Chapter 80
-0-Tide
Ratchet hurried into Med Bay, watching as the worst case individuals were gently carried inside. Setting a bot down that looked like he had been moth eaten by metallic cannibals, the rescue team hurried out for more. Ratchet watched them go, then hurried toward the patient and began to work. Behind him lying on med beds, the floor and leaning against the walls, a number more were brought.
Springer came in and out, helping shocked and injured mechs to come in and sit. He helped fetch trays of famine formulated energon to give to the patients under Hoist's direction. It made him sick to his stomach to see Cybertronians in such condition but he couldn't remember a time when he felt such happiness at the sight of their people coming home. He rose to walk back out in a hurry.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Energon cubes were stacked near to them as they looked at the Autobots, their optics seeking permission.
Prime moved closer, kneeling down before them. "You are safe. You are with the Autobots and we will protect you. You may energize until you feel well. That is why we put it on the table. It is for you and you do not have to ask permission."
A youngling mech with red and white paint faded and chipped from who knew what experience and deprivation looked at him with a look of such disbelief that Prime reached over to cup his face with his giant servo. "It is all right. You are home."
A tear fell from his optics, sliding down his cheek as Prime rubbed it away. "Energize and then we will have a medic look at you and your friends here." He looked at two smaller younger mechs.
"They're my brothers," the mech whispered.
The two stared at Prime with unblinking optics, ones that spoke of unrelenting fear, endless hunger and Primus knew what else.
Prime felt his spark crush. He rose, then handed energon to the younglings who took it hesitantly. Sipping it wearily, they stared at the cups with astonishment, then drank it down as if they hadn't had energy in a long, long time.
It was obvious to everyone watching that that was the case.
Ironhide and Jazz who were watching them eat shifted in their peds in discomfort over the children's suffering.
Prime watched them stoically, thanking Primus for the humans, Mars and the resilient goodness of his people.
-0-Outside
Prime and Ironhide stepped outside, watching as the Autobots worked with precision and skill to sort the new arrivals and organize their care and protection.
Jazz walked over after talking to Springer. Springer was now head of security for Autobot City, all of Mars and worked with his teams to coordinate the reclamation.
"Prime, we have fifty individuals. There's forty-six mechs, four femmes. Four of them are as old as us, forty-six are not. There are nine younglings, eight mechs and one femme. Those younglings are orphaned. Three femmes each have a sparkling of varyin' ages. They're here with their bonds, one of whom is in very bad condition in the Med Bay. Ratchet gives that mech a 50/50 chance which means we may have another orphan pretty soon," Jazz said, his expression and tone grim. "There are thirty-one younglings in this group and all of them are mechs."
Prime nodded. "We have to have quarters for them. They will need to be divided by age and grouped in the barracks. I need you to find out their organization and try to keep those together that belong together, families if we have them. If some of them have been leading the group and they are still able and mentally stable, let them help you."
Jazz nodded, then hurried back to Springer.
Ironhide returned with Prime to Ops Center, the senior Autobots there gathering around the three youngling mechs who sat in chairs by the main control desk guzzling energon as if they were starving, which they had been.
Prime watched them with a look of sorrow and wretchedness on his face.
Ironhide, a silent copy of Prime stood by his side.
One of the mechs slowed, looking up at Prime. His expression was one of awe. "You live? You're Optimus Prime."
Prime pulled up a chair to sit, smiling kindly as he did. "I do. And I am so happy to learn that you do as well."
"We tried," the youngling said glancing at his brothers who sat in their chairs, sated and sleepy.
"What is your designation?" Prime asked.
"I'm Rambler," he said, sitting up straighter. "This is my brother, T-Bar and my younger brother, Spirit. We never thought we would ever see you. You almost didn't seem real, like a story the older mechs and femmes would tell us to keep us going."
Prime smiled sadly. "We have been trying to organize a place for our people and now that you are here this is home." As he spoke, the littlest mech, Spirit rose and walked to stand in front of Prime. He looked at him, then raised his arms upward to be held. Prime gathered him, holding him tightly.
T-Bar sat listlessly in his chair holding a half empty energon cube as he looked at Prime with an exhausted expression.
Rambler whose burdens lifted just a little leaned down and held his own helm in his hands, shaking with relief and despair.
Ironhide looked at the floor for a moment then walked around the table to the younglings. He knelt down between them, pulling them against his chassis to hold them as the sounds of their wailing filled the quiet room.
-0-A little bit later
Prime walked into Med Bay searching among the patients for a mech named Copper. Ratchet who was sipping energon during a tiny interlude pointed him out. He lay on a med berth hooked up and in dire straits. Walking to the young mech, noting his condition, the weight of his femme bond and sparkling heavy on Prime's processor, he gathered himself, then rolled back his chest plating until the pure white light of the Matrix began to emerge.
Ratchet who was watching along with everyone else in the room saw Prime trip the spark chamber latch on the mech. When his light streamed out pale and feeble, Prime with infinite care gathered the mech into his arms as the Matrix energy began to mingle with that of the desperately ill mech he held.
The white light brightened, filling the mech's chamber as tendrils of energy slipped up and around the body of the silent figure, drawing out and sharpening his energy. It was evident to those watching but for others like the humans it would be conjecture if they could themselves. For a moment the light continued to be bright, then Prime lay the unconscious mech back down, closing his chamber with a gentle touch. His own closed by itself as he looked at the monitors.
Ratchet joined him.
It was silent a moment as Ratchet checked the numbers, then a bit of a load lifted from him. "He looks much better. Thank you," Ratchet said quietly. "He could make it now."
"He has to," Prime said. "His femme and sparkling need him to. I need him, too. We all do."
Ratchet watched Prime walk back out from a room filled with a silent awe. Then he went back to work.
-0-Autobot HQ, Diego Garcia, Earth
Silverbolt, Cosmos and Sky Dive landed and the surge of Autobot soldiers carrying supplies and other things thronged out, entering to lift off with the jets.
Lennox and Graham who were standing by a hangar nearby looked at each other. Then as one they began to trek toward the Autobot Ops Center and a clue.
-0-Autobot City, Mars
They shifted mechs and femmes, sparklings and adults, helping them to get the first wash some of them probably had in vorns. The refugees were strangely quiet, Springer noted as he held a sparkling in his arms. Its femme carrier washed nearby with shaky servos and movements. He could see signs of abuse on their chassis and limbs as the grime and dirt washed off. Their paint schemes were in sad disrepair as well.
The sparkling who clinging to him tightly stared at him with unwavering optics. Fear cloaked him like a second skin.
Springer who felt his spark squeezing hugged the sparkling, finding its silence disturbing. He'd heard from Ratchet that sparklings made sounds, chirps and whirs that everyone found delightful. He'd heard that they could even purr when content. But this sparkling like the other two nearby in the arms of his soldiers were silent. It was grievously wrong, he considered, swaying gently from ped to ped as he comforted the tiny shocked infant in his arm.
-0-On the way
Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Mirage, Hound and Trailbreaker sat together silently, each of them considering what the refugees would mean to their lives and world. From the sounds of things, they were in bad shape which meant someone had abused them and they'd somehow managed to escape with the help of the Aerialbots.
What they were going toward, they couldn't know but it would be the first time that refugee Cybertronians found safety with Autobots in the length of time that they'd been part of the Cybertronian Diaspora themselves and that made this moment unique for them. As they streaked through space toward their new home and increased population, they wondered how many more Cybertronians were lost and desperate in the galaxy around them. Every one of them was disturbed by the thought.
-0-At the airfield
They pumped energon into the Aerialbots directly, bypassing the niceties of energon cubes. They were deeply debilitated and exhausted having crossed space with their holds filled with their fellows, making their way toward the spot where Prime's voice issued.
Sanctuary.
Safety.
The clarion call reached through space and it was being answered.
Silverbolt and Sky Dive had been ecstatic to see them and had been reluctant to leave to go to Earth but they did, hurtling through the darkness toward the blue marble that had made it all possible. Now they were coming back with soldiers and specialists in their holds and soon they would be five, soon they would be whole again. They would defend their new home, their family and countrymen and even if it required them to form Superion, they would do it.
Cosmos who was happy as well buzzed along with his hold full of supplies and extra energon. The plant on Mars was starting to make bulk quantities and that was good he thought as he soared with exuberance alongside his colleagues as they closed the gap to the red planet and home.