Disclaimer: Don't own TF: Prime, just a love for big trucks.
Review please? Oh, and from this point on it's basically AU, not going to keep with the Season Three Beast Hunter episodes...little hard to convert if Prime is "off active duty" in my fic versus the show...
Chapter Seven
...I don't have a name for this one...
xxx
With a soft groan, Optimus came online blearily, for once not feeling like he had to purge "his brains out" as Miko had put it so well a few short days ago. After waking in Maine, Ratchet had been able to coordinate between himself, Raf and Blades a suitable location for a ground bridge, transporting all of them to the base while Blades retrieved the seven humans from Griffin Rock.
Optimus had been able to aid in introductions for a short while, before Ratchet snapped at him and Ironhide escorted him to his quarters. The weapon specialist refused to leave Prime alone, finding it better for both of them if he remained nearby as Prime had managed to develop a fever from being in the cold marsh for a couple hours.
Ratchet didn't take it as anything serious, just stress and exhaustion compounding to make Prime miserable, he did confine Prime to bed rest until he was definitively feeling better and able to keep energon down.
Considering it was normal for a carrying cybertronian to have "morning sickness" for several months, Prime was just about positive it was Ratchet's way of punishing him for going into the line of danger.
Ironhide snorted softly from where he was sitting at Prime's desk, but he didn't wake, his sensors had adjusted to Prime waking periodically in the night for a few brief minutes and then slipping back into recharge, but not this time...
It didn't surprise the Prime that Prowl was at the monitors, he'd already assisted in adjusting the scanners to be of better quality, and the technician worked best alone. Logical for him to take the quiet night shift.
"Good Evening Prime, might I ask what has you awake at this time?"
Optimus sighed softly, rubbing at his optics as he stepped closer and instinctively scanned the screens.
"Couldn't sleep."
Prowl merely nodded, digits tapping at the controls before pulling up a programming file, now his digits flew across the keys as he worked.
"Ratchet has filled myself and Ironhide in up to Ultra Magnus' arrival, at that point the commander attempted to debrief us and grew increasingly frustrated with our youngest."
"Smokescreen? Bumblebee knows better..."
Prowl shook his head before gesturing to a nearby crate for Prime to sit, the mech having been shifting uncomfortable for a few seconds.
"No, Hot Rod, he's the flamboyant scavenger Stephanie is prone to be with, and I recommend you sit Prime."
Optimus did so, sighing as it eased the building ache he'd begun to feel in his ankles, his frame really wasn't meant for this.
"Hot Rod...I am unfamiliar with that designation."
"He's outta Trion's latest graduatin' class, from the same group as Smokescreen Prahm, bit cocky, but still rather controllable, Smokescreen still seems ta be more green than Roddie is."
Prowl nodded in agreement, optics briefly flickering to Prime and Ironhide as the weapon specialist rested a servo on Prime's shoulder.
"Thought Doc said no late night strolls."
"I had no intentions on leaving the hangar, let alone the base Hide, just needed to move I guess."
The black mech grunted, servo squeezing slightly in companionship before he moved to stand near Prowl.
"Ya able ta crack that code? Yer the one who put it in."
Prowl shifted to glare at the other mech, "Yes Ironhide, I did put this code in, but cracking my own code is entirely different when I'm coming from an unidentified server. Tell me, who on the other end of this can allow me access when Stephanie is asleep down the hall and Kate is hiding around the corner."
"Dammit Prowl, you didn't have to give me away."
Ironhide chuckled at the sweatpants and tshirt clad human jogged closer, oblivious to the fact that she was barefoot on cold cement. Prowl merely shrugged, turning back to his hacking with a sigh, "Jazz is much more proficient at this."
"That's cause he's actually a hacker smartass."
"Katherine."
Childishly, the young adult stuck her tongue out at Prowl's back plates, earning a snicker form Ironhide before he picked her up, setting her on Prime's shoulder as he moved to the medical bay door, "Ya know Prowl, ya could just call Jazz, sure the glitch is still awake like half this base seems ta be." The mech thudded a fist against the door, earning a yelp from Ratchet who'd probably had an audial pressed against the metal. The medic exited, glaring at the black mech before joining the make shift late night group.
"Prime, you should be resting."
"Oh can it Doc, heh that's funny."
Ratchet shut his mouth, glaring as Ironhide chuckled with Kate, "She's got a point Doc, you do talk to much. Sides, ya 'n' I both know carryin' femmes are restless, 'specially when the sparklin' 's growin' a ton."
The medic couldn't argue, moving to sit near Prime, but still giving the mech space, Prime had been avoiding him for a couple days. Kate shifted in Prime's shoulder, watching Prowl as she swung her legs idly.
"Missed a code."
Prowl reversed his scrolling, correcting the error within seconds of Kate catching it, "My thanks."
"Mhm."
Kate moved again, now laying flat out on Prime's broad shoulder, staring at the ceiling.
Ratchet had to admit it was amusing, Prowl was an extremely analytical and logical mech, countered by the rather illogical and a bit care-free humans.
"Now what's got yer processor buzzin' doc?"
"Just...the intracicies of human relations among us."
Kate rolled to look at him, not realizing she had moved too far and was falling.
Her shriek was a bit amusing as Prime caught her in a servo, easing her to a comfortable position with a gentle smile.
"Whoops."
Ironhide chuckled before stretching and retrieving the human, "C'mon girl, time for recharge, ya gotta head back wi' Rod and Steph in the mornin' ta settle the others."
"Others?"
Prowl nodded in response to Prime, internally compiling a data file to transmit shortly.
"What? Ya think we came here 'lone Prahm? There's a bunch a' us back where Kate lives, her place is outta da way."
The Prime sighed as he relaxed, visibly sagging in relief as his processor flew through the information Prowl sent him.
"The Ark?"
"Burnt up several deca light years back towards Jupiter's farthest moon, but enough of the hull remained ta get us here with a bit extra. It won't every be operational again, but quite a bit managed to survive the crash. Can't say the same for Yellow Stone Park's lake..."
"That was you?!"
"Oh shut up Doc, we had a pair of 'cons trailing us, they hit the lake first, we just landed on them."
Prowl snorted, then rubbed at his optics as they buzzed angrily, his logic circuits soon to crash.
"Careful Prowl, you promised me you wouldn't crash again."
The mech nodded to Kate, the human drowsy in Ironhide's servos, stepping back from the screen and venting slowly, reciting algebraic and quantm physics formulas until his circuits calmed.
"Better?"
Prowl nodded once more, returning to his work, not glancing up as Ironhide walked away.
Ratchet let Prime have a few more minutes to himself before standing and resting a servo on the mech's shoulders.
"You should at least return to your quarters and relax, even if you don't sleep. Magnus will be starting his shift in less that an hour and he's been increasingly difficult lately."
Prime nodded, letting Ratchet and Prowl pull him to his feet, resting a servo over his distended plating as he straightened with a sigh.
"I'd like to perform a full exam tomorrow afternoon Prime, I'm hoping to be able to discern an approximate due date."
With a nod of consent Prime left, entering his quarters and finding Ironhide reading a data pad he'd left on his desk, Kate was curled in her sleeping bag on the desk, eyes blissfully shut as she slept.
"Humans never cease to amaze me..."
The black mech smirked, gently rubbing a digit down Kate's back, the human relaxing and stretching out.
Optimus eased back on his berth, laying back with a heavy sigh.
Ironhide shut the pad off after a moment, setting it down and leaning back in the chair to recharge, his own systems holding off needed sleep until Optimus activated his own protocols, slipping into recharge with ease.
Review Please?