Chapter 3

He onlined the next morning with a feeling of dissatisfaction. He sat up in his berth, surprised to find his internal clock reading 9:24 AM, later than he usually onlined. The rest of the Autobots would already be out and about.

'Ratchet,' He commed, 'Please prepare the medical bay, I'd like you to assess the damage to the Eradicon's T-cog and determine the extent of it.'

'Alright,' Ratchet commed back without question, 'Bring him in, I'll be ready by the time you do.'

Optimus carried a cube to the locked storage room, interest rising again in anticipation of interacting with the Eradicon. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Karl had been awake since the sunrise, lying quietly on his berth pad and listening to whatever sounds he could catch of the Autobot base coming to life. Every time the clank of pedes on metal flooring had neared his door, he'd braced himself, and every time those pedes had walked on by. But when Optimus drew close to the cell, he'd known without a doubt that they would be speaking. By the time the door had opened, he was sitting upright.

He took the Autobot leader in at a glance, only slightly surprised to find another cube of energon in his servo. Once again, he inclined his helm in a small, noncommital nod of acknowledgement.

"Good morning," Optimus said as he came to Karl and passed him the cube. He began to walk to the door again. "I'm afraid you'll have to refuel as we walk." He hesitated for a moment. "I trust you won't need the cuffs. I promise that running won't get you anywhere anyway."

Karl remembered the uncomfortable fog that had come on with the cuffs' application. If he could get from one location to another without them, he wasn't going to let personal suspicion get in the way. "Fine with me." He stood up, taking a quick drink from the cube before falling into step along with Optimus.

Optimus led Karl through the base and to the central room, and then finally to the medical bay. Ahead he saw Ratchet look up from the equipment he was setting out.

Karl took one look at the med berth and the equipment laid out on it. He looked up at the Autobot leader, set his near empty cube down on the nearest table, and spoke flatly. "I'm not getting on that."

"You will not be tortured," Optimus said, "but I am afraid the exam is nonnegotiable." He watched Karl's frame tense and prepared himself for possible retaliation.

Karl stared at him for a moment longer. The tools set down besides the berth weighed against the hopelessness of resisting in his mind. In an instant, he'd turned to run.

Karl darted back, but Optimus' sheer size and arm span were enough to grab him. Optimus pulled him back, careful not to damage the thrashing Vehicon as he tried to restrain him. He put one arm around him and then the other, holding Karl's arms down against his sides, Optimus' chest plating against the Vehicon's back.

"There is no point in resisting," he said, not really expecting it to make a difference. He dragged him to the medical bay and glanced at Ratchet, but there was no way the medic could sedate someone while they were thrashing so hard, nor did Optimus really want to sedate him at all. So he backed up against the examination table and sat on top of it, pulling the struggling Vehicon up in front of him to sit between his knees.

"Will this do, Ratchet?"

"That'll be fine," the medic replied. At the current angle of Optimus' restraint, he had clear access to the eradicon's t-cog site. He passed the scanner over the area steadily, ignoring the thrashes and muffled curses.

The Vehicon growled, trying to connect at least one kick to Ratchet's faceplate. "You're making a big mistake, Autobot. Don't think I need my weapons to break a few of your denta -"

"Next time, Optimus, might I suggest keeping the stasis cuffs on?" After feeding the results of the scan into the computer for processing, Ratchet picked up a long, thin needle on the end of a hand held computer. "You may want to look away from this." Karl's struggling only intensified. As quickly as he could, Ratchet inserted the device into his side. The Vehicon, for his part, attempted to fight back a groan of pain - an effort that came a moment too late.

Optimus felt a wave of guilt as the Vehicon flinched against him. He had promised this wouldn't be torture, but the difference between torture and a medical examination could simply be relative when pain was involved. He was no expert in medicine, and hadn't expected this. He spoke against Karl's audio with a lowered tone, not wanting to disturb Ratchet's concentration. "Karl, I suggest you cease struggling before you break that needle off inside of you. Everything is going to be fine."

Karl's pain receptors were on fire, his HUD lighting up with small red lights. Optimus's voice may have been low and soothing, but all he could feel at the moment was a burning hatred for both Autobots. He gasped on his intakes as the tip of the needle entered his damaged t-cog, lighting up the device in Ratchet's grasp. "G..get rusted..." He offlined his visuals, trying to place himself somewhere miles from the pain. In the process, his struggles slowed.

"Ratchet? Anything?" Optimus asked, knowing he was being impatient.

Ratchet withdrew the needle, focused on reading the results. "The cog is only partially functional. It's capable of receiving the charge, but the transmission paths seem to be collapsed...consistent with blunt trauma."

Karl collapsed against the large frame holding him, overwhelmed by the sheer relief that accompanied a sudden lack of agony.

Optimus felt a sense of sympathetic relief at the feeling of the Vehicon's tension being eased. "Is there anything that can be done?" he asked the Doc.

"A transplant is an obvious one," said Ratchet, loathe to even bring up an option that was so drastically out of the question. "More realistically, an operation to clear the transmission paths and replace any damaged transmitters...but the odds of it actually working are uncertain, to say the least."

Karl's hopes didn't even begin to rise. The damage had been too severe, he had heard Knock Out say it himself. He kept his visor offlined.

"Thank you, Ratchet," Optimus said, "I think that will be all for the moment." He let one arm fall, but kept his other servo on the Vehicon to discourage him from trying anything. Finally he slid back and shifted so that they could stand.

The pain in Karl's side started up again, and with it came the static. He held onto the side of the berth to avoid leaning on Optimus, too shaken to even think of running again. All he wanted was the berth pad in his room, or any dark place that allowed him to lay down undisturbed…it was more than he dared to hope for.

Optimus looked him over. "Would you like to stay here and rest or return to your room?"

Karl glanced up, finally onlining his visor. "I have a choice?"

"The exam was necessary," Optimus said, hearing the distain in Karl's tone. "I assure you it's for your own wellbeing." Not to mention that he wouldn't want Bulkhead training him if it was going to cause something in the drone to rupture. Though Bulkhead wasn't really the one he had in mind. "So would you like to stay or go?"

Knowing that further lashing out at Optimus would neither undo the mandatory exam nor take away the pain in his side, Karl bit back his personal opinion of it all and focused on his options. He shook his helm, trying to clear away some of the static. "Go...I'd really like to go. I mean."

Optimus nodded and headed out, allowing the Vehicon to follow. They walked along, and Optimus tried to work up the nerve to ask what was on his mind. "Your injury… it was obviously aggravated by the exam. I've seen a similar exam performed on one of my autobots with far less of a reaction. It made me wonder, does your T-cog give you chronic pain?"

"Sometimes," Karl offered reluctantly. As they drew closer to his cell, the prospect of resting tempted him to elaborate. He didn't want to have to answer with the berth pad a foot away from him, just out of reach. "It's not the T-cog...I've had more than one scrape. That's all it is."

"Perhaps when you're feeling better you could elaborate. That may have been a trying experience just now, but I promise that Ratchet is as skilled a medic as they come, older and more experienced than your previous medic. With so many mechs becoming injured on the Nemesis, I am sure that Knockout must overlook maladies that aren't dire, things that Ratchet has the time to properly focus on. You may have resigned yourself to live with maladies that could be repaired."

That gave Karl pause. It was true that getting into the med bay was something of a process by itself; that even with the assistants being called in, there was only so much care a Vehicon could receive. He shook his helm again. It was all too good to possibly be true. There was no way his cure lay in a simple switch of medics. "I think you're underestimating how messed up this body is. If our medic doesn't have the resources to fix it, there's no way your doc does."

"Resources, perhaps not. But time and focus, yes. Would you at least agree to a consultation?" Optimus asked as they reached the door. "I promise to have Ratchet warn you next time he wants to perform something invasive." He unlocked it and gestured for Karl to enter.

"I'll take what I can get," Karl said as he stepped inside. He was prepared to lie down and recharge for the rest of the day, but the curiosity that had been creeping into in his processor refused to be ignored. "...Hold me down one nanoklik, offer me repairs the next. Looks like I'm never going to figure you out."

A smile spread across Optimus' face, and he felt a strange reluctance to leave. But he had to; there were too many things to be done. He turned to the controls by the door and typed into it. "I'm leaving for a good part of the day. If you need anything just press the white button and someone will come. Otherwise, I will be returning when my work is finished. Then, perhaps you can speak with Ratchet. There is also another matter I would like to discuss with you, but it can wait until you're more energized."

Karl stopped halfway to the berth pad, looking back at the Autobot. He would have taken any opportunity to put off interrogations and discussions, and he knew it was illogical to go seeking them now, but there was something in Optimus's tone that made him think this secondary topic did not involve Decepticon intelligence. "…What kind of matter?"

Optimus' mouth hung open slightly and he realized the mistake in mentioning it now. He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "Simply… further questioning in terms of intel." The corner of his mouth twitched. He wasn't a skilled liar nor was he a fan of it, even if it was a harmless one. He nodded locked the door, rubbing the back of his neck as he headed down the hall.

Karl was reasonably adept at reading the emotions of other Eradicons; there was so much that came through the seeming lack of expression. When it came to officers, not so much - and when it came to Autobots, he had no experience whatsoever. Despite this, he knew very well that he was being lied to. Lying down on the berth pad, he could only offline his visor and wonder what the truth may have held.

The day went by at a sluggish pace for Optimus. Agent Fowler had informed him of a raid on a nearby military base, and needed him to analyze the damage to determine if it was Decepticon, M.E.C.H. or otherwise. And in the middle of his analysis, Ratchet commed him about Decepticon signals being detected fairly close to the base. He and the other Autobots had to find out if it was a coincidence or if their jamming signal was malfunctioning. In the end they found no signs that the Decepticons were after them and that it was likely coincidental that they were in the area, and Optimus returned back to the military base to finish his analysis before coming home.

He entered the base and found Ratchet at the controls. "Welcome back," Ratchet said.

"Thank you," Optimus said, and made himself wait a moment before jumping to the question of what Karl had been up to in his absence, if anything. "Did he make any requests while I was gone?"

The medic looked up from his controls. "Arcee brought him an energon cube, but it was still there when we last looked in on him a cycle ago. Either he's going on some kind of hunger strike or he's just plain sulking." He shook his helm in disgusted disbelief. "Unless he's only accepting hand feedings from you, now."

Optimus shook his helm, "I can understand if he would become especially trusting of me; we have had the most contact. However that won't do. I would prefer he learn to trust us all." Optimus walked out, internally chastising himself for feeling more embarrassed by Ratchet's comment than he should be.

A few minutes later he was unlocking the door to the storage room.

Karl, who had been lying on the berth pad, sat up as Optimus entered. The static in his helm had cleared and so had most of the aches in his frame, but his last counter with the Autobot had yet to slip from his memory. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking up almost expectantly at his captor. The energon cube, sure enough, sat untouched beside the pad.

Optimus looked at Karl and down to the cube, and came over to pick it up. The seal on the cube hadn't even been lifted. "I hope you rested well," he said, leaning against one of the empty crates across the small room. "Today was fairly hectic; there is so much to be done even without hand-to-hand combat." Optimus stopped, realizing that he was small-talking, something he rarely did. Changing the subject, he tilted the cube. "You're not hungry?"

Karl had no intention of telling the truth...not when it sounded so outlandish. He couldn't just say that the energon Optimus brought him had yet to be tampered with and that he wasn't keen on accepting it from anyone else - even he could pick apart the faulty logic behind that. And so he gave the mildest of shrugs, barely glancing at the untouched cube. "Shockwave didn't build us to guzzle energon. We don't need much."

Optimus nodded, but couldn't shake off what Ratchet had said. Perhaps Karl really wasn't in need of refueling, but he needed to make sure that he learned to trust the other Autobots in case that was the problem. So to prove that it wasn't tainted, he opened the cube and took a sip. He set the cube down and stood. "Well, let me know when you feel like refueling and I will provide you a new cube. I think now would be a good time for your consultation, if you're willing. Ratchet's work load is light at the moment."

Ratchet waited in the small alcove that served as his sick bay, all of the records he'd obtained from Karl laid out across the computer screen. In particular, an image of the drone's t-cog had been enlarged. He waited to speak to Optimus, unsure of how to best deliver this kind of news - especially considering their leader's recent behavior. Optimus had always leaned towards the side of gentle acceptance, but it had gotten ridiculous, in the medic's opinion.

Optimus finally walked in with Karl. He stood off to the side to stay out of the way while Ratchet and Karl spoke.

Ratchet shot several glances at Optimus, clearly preferring to speak with him about this issue. When no reply was forthcoming, he reluctantly turned his attention to the Vehicon. "Let's not start by mincing words. The damage is very severe."

"Inoperable," Karl replied. "I know. Our medic's told me that much. More than once."

"And I'm not telling you that," Ratchet went on curtly. "There is a chance that I could repair your t-cog, and your weapons system along with it. If you're interested in not only listening, but being completely honest about your medical past, then I'll elaborate further."

The Vehicon stared at him, trying to find the downside in doing this. Try as he might, he couldn't find one. "Alright. Yeah, I can do that."

Optimus shifted where he stood, interested in hearing what Karl had to say. He only knew that Karl had been through more than one injury, and was curious to hear the extent of them. The possibility of even repairing Karl's weapon system was new news to him, and he had mixed feelings about it. Of course repairing him was good. But as soon as his weapons system was back online, Karl would have to be returned to stasis cuffs until he made his decision. Optimus probably should have already made the offer, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet. He knew deep down that at this point Karl would undoubtedly choose to leave, and he just didn't want to hear it.

Ratchet indicated the t-cog's image. All along the upper right hemisphere, thin lines of black ran irregularly, like the runoff of ashen rain. "These are the transmission paths of your t-cog. Rich in transmitters, they connect the cog to certain sensory lines which in turn extend up to your neural processor. They decipher which signals transmit to your weapons system and which trigger your shift into alt-mode.

Normally, they're protected by the other shell of the cog...however, you were struck at just the right angle and with enough force to destroy these particular paths. I can enter, remove that portion of shell, and lay down a new set of lines."

Karl listened. "Sounds easy enough. It isn't, is it?''

"I've put the odds of success at a rough 40%."

40% wasn't ideal, but Optimus had seen Ratchet overcome greater odds. "But there must be other benefits to rewiring even if the procedure is unsuccessful, wouldn't there?" Optimus asked. "Perhaps if only smoothing out his shift into alt-mode?"

"It would," Ratchet acknowledged. "Although we can't rule out the possibility of complications. We're talking about delicate surgery after all, and if something goes wrong, the entire t-cog could be rendered useless." He caught the Vehicon flinch in a manner resembling a cringe. "I'm only being realistic."

Karl hated how tempted he remained, even after hearing something so bleak. "Those odds...is there any way to boost them up?"

"Another scan would better show me what I have to work with. Also, your inability to transform - is it the only effect you suffered after the incident? No other signs of pain, numbness?"

Karl hesitated. "There was a cave-in. After they'd put me down in the mine...ever since then, I've had aches and pains all over my frame. That and this static that's always starting up behind in my helm, usually at night...usually before the aches start." He couldn't think of anything else specific. "Pretty sure that's it."

Ratchet closed down the imagery.

"...I think we need to run a more thorough exam."

Optimus remembered the thrashing and whimpers Karl had let out during the previous exam. And he couldn't forget the anger in his words. He looked at Karl tentatively. "Is that something you're ready for?" he asked.

Karl's memory banks were glowing, flooded with the hot desert sun and the smell of gunfire, proof that he had once been a soldier, that he had loved being one. And now, the chance to be one again was within his grasp. It would have sounded too good to be true, if not for the bleak odds. If anything, the chance of failure just made it all the more obtainable, something tantalizingly real. "...Just...just tell me honestly. Do I really have a choice?"

It wasn't the first time Karl had asked him this. He looked at him pointedly. "I can take you back to your room right away, if you so desire, and you will not be brought into the medical bay again."

Karl looked from Optimus to a rewelded seam above his knee. He knew he couldn't hesitate too long, and for once, he didn't have too.

"Then I'll do it."

Optimus stepped aside to allow Karl to climb onto the examination table on his own accord. He turned to Ratchet. "Should I go? I don't want to distract you."

Ratchet noticed the way Karl tensed, barely even visible, but the medic had always been perceptive. He frowned and sent Optimus an internal commlink. 'You won't be distracting me. I think your Vehicon wants you to stay and hold his servo while he takes his shots.' Even via commlink, the disdain was palpable.

Optimus' optics narrowed, disapproving of Ratchet's continued insubordination, not that he could really stop him. "Well?" he asked, reminding Ratchet to respond outwardly.

Suspecting he may have been toeing the line with his old friend, Ratchet edged off. "That would be your choice, Optimus. It's no distraction to me either way."

Optimus continued to watch Ratchet as he stepped closer to the exam table and held out a servo for Karl to come. It was quite normal to assist the smaller variety of frames, since the table was built to accommodate large mechs such as Optimus and Bulkhead. He turned to face Karl, his expression shifting from stern to neutral as he continued to hold out his servo.

Karl had been thinking of the coming exam; in its looming shadow, a calm face and a servo held out to him were more comforting than anything else would have been. Although he could have easily made it onto the table himself, he allowed Optimus to help him, giving a quiet grunt of thanks as he took the larger mech's servo.

He had to admit, the look in Ratchet's optics was priceless.

Optimus stood across the room as Ratchet worked, one scan after the next, asking an endless number of questions. He was glad to see Karl behaving compliantly, and despite the unruly comm message, Ratchet remained as professional as he always did. For a while Karl was asked to lie back, and Optimus felt himself tense as he remembered the needle.

The tentative chance of a cure, along with going unrestrained, ended up making a world of difference to Karl. He was able to lie there with his visor offlined - imagining that it was Knock Out examining him made the whole thing slightly easier to take. He flinched and hissed when the needle entered his side once more, gripped the table when it entered twice more from different angles, but otherwise remained still.

"That's all I need," Ratchet said when the last scan was completed. Karl lifted himself from the table, forcing his servos to stop their trembling. "I'll have the results by tonight."

They had little to say to one another as Optimus and Karl walked back to the storage room. Optimus felt the need to speak, but he couldn't think of anything significant enough to say and didn't want to disturb Karl's train of thought. His stance seemed uncomfortable, undoubtedly from the examination, and Optimus felt helpless. But then as they passed one of the stocked storage rooms he had an idea, and stopped inside to grab a bottle of coolant. They reached his door and Optimus entered with Karl, waiting for him to settle before he made the suggestion.

Karl eased down on the berth pad with a quiet sigh. When he noticed that Optimus was lingering in the room, he lifted his helm to look at him, voice as soft as it had been since his capture. "Yeah?"

Optimus hesitated for a moment before coming closer and kneeling beside Karl's berth. "If you will allow me, I can help you feel better. You just need to lie on your side... your right side."

Karl froze for an even longer moment. He tensed beneath Optimus's shadow like a cautious animal, a force of habit that he wasn't sure he could shake - even knowing how far he was from the threat of danger. Slowly he began to relax, shifting over and exposing his aching side. "Like this?"

"Yes, just…" Optimus lightly rested the ends of his digits on Karl's side, turning him very slightly. "The angle needs to be just right." He unscrewed the cap from the bottle. "I've found that coolant isn't only useful internally, but creates numbness…" He poured a small stream into the seams of Karl's frame, right over his T-Cog. The liquid flowed through the tiny gaps in the metal, the same gaps that Ratchet had pressed the needle into. Optimus tilted Karl's side farther to make sure it was flowing correctly, and poured a little more. It seeped into his system, harmlessly flowing over machinery until the coolant coated the aggravated areas of his T-cog.

At first, Karl could do little more than gasp. The pain was slipping, like a visible layer of filth being gently cleansed away. In return, a delicious sensation of coolness lay over the sore, heated places it had been. His visor offlined, every muscle structure going loose and relaxed as he basked in the comfortable chill. "That's...that's, um...oh...wow."

Optimus watched with satisfaction as Karl responded to it. But then, the longer he looked, the faster the electro pulses shot through his processor, gears turning in revelation. His optics trailed along the Vehicon's frame, along his side and up the curve of his hip and down his legs. His mouth fell open and his optics quickly returned to Karl's face. But his visor had offlined, sparing him. He looked down at his servo resting on Karl's side and quickly pulled it away, as if he'd been touching searing hot engine coils.

He fumbled to his pedes and took a step back, putting good space between himself and the reclined Vehicon.

The sudden lack of touch swiftly brought Karl to his senses. Optimus's servo had been heavy on his side, and he felt alarmingly exposed - even empty - without it. Fully aware of what had come and gone so quick between them, he straightened himself out, seeking any place to direct his gaze that wasn't the Autobot.

"Umm...thanks. Thanks, that helped."

Optimus nodded, not trusting is vocals to speak evenly. He stood there stiffly, then vented and finally spoke. "Well I'll be back in the evening to take you to Ratchet." He went to the door and stopped, realizing he'd almost forgotten the rest. "And in the meantime I will be away from the base. One of the Autobots will bring you your next cube and will be on call if you require assistance." He waited, wondering if there was anything else he needed to say. "Right then," he finally said in conclusion.

He headed out and locked the door, leaning back against it and rubbing his faceplating. 'Primus, what just happened?' he thought.

The fall of the lock was audible, and a massive relief. Karl lay back on the berth pad, covering his faceplating with his servos as he exhaled his ventilations. He was hopelessly lost now... every time he thought he'd figured out the Autobots, his role as captive, his entire situation, something had come along to throw it all into question. He was tired of uncertainty, but more than anything else, he was terrified of the images that had flashed across his processor.

'Primus...what just happened?'

To be continued.