There was a yell coming from Ratchet's quarters.

That's all Voltlock had to go on. A group of medics came up to Voltlock and told him that Ratchet was shouting very loudly at someone, but they didn't know who, because they could only hear Ratchet's voice. Voltlock quickly figured out what had happened without even entering Ratchet's quarters. Orion had either done something Ratchet didn't want him to do, or he didn't do something Ratchet wanted him to do.

Either way, the sparkling was probably cowering in a corner in an attempt to hide from Ratchet's rage, though it was futile.

Voltlock strolled into Ratchet's room, quickly taking in what was going on around him. Ratchet was hunched over Orion's berth, needle in hand, and trying to keep the sparkling from moving so he could take an Energon sample. He needed to scan the Energon that had run through Orion's veins to see if there was contamination that could be treated.

Orion was struggling, the sharp object obviously making him uncomfortable. Ratchet kept trying to bring the needle closer to the sparkling, but Orion kept pulling away, though he was clearly having trouble doing so. He was still weak, even if he was slightly stronger than he was the Orbital Cycle before.

Ratchet let out another growl of frustration, trying to bring the needle to Orion's arm. "If you don't sit still right now, I will strap you down and force you into stasis, do you understand!?"

Orion let out a whine, though it was barely audible over Ratchet's tantrum. Orion looked over at Voltlock, optics wide and filled with fear. Ratchet once again made a move for Orion's arm, but the sparkling pulled away again, and Ratchet looked like he was about to throw something at him.

Voltlock rolled his optics, then swiped the needle out of Ratchet's grasp. Voltlock slowly approached the sparkling, a soft smile on his faceplate. "Orion?"

Orion glanced up at Voltlock, but his attention quickly switched to the tool in the medic's had. Orion shifted away again, obviously distressed.

"Orion, it's alright," Voltlock said reassuringly. He sat next to Orion, reaching out to take the sparkling's hand in his own. Voltlock placed a gentle hand on Orion's shoulder. "You'll be just fine."

Orion peered at Voltlock nervously, though he slowly began relaxing under touch. Voltlock lifted the needle, bringing it to the sparkling's arm. Orion tensed up, and Voltlock whispered soothing words as the needle extracted a rather large amount of Orion's Energon. The Energon was an unhealthy blue, lacking the bright glow the was present in most.

When the tool completed it's job, Voltlock set it aside, sending Orion a small smile. "See? You're alright."

Orion looked at Voltlock, slowly returning the smile, looking oddly tired. The Energon taken out of the sparkling had yet to be replaced. Voltlock made a mental note to check on Orion's Energon levels after a few Astro Cycles.

Ratchet watched what transpired in front of him, gaze shifting between Voltlock and Orion before staring at the former, bewildered. "... How did you do that?"

"I don't know, Ratchet. I guess I just have 'the touch'," Voltlock answered jokingly, standing up and taking a step away from Orion's berth.

Ratchet was clearly unimpressed. Voltlock's smirk gradually left his faceplate. Voltlock let out a breath of exasperation.

"Ratchet, Orion is a sparkling," Voltlock explained as he walked over to his fellow medic. "He has never been trained by a Guild. He was given to you right after his spark rose from the Well. He was never taught anything. You need to be patient with him. He's young. He doesn't understand."

It took a moment for what Voltlock said to sink in. Ratchet realized that he hadn't really though about Orion's mental state. It hadn't occurred to Ratchet that his own processor was completely developed, while Orion's was only in it's beginning stages. While normal sparklings develop quickly, it was unknown how long it would take a defective.

"Since you're such an empathetic mech," Voltlock continued, voice laced with sarcasm. "I know you'll do just fine. Though, I can always take over for a Klik or two if you get overwhelmed."

Ratchet glared. "I am not dependent."

"You're not," Voltlock replied, pointing at the sparkling seated on the berth. "But he is."

Ratchet's will to argue faltered. His optics drifted over to Orion, who was staying calm and still. If left alone, Orion wouldn't be able to leave that spot. His legs could move, but they were too weak to keep him standing.

"Primus, what's with you?" Voltlock said condescendingly, crossing his arms and watching Ratchet with a confused expression. "Did you even get any recharge?"

Ratchet rubbed a hand over his faceplate. "No. The sparkling woke up and wouldn't stop coughing for an Astro Cycle."

Ratchet was obviously exhausted, but he wouldn't let that stop him from working. Voltlock had told him before that he was allowed take time off whenever he needed, but Ratchet never did. If he had a patient, he would have to know for certain that his patient would live before he would take care of himself. Voltlock would have admired that, if Ratchet didn't end up staying awake for Orbital Cycles because he wouldn't give up.

Voltlock was about to say something else, when someone uplinked him. Voltlock was quiet as he listened, and a little while longer after the connection was cut off. He looked confused, which in turn confused Ratchet. "Is something wrong?"

Voltlock shook his head, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "No, no, everything's fine. Someone tried to hack into the Medical Database, but they had the hacking skills of a scraplet."

That got Ratchet's attention. "What were they trying to gain access to?"

"Someone's medical records, most likely," Voltlock answered, picking up a nearby datapad and skimming through it. A red message flashed across the screen and Voltlock read it rapidly. "There's no way to tell whose records, though."

Voltlock's optics continued scanning the information on the datapad. The hack attempt was very poorly handled, obvious by the fact that they never even started bypassing the firewall before technicians sealed the records off. There was no way to tell who tried to hack the database, as they didn't stay in the system long enough for a trace to be completed.

Voltlock pinched the bridge between his optics. "Unless they try again, and manage to get into the medical records, we'll never know what they were trying to reach."

Ratchet frowned. He already had a sparkling to take care of, he had no time to deal with a security breach. Even if the hacker wasn't attacking Ratchet directly, a threat to the Medical Center was a threat to everyone there. Ratchet assumed that the hacker was a Cybertronian who did something violent, and in turn, tried to erase any evidence of it. They were more than likely someone from a lower caste, obvious by their non-existent technical skills. They could have been a gladiator, or even a miner. There was no way to know for certain.

"Ratchet, I have to go," Voltlock said suddenly. He was looking over his vital scanner, which appeared to be linked to a spark monitor. "My patient's flatlining, slaggit-"

Voltlock cut himself off, optics darting to Orion. The sparkling didn't seem to be listening to what he said, but Voltlock wasn't going to take any chances.

"Scrap, I mean-" Voltlock shuffled towards the doorway, tripping over his words in an attempt to stow swearing in front of the sparkling, quickly growing frustrated. "Frag. Kid, don't repeat anything I say. Ever."

With those words of wisdom, Voltlock hurried out of Ratchet's shared quarters to go resuscitate his patient. Ratchet and Orion watched Voltlock leave, Orion having not fully grasped what Voltlock had been blabbering about. Ratchet rolled his optics at his fellow medic's temperament, then he turned to the sparkling, who was clearly low on Energon.

Ratchet could leave to go get Orion an Energon cube. He could give it to the sparkling, then go attend to the injured. He could use the scanner to view Orion's vitals while he worked.

On the other hand, if Orion ended up flatlining and Ratchet didn't get there in time to revive him, Orion would die. It would be considered Ratchet's fault.

So he was stuck with him, then.

Ratchet walked over to Orion, who tried to back away. Ratchet picked the sparkling up, cradling Orion as he struggled in the medic's arms, which only managed to send the sparkling into a coughing fit. Ratchet proceeded to gently pat the sparkling's back, noting that Orion tensed up at his touch. He was afraid. Ratchet frowned, knowing that whatever positive emotions Orion felt for him before had completely disappeared, but Ratchet honestly couldn't bring himself to care.

Ratchet made his way out of the room, the sparkling in his arms finally going silent. The hallways were more crowded then they usually were, seeing as other medics were actually using them. They went on their way, ignoring Ratchet, and if any of them did notice that the irritable mech was carrying a sweet little sparkling, they did a great job of hiding it. Ratchet continued through the hallways at an even pace, heading towards the refueling station.

He entered, and glanced around the room. The refueling station was almost completely empty, save for a few mechs and a femme in the corner of the room, who were yelling happily at each other for reasons Ratchet didn't know. The Energon sorter was standing in front of the Energon stockpile, apparently content with all of the noise.

The Energon sorter wasn't Oiltrack, seeing as Oiltrack was no longer functional. He was a new Energon sorter. Ratchet didn't know his name. Ratchet didn't really care. The last one didn't make a really good impression on him.

Ratchet walked up to the sorter, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement before getting straight to the point. "I need an Energon cube to refuel my patient."

The sorter nodded in return, picking up one of the many blue glowing cubes behind him. He turned to face Ratchet, optics widening when he saw what was in the medic's arms. The sorter's faceplate immediately brightened, and he smiled. "Hey, little sparkling."

Orion watched the sorter, hesitant, before he returned the smile. He was too weak to do much else.

The sorter looked back up at Ratchet, a strange warmth in his optics. "Is he yours?"

That question floored Ratchet. His optic ridges narrowed, and his tone was very stern. "He is my patient."

The sorter's smile faltered, and he paused, then he held the cube out for Ratchet to take. "I see."

Ratchet grabbed the cube without another word, and began walking to the room's exit. Orion peered over Ratchet's arm, looking over at the sorter, who smiled once again.

"Bye bye, little sparkling," The sorter said with a wave. Orion watched with his head tilted, then he mimicked the motion, and after that he made a movement that might have been considered a wave if he wasn't using both hands. Soon Orion could no longer see the sorter, as Ratchet left the room, taking the sparkling with him.

Ratchet was no where near offended by the sorter's question. Ratchet just said what he felt was true. Orion was Ratchet's patient. That was all. Orion was sick, and Ratchet was going to heal him. There was nothing else. Ratchet didn't want anything else. Orion would not be anything else to him. Orion wasn't his. Orion would never be his.

Ratchet walked back the way he came, stepping into his quarters, which looked the same as it had when he left. He placed Orion gently on the berth, the sparkling watching Ratchet curiously, if not a bit fearfully. Ratchet stood next to the berth for a moment, then proceeded to run a scan on Orion. Ratchet checked over the amount of Energon in Orion's veins, as he didn't want to accidentally overcharge the tiny sparkling.

The cube that the sorter gave to Ratchet contained a little more Energon than Orion required. Ratchet didn't have an empty cube nearby, so he improvised, taking a spare needle and slowly poured a small portion of the Energon into it. He sealed the needle, then placed it aside, giving the cube's remaining Energon a swirl.

Ratchet scooped Orion back up, taking a seat on the berth. Ratchet carried the sparkling in one arm, holding out the Energon cube for the sparkling to take. Orion only stared at it, confused, then looked up at Ratchet expectantly. Ratchet waited for a moment, impatient and not completely understanding what Orion wanted, then his expression changed and he watched the sparkling skeptically. "You have got to be joking."

Ratchet grumbled something under his breath, grudgingly bringing the cube to the sparkling's mouth. Orion quickly figured out what Ratchet meant, and he started drinking, hands raised and placed on the sides of the cube to help keep it steady. Ratchet was tempted to let Orion hold it by himself, but he didn't want to risk having it spill all over both of them if Orion couldn't hold it up on his own. Ratchet continued lifting the cube, tilting it more each time the level of Energon in the cube was noticeably lower.

Orion's optics drooped. To the cold sparkling, the Energon seemed rather warm. Orion was cradled next to Ratchet chest, and he could hear the gentle rhythm of his caretaker's beating spark. The combination of both was beginning to lull the young sparkling into recharge.

The cube was eventually empty, and Ratchet put it on a nearby desk with a mental note to return it later. Ratchet glanced down at Orion, who looked like he was about to drift off. Ratchet stayed sitting for a moment longer before he stood up with the sparkling in his arms and started an uplink. "Voltlock, are you busy?"

"No, not really. I'm free for the moment," Voltlock replied casually, but his voice quickly changed into a sarcastic tone. "My patient is still alive and stable now, too. Thanks for asking."

Ratchet was unimpressed. "I need to perform an examination. Can you look after the sparkling?"

"Oh, my!" Voltlock exclaimed, a confident smile clear in his voice. "Well, Sir Not-Dependent, I'm sure I can spare a few Kliks to watch over the kid. I'll be there soon."

Voltlock ended the uplink, with Ratchet miffed at Voltlock's callback to their previous conversation. Ratchet was left standing in the middle of the room.

Voltlock really did mean it when he said that he'd be there quickly, as the door soon opened and Voltlock stepped in, then he glanced at Ratchet and had to cover his mouth to keep himself from bursting out laughing. Ratchet stared at Voltlock with an optic ridge raised. "What?"

Voltlock had to take a moment to compose himself, even though he couldn't stop smirking. "You two look absolutely adorable."

Ratchet couldn't tell if Voltlock was making a joke, or if he was actually serious. Ratchet looked down at Orion to see that the sparkling was recharging quietly in his arms. Orion cuddled against Ratchet's chest, breathing softly and seemingly content.

Ratchet frowned. "Will you look after him or not?"

Voltlock's expression didn't change. "Yes, yes, I'll do it, Ratch'. Don't blow a gasket."

Voltlock stepped forward, reaching out to take the sparkling into his arms. Ratchet handed Voltlock the sparkling, and Orion stirred from the movement, though he didn't wake. Voltlock shifted Orion's position until it was similar to how he rested in Ratchet's arms, but Orion seemed uneasy. With the sparkling out of his hands, Ratchet sent Voltlock a nod as he left his quarters.

Ratchet's newest patient was in a nearby operating room, having requested to see a medic a few Orbital Cycles before. Almost all of the medic's already had their schedules full for a while, and Ratchet ended up being the only medic with time to spare. Even so, the patient's examination had to be postponed until a later date. Ratchet assumed that the patient would probably be angry with Ratchet, but he really didn't care.

Ratchet walked into a room, where an older mech was leaning against a berth. Ratchet immediately noticed that the mech was partially covered in rust, though there was no indication as to why. It was most likely the reason he wanted an examination in the first place. The mech looked over with kind optics. "Are you Ratchet?"

Ratchet didn't expect that nice of a reaction. He answered simply. "Yes."

The mech nodded, heaving off of the berth and walked towards Ratchet with a small limp. The limp appeared to be caused by rust sealing the joints into place. Ratchet quickly stopped the patient, shaking his head. The mech blinked, but complied and went back to the berth, taking a seat. Ratchet scanned over the mech, the light glowing red every time it shone over spots of rust. Ratchet wondered how hard it would be to do an examination if Orion was still with him.

Ratchet shook his head. It wasn't the time to think about the sparkling. Ratchet completed his scan, and he read over the results, raised on optic ridge, then ran the scan again.

The mech watched Ratchet, the kindness in his optics not leaving, but only being joined by curiosity. "Is there something wrong?"

Ratchet looked over the results again, and before he could reply, someone tried to uplink him. Ratchet made an instinctive apologetic wave with his hand towards the mech and he made his way to the other end of the room. After a moment, he answered, though someone spoke before he could say anything.

"Ratchet?" Voltlock said, sounding slightly unsure about something. "Where are you?"

"Sector A, room eight." Ratchet answered absentmindedly, before he paused. "Why?"

Voltlock had already terminated the connection. Ratchet gave a dismissive shrug, heading back to where he was and continuing to look over the patient.

Ratchet was surprised at how quickly it took Voltlock to get from his quarters to where he was, but he was even more surprised at how completely out of it Voltlock looked while carried the awakened sparkling.

Ratchet stared at his fellow medic, annoyed at his work being interrupted. "Voltlock, what are you doing here?"

"You're here," Voltlock answered, partially avoiding the question and looking very tired, even though he'd only been with the sparkling for a moment.

"Voltlock," Ratchet demanded, not in the mood for jokes. "Why did you bring Orion here?"

"He woke up," Voltlock replied, letting out a breath of exasperation. He shifted the Orion's position in his arms. "He started making a fuss when he saw only me. He wants you."

Orion reached towards Ratchet pleadingly, wide awake and full of energy. He looked more upset than happy, and Ratchet glared.

"I don't care about what he wants," Ratchet said, trying to keep his voice low, and failing. "I am in the middle of an examination."

"Oh, what a sweet little sparkling," The patient spoke up, optics shining as he looked to Ratchet. "You must be very proud."

"I am not," Ratchet snapped, bringing up his scanner to look over the results.

Voltlock peered over Ratchet's shoulder, reading the results as well, then he looked over at the patient incredulously. "Okay, this may sound really bad, but when was the last time you had a bath?"

"I'm not sure," The mech replied, pausing to think and coming up with nothing. "Probably a few Orns ago."

"See, that's your problem," Voltlock said, gesturing to the rust. "It's accumulating. You got some, and it multiplied because you didn't wash it away sooner. Just take an oil bath. You'll be fine."

The patient thought for a long while, then his smile became wider and he stood with a laugh. "Of course! I should have known. Thank you very much!"

Voltlock gave a tired smile in return, and the patient limped out of the operating room, most likely going to wash himself off. Ratchet watched his patient leave, then looked at Voltlock disapprovingly. Voltlock stared back. "What?"

Ratchet grumbled something under his breath, taking Orion into his arms and heading out of the room. Voltlock followed behind him.

"Hey, I'm sorry I took over your job," Voltlock said, and Ratchet whipped back around to face him.

"It's not about that!" Ratchet almost yelled, but he tried to keep his voice particularly quiet. He turned back and began making his way to his quarters.

"Then what is it?" Voltlock asked, taking a step towards his fellow medic in concern.

Ratchet let out an exasperated breath, unconsciously holding the sparkling closer. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"Ratchet, please, you need to calm down," Voltlock insisted, placing a hand on his fellow medic's shoulder, though Ratchet quickly jerked away. Ratchet continued forward, and a mech bumped him roughly with his shoulder. Ratchet didn't know if it was accidental or on purpose, but he was too angry to care. He kept walking, leaving Voltlock standing there wondering what he could have done wrong.

It didn't take long for Ratchet to reach his quarters. When he did, the door opened rapidly, as if it was afraid of enduring Ratchet's wrath. Ratchet placed the sparkling onto his berth, then tried to sort his thoughts.

Ratchet was furious. He was furious and he didn't know why. What happened before was only Ratchet leaving Orion with Voltlock, assisting an older mech, seeing Voltlock come in with the upset sparkling. He knew that those events were not enough to warrant his reaction, but he still felt like he wanted to throw a wrench at Voltlock's head. That was a method of punishment Ratchet had never used before. Perhaps he would try it in the future.

He was getting distracted. He was tired. He couldn't think straight. His lack of recharge and the frustration he felt worked together to make Ratchet throw a fit.

Orion watched Ratchet walk around angrily. He didn't understand. Ratchet kept walking, and he didn't stop. Orion kept watching. Orion stayed still for a moment, then slowly crawled to the edge of the berth, looking down.

Ratchet paced the room, trying to make sense of everything. He knew that he was probably just overly exhausted, but he wasn't certain. His thoughts were like a jumbled mess, and he didn't know why.

Orion carefully let himself drop down onto the floor. He looked back at Ratchet, who hadn't noticed that he had moved. Orion carefully placed both hands on the side of the berth, using it for support.

Ratchet heard something move behind him. He was sure that he placed Orion on the berth, but the sound was coming from the floor. If Orion had broke something, Ratchet knew that he was going to lose it. Ratchet slowed to a stop, turning around and looking down.

Orion was walking.

Ratchet could not believe it. His scans had clearly showed that Orion would never be able to walk, yet there he was, taking slow steps towards his caretaker. Orion's legs were said to have been too weak to hold him up, but he was still walking. Ratchet only stood there, watching Orion continue forward, towards him.

Orion stumbled slightly, and Ratchet moved forward to catch him, but Orion quickly steadied himself. Orion took another step, then he finally reached Ratchet's leg, practically hugging it as he smiled up at his caretaker. Ratchet watched Orion for a moment, then a small smile appeared on his faceplate as well. Ratchet knelt down to gently pick Orion up, once again cradling the sparkling in his arms.

Ratchet didn't really know what to say. He had just watched his charge take his first steps. He didn't know why it meant so much to him, as it never would have before. Ratchet knew that he shouldn't have felt so happy, but he did.

Ratchet sat down on his berth, back leaning against the wall. He was exhausted. Orion snuggled into his caretaker's chest, enjoying the warmth which was similar to that of a blanket.

Orion had seen Ratchet walk, and attempted to mimic him. He succeeded. That one action gave Ratchet a hope that Orion would survive through his defects. Ratchet didn't think that it should have warmed his spark as much as it did.

Ratchet let his optics close, the caretaker and his sparkling together, at rest.

Voltlock was concerned.

Ratchet hadn't left his quarters in a few Astro Cycles. The last time Voltlock saw him, Ratchet was acting like he was about to have a mental breakdown. Voltlock probably wouldn't have paid much attention to his fellow medic's absence, except the only difference was that there was a sparkling involved.

Voltlock never once thought that Ratchet would harm Orion. Ratchet cared too much about the wellbeing of others. Voltlock just didn't want Ratchet to traumatize the poor sparkling. Ratchet had already frightened him with the needle earlier that Orbital Cycle.

Voltlock stood in front of the door to Ratchet's quarters, trying to decide if he should check up on them or not. After a moment, Voltlock raised his arms and quietly knocked on the door.

There was no response. Voltlock briefly wondered if Ratchet wasn't there. The door was unlocked, so Ratchet had to be inside. Voltlock waited, then he moved closer to the door, which opened automatically. He went inside, then he paused midstep at what he saw.

Ratchet had fallen into recharge, leaning against the wall with the sparkling in his arms. Orion was in recharge as well, completely calm as he lay against his caretaker's chest.

Voltlock smiled, turning off the lights and locking the door as he left them to rest peacefully.