did anything about it.
"So," Chromia began once I'd taken a seat as she asked. She remained standing, by the computer terminal, looking a bit too much like she was about to start lecturing for my comfort. "When Ironhide relayed to me what he'd found out about your and Magnus's lack of certain activities, it occurred to me that your difficulties were likely a result of the fact that you were recently human, and from what I could get out of the databanks, human interfacing is quite different from Cybertronian."
"Yeah, I asked Ratchet about it," I said, making a face.
"Well, therein lies the problem. Ratchet knows the physical behind it, but he's a medic, and has been single for far too long. I'm not sure he even knows how to do it himself anymore!" Chromia said with a dramatic sigh. "Anyways. I figured you could use a different perspective." She turned on the monitor, and started a video file. Like the videos Prowl had showed me, it didn't take long for me to realize what she was showing me, and relate it to a human equivalent.
"Oh my god, Cybertronian porn?"
When Chromia finally let me leave hours later, I'd seen more than I ever wanted to, and was desperately hoping that Magnus wasn't back in our quarters, because I didn't really want to face him after that. Human porn was one thing, but somehow watching three hours worth of Cybertronian porn had me more embarrassed than I'd ever been in my life. Chromia's matter-of-fact commentary on it probably hadn't helped much, especially when she related it to her personal experiences...usually with Ironhide. Though the anecdotes from before she met him were, perhaps, worse. I certainly wasn't going to be able to look Smokescreen in the face if he ever showed up.
Unfortunately for me, Magnus was indeed in our quarters when I got back, and though he tried to strike up a conversation, all I could do was mumble something incoherent before fleeing again. I made it out my usual airlock before I realized I was being silly, but after that exit, I couldn't exactly go back, so I decided to practice on using my abilities, since I was sure Fracture would be after me about them sooner rather than later. I'd been practicing for a few hours when I felt a presence behind me, and when I turned to look, I found an unfamiliar femme. I frowned slightly as I looked at her, not remembering her amoung the new arrivals, and then I realized I wasn't picking her up on my sensors.
"Hello," I said curiously over the comms, and she smiled back at me.
"There is something they aren't telling you," the femme said, her voice soft.
"There's always something someone isn't telling me - to whom in specific are you referring?" I asked curiously.
"The Herald. Fracture. Jazz." The fondness with which she said the last name twigged a memory, and I frowned.
"You're Lightspark," I guessed, and the femme nodded.
"I am," she confirmed. "The others don't think it's wise, but I wanted to warn you. You're prepared to give our race a great gift, to end a conflict millions of years old, and yet you don't know the price you might pay."
"I've always known I might die attempting it," I commented. "I also figured out awhile ago that even if that happens, I'll have succeeded." Lightspark laughed lightly.
"You are clever," she said. "It is true - though no one wants to mention it, the conflict will end if either the Fallen or the Herald dies. You don't need to live to accomplish the task set before you. But that is not the price I'm speaking of."
"Oh?"
"Should you succeed, either the Herald or the Fallen will be destroyed. If it is the Herald, you will die as well, and you are prepared for this. But should the Fallen die as everyone hopes, the cost may be more devastating than your own life. The Herald's body may destroy itself when the cycle is broken, leaving you either a wandering spirit, or in your human body," Lightspark said. I was quiet for a few moments, thinking that over.
"I haven't much gotten used to this whole I'm-now-immortal thing anyways. But trapped as a spirit, that would suck," I said finally, trying to be at least partially positive about this sudden revelation.
"It would indeed," Lightspark replied.
"Is there anything I could do to prevent it?" I asked.
"I do not know for certain," Lightspark replied. "Vector might, or Fracture. I doubt it, however - this is a new and unique situation, even for them."
"I don't suppose you have any suggestions, then?" I asked with a sigh.
"I would say that the best thing you can do is to tie yourself as tightly as you can to the life you want. The easier it is for a fate to come to be, the more likely it will be," Lightspark said after a moment.
"Tie myself tightly, hmm?" I mused. "Like bonding?"
"Perhaps. That is the most obvious tie you could make, but it also has the most potential for disaster," she replied.
"I don't doubt it," I said, looking out over the moon as I wondered what would happen to Magnus if I did bond with him, and any of the three less than ideal fates for me came to pass. If I died, I suspect he would too, but for him to be bound to a human, or to a spirit - I didn't want to think of what the effects would be.
"One last thing," Lightspark said, and I looked over at her again. "Peace is not yours to build, but you may, perhaps, lay a few bricks in the foundation." With that cryptic comment, she was gone, and I was alone out on the lunar surface again. Looking around myself, I sighed, and headed back inside. Magnus was waiting up for me when I got back.
"I don't want to talk about it," I groaned, all the embarrassment from earlier rushing back, and I flopped onto the berth.
"Alright, but I thought you might like to know that Chromia has been cleared for duty on Earth. She and Ironhide will be leaving tomorrow," Magnus said as he came to join me.
"Thank you," I said emphatically, pulling him over for an intense kiss, and Magnus laughed.
"I should start giving into your pleading more often, if this is the thanks I get," he said.
"I doubt I'll be as grateful for anything as I am for getting Chromia off this base," I told him solemnly. "But if you could ensure she and I are never on the same planetoid again without something to distract her, I would be perpetually grateful."
"I like the sound of that," Magnus said, pulling me closer for some more kisses. I backed off quickly when things started to get heated, though - sooner than I usually did - and hid my face rather than answer Magnus's questioning look, trying to distract myself from the mental replay of Chromia's videos that was now going through my head. After a few moments, Magnus realized he wasn't going to get an explanation out of me, and simply pulled me close before falling into recharge.