It was quiet.
Ratchet sat on his berth, looking over the scanner in his forearm. The results of Orion's most recent test was displayed, revealing that the sparkling hadn't contracted any viruses during his little 'adventure'.
Ratchet embraced the silence with open arms. After Ratchet found Orion, he had spoken to Voltlock for a moment before his fellow medic left to visit one of his patients. Ratchet had returned to his quarters, sparkling in tow.
Orion was exhausted. Ratchet assumed that running around the Medical Center had tired him out. Soon after finding him, Orion drifted off in his caretaker's arms, leaving Ratchet to his thoughts.
Ratchet didn't expect himself to be so concerned about the sparkling's survival. He never thought he would react so frantically. He wouldn't have if Orion had left a few Orbital Cycles ago, but in such little time Orion had made an impact in Ratchet's life. It was something he didn't understand, and to be honest he didn't think he ever would.
The door opened, and Ratchet looked up to see Voltlock. Voltlock walked into the room, smiling down at the sparkling's recharging form before looking over at Ratchet. "Have you got a Klik?"
Ratchet blinked, then nodded. He stood up, then gently placed Orion on his berth. He checked over the spark monitor, making sure that it was wirelessly connected to his scanner's screen. With one last look at the sparkling, Ratchet followed Voltlock out of the room, locking the door behind him.
Voltlock smirked, but said nothing. He only began walking down the hallways, Ratchet by his side. They didn't speak, and Ratchet wondered where they were going. After a few moments, Voltlock turned a corner, leading Ratchet into the refueling station.
Ratchet watched Voltlock look around, then walked over to the other side of the room. Ratchet waited for a moment, then followed. Voltlock sat down at a table, gesturing for Ratchet to sit across from him. Ratchet hesitated, then did what he was asked.
Ratchet waited for his fellow medic to say something, but Voltlock remained silent, looking at what was going on in the refueling station. It was busier that normal, but there weren't a lot of Cybertronians there. For once, there was a line that lead to the Energon stockpile. Even though he had just sat down, Voltlock stood up, looking down at his fellow medic with a casual expression on his faceplate. "I'm going to get a cube of High Grade. You want something?"
"A regular cube is fine," Ratchet replied, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. Voltlock smirked.
"Always so formal," Voltlock said with a laugh in his voice. "You know that you're allowed to treat yourself once in a while, right?"
"I don't consider impairing my processor with High Grade as 'treating myself'," Ratchet countered, crossing his arms. Voltlock rolled his optics, then he made his way to the Energon stockpile. The line was rather long, so Ratchet knew he would have to wait a while.
To pass the time, he glanced around the room. One of the lights was flickering, apparently because of a broken Energon line, leaving the room dimly lit. The group of Cybertronians that normally yelled at each other in the corner of the room were nowhere to be seen.
Voltlock returned quicker than Ratchet had anticipated. He had a cube in each hand, one High Grade pink, one regular blue. Voltlock handed the regular to Ratchet, who took it with both hands, while Voltlock kept the High Grade for himself. Ratchet placed his cube on the table in front of him.
Voltlock sat silently for a moment, before he took a sip of his High Grade. He watched Ratchet with a serious expression, then spoke. "You okay?"
Ratchet looked up at Voltlock, watching him curiously. "Yes. Why?"
"Well, the whole thing with Orion earlier..." Voltlock trailed off, trying to think of a good way to finish that sentence. Finding none, he continued anyway. "You seemed pretty... upset."
The corners of Ratchet's mouth twitched downwards, but he still looked calm. "I'm fine."
Voltlock nodded, not pressing the matter. He knew that Ratchet was not, indeed, fine. Ratchet looked back down. The Energon cube Voltlock had gotten for Ratchet was left untouched. Voltlock frowned. The silence was beginning to unnerve him.
Ratchet's forearm shifted, and he looked over Orion's vitals to make sure he was still alright, even though he would be automatically alerted if something was wrong. Ratchet's arm returned to normal, and the silent continued. Voltlock took a big gulp of High Grade, then he started another conversation.
"Hey, you know that hacking incident a couple Orbital Cycles ago?" Voltlock asked. Ratchet looked up at him, and nodded. Voltlock continued. "Well, they tried again."
Ratchet frowned. "Did you identify them?"
Voltlock shook his head. "No. The firewall stopped them again, but they actually got through it for a Klik or two. The only thing we could confirm is that the hacker is trying to access a medical file, but we still don't know whose."
Voltlock leaned back on his seat, crossing his arms. He was clearly annoyed by the whole event. Unauthorized access of the medical files could have disastrous results. Important files could be altered or deleted, resulting in the loss of someone life, or making someone severely ill. Even changing the amount of a cure to inject could badly affect someone, especially if they were already weak from containing a virus. Voltlock felt helpless to stop it, and that made him angry.
Ratchet heard Voltlock's internal fans activate, which meant that he was beginning to overheat. Ratchet spoke up in an attempt to calm his fellow medic down.
"You'll catch them," Ratchet encouraged. Voltlock looked to Ratchet, skeptically. Ratchet spoke again. "Even if they do get through the firewalls, you'll be able to track them down. You can always make a backup of the files, incase they alter one."
Ratchet shrugged, finally taking sip of the Energon cube in his hands. Voltlock watched Ratchet for a moment, before he relaxed and smirked.
"Well, you're an optimist today," Voltlock chirped, back to his regular 'humorous' self. Ratchet only rolled his optics.
No words were exchanged for almost a Breem after that. The two medics just sat there, merely enjoying the company of someone they could stand.
Ratchet pinched the bridge between his optics. He was tired. The search for Orion had drained him. He had checked everywhere he could think of, but only found the sparkling when he thought he never would. The relief he felt after he spotted his charge was overwhelming. Ratchet smirked slightly at the memory of Orion's face once they saw each other again. The sparkling had been so happy.
"You like him."
Ratchet looked up at the speaker, smile vanishing. Voltlock watched Ratchet with amusement. Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "What?"
"You like Orion," Voltlock said. Before Ratchet could say anything, Voltlock continued. "Don't try to deny it. I've seen the way you've been treating him lately. You almost blew a gasket when you couldn't find him. Frag, the way you checked over him before we left showed how much he's grown on you."
Ratchet opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. There was nothing false in what Voltlock was saying.
He didn't really understand it. He had originally been resentful of Orion's very existence, but he didn't know anymore. He had never been so close to anyone in a long time. He had forgotten what it was like to care for someone in the way he cared for Orion.
It felt good.
With a small smile, Ratchet finished the rest of his Energon, letting the cube sit idly on his lap. He nodded, unsure of what he could say.
Voltlock downed the rest of his High Grade, placing the empty cube beside him. He was glad that Ratchet found someone that meant something to him. He could clearly see how being a caretaker had changed Ratchet for the better. It was difficult at first, since Ratchet had never dealt with someone of such a young age before, but he had gotten the hang of it in time.
But Orion's safety was what had concerned Voltlock before. He wasn't worried anymore, though. He knew that Ratchet could handle the sparkling on his own. Voltlock almost wished Ratchet hadn't gotten used to Orion so quickly. He would have loved to make a joke about how he would take the sparkling away if Ratchet couldn't handle him. Voltlock frowned at the thought, closing his optics. His expression changed into something rather sad.
"He's going to leave someday," Voltlock said suddenly. Ratchet eyed him curiously, and he continued. "Orion is going to get better, and the Guilds of Cybertron are going to assign him to a Guild for proper training."
Ratchet didn't respond. He glared at the empty cube in his hands. He already knew. Whether he wanted it or not, the thought was always in the back of his processor. Orion wasn't his. Orion would never be his.
He was upset with himself for allowing himself to get so attached to Orion, even when he knew that he was eventually going to be taken away. That may have been the reason he shunned the sparkling in the first place. He had already lost someone before. He didn't want to be hurt again.
Voltlock frowned, watching various emotions play across his fellow medic's faceplate. He felt bad for Ratchet. Though he had never gone through what Ratchet was, he could sympathize with him and understand what he was going through.
Voltlock's optics gazed past Ratchet and his smile returned. He gestured for Ratchet to look behind him, and he did so. Orion was peeking around the corner of the refueling station entrance. Ratchet turned around fully as the sparkling stepped towards him. Ratchet watched Orion, slightly confused. He was certain he had locked his quarters door behind him.
Orion walked up to Ratchet with a whine. He placed a hand on Ratchet's leg pleadingly, and the medic complied, lifting the sparkling into his arms. Orion went silent, content in his caretaker's grasp.
Ratchet looked up when he heard Voltlock laughing. "See? You like him."
Ratchet watched Voltlock with an optic ridge raised. Voltlock's laugh died down to a chuckle, but it was still there. Ratchet frowned. "You're overcharged."
Voltlock smirked, once again leaning back. The scent of High Grade left his vocalizer as he spoke. "Me? No, I only had one cube."
He chuckled again. Ratchet stared at him, incredulously. "You're overcharged."
Voltlock only snickered. He moved to the side slightly, knocking over his empty cube so it clattered to the floor. A few Cybertronians looked over at Voltlock, clearly judging him harshly.
"That's it, come on," Ratchet stood up, using his free hand to heave Voltlock into a standing position. "I'm taking you to your quarters."
"Oh, it's fine, Ratch'," Voltlock said as Ratchet picked up the two empty cubes and placed them aside. "I can get there by myself."
He stumbled slightly, but remained upright. Ratchet grabbed his arm, and Voltlock allowed himself to be lead away. "Yes, I'm sure. Come along."
Voltlock made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a cackle and a choking scraplet. Heads turned towards the medic making a complete fool of himself, and Ratchet pulled Voltlock out of the refueling station. Orion glanced over at Voltlock, curious as to why he was acting so strangely. Ratchet said nothing, dragging Voltlock through the halls and into the Medical Quarters, walking up to Voltlock's room.
Voltlock's laughing quieted down, so the other medics in the hallway stopped staring at the sight before them and went on their way. Ratchet grumbled something under his breath as the door to Voltlock's quarters opened. Ratchet nudged Voltlock towards his room, and made certain that he was inside before he spoke. "Go recharge."
"Whatever you say, Ratch'" Voltlock replied with a smirk.
Satisfied, Ratchet turned around and started towards his quarters.
"Oh, and Ratchet?" Voltlock added, and said medic turned back around to face the speaker. Voltlock smiled. "You're still the worst caretaker I've ever met."
Ratchet rolled his optics, though a smirk appeared on his faceplate as well. Voltlock retreated to his room, his door shutting behind him. Ratchet shook his head. Voltlock was going to have a processor ache within the next few Astro Cycles.
Orion looked back up at Ratchet, unsure of what had just transpired. Ratchet's smirk changed into a smile, and he started down the hallway, making his way to his quarters. Orion let out a breath of content, snuggling deeper into Ratchet's arms.
The door opened, and Ratchet walked inside of his quarters. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what he should do. Perhaps he should run a final scan over Orion and go recharge. With that plan in mind, Ratchet walked over to the sparkling's berth. Ratchet looked down, and saw that Orion was already recharging peacefully in his arms. With a soft smile, Ratchet placed Orion down on the berth. He wouldn't bother with the scan, just this once.
Ratchet sat down on his own berth, his joints creaking from his exhaustion. He glanced over to Orion's form, making sure that he was still there, then he allowed himself to relax. He blinked a few times, his vision blurring from his tiredness.
Ratchet was prepared to go into recharge, but as he laid down on his berth, something on the desk caught his optics.
The datapad.
Orion had given it to Ratchet when the medic had found him, but he was so relieved that the sparkling was alright that he paid it no mind, only setting it aside and doing a full scan of Orion to make sure that he hadn't caught a virus. Ratchet wondered where Orion could have found it. He didn't believe that Orion would have stolen it, so he must have found it on the ground while he was exploring the halls.
Ratchet stayed silent for a moment, debating on whether he should activate the datapad or not. It didn't belong to him. He shouldn't look through someone else's information. He shouldn't bother going out of his way to return it, either.
On the other hand, it was more than likely that someone had their name recorded in the datapad. Ratchet wouldn't have to go through the trouble of going around and asking who it belonged to. He could just hand it to the owner if he passed by them in the hallway.
Giving in to the temptation, Ratchet stood and walked over to the desk, picking up the datapad in one hand and returning to his seat. The datapad was scratched up, as if it was clawed at by something. It was cracked in the corner, as if someone threw it at a wall. All of the damage seemed to have been caused a long time ago. Ratchet raised an optic ridge, but said nothing.
Ratchet pressed a few sections on the screen, and it buzzed to life, glowing dimly from a lack of use. It took a few Kliks to load, and when it did, it worked rather quickly, multiple folders and files popping onto the screen.
The datapad was filled with medical files, from patients to medics alike. The cracks on the surface of the screen seemed to draw a path, scratches directly over certain logs and data paths. Ratchet followed the lightest crack, which covered a folder containing patient files. He opened the folder, and many patient logs opened on the screen. Ratchet looked them over.
The first one was information on a mech gladiator, name recorded as 'Fireblast'. He had gone through surgery on his arm after a metal stake had pierced directly through a main Energon line. The operation was successful, with no further visits recorded.
Second; a Energon sorter named 'Bumper Crest'. An unrecorded accident damaged his processor, leaving him mentally unstable. He has to be constantly monitored by a medic. The operation was successful, many further visits recorded from him being restrained after throwing random fits in public areas.
The datapad's screen glitched as Ratchet read on. He tapped the side of it harshly, and it was clear once again. Ratchet continued.
Next was 'Chipset', a mechanic. One of the machines he was working on exploded and lodged metal shards into his chest. Operation was successful, one further visit recorded from chest pains.
A seeker named 'Anchor'. He was caught in a Rust Storm, crashed into a pool of raw Energon which disintegrated some vital components. Operation was successful, no further visits.
'Skylight', femme archivist. Mine collapse, severe internal damage. Operation unsuccessful.
The screen glitched once again, directly after that patient file. Ratchet was unable to read past it. Ratchet noticed that Skylight's file had a circular scratch around her name. To whoever owned the datapad, that femme must have been significant to them.
Ratchet heard a cough. He pried his optics away from what he was reading, looking over at Orion, who had woken up once again. Orion coughed again, pushing himself into a sitting position.
Ratchet set the datapad onto the desk, standing up and walking over to his charge. Ratchet placed a gentle hand on Orion's head to check his temperature. Ratchet frowned. It was still too low. He ran a scan over Orion, just to double check the sparkling's health. The scan's results were the same as before. No viruses were detected.
Ratchet nodded to himself, forearm shifting back to normal as Orion looked troubled. Ratchet raised an optic ridge.
"Rrrr-" Orion shivered.
Ratchet assumed that the sparkling was still cold. He walked over to the wall to adjust the heating. He turned the temperature up, then made certain that the door was locked. He really didn't want to risk Orion getting out again.
"Ratchet."
He froze.
Ratchet slowly turned to face the sparkling, wondering if he heard what he thought he heard.
As if to answer his caretaker's unspoken question, Orion smiled and chirped up again. "Ratchet!"
Ratchet stared. His charge giggled, hopping off of his berth and running over to embrace his caretaker's leg. Ratchet didn't make any move to stop him, only standing there and watching him in shock. Things that Orion should not have been doing, walking, talking, living, he had been able to do. Ratchet was more surprised by this event, perhaps because the first word his charge had ever spoken was his name.
Orion said something that sounded like complete gibberish, hands raised up towards Ratchet's arms. Ratchet knelt down, picking the sparkling up before he stood again. Orion shifted into a comfortable position as he was cradled in his caretaker's arms, cooing as he cuddled into Ratchet's chest.
Ratchet stayed standing in the middle of the room, his charge resting noisily in his arms. Orion was having what appeared to be a one-sided conversation with his caretaker, muttering unintelligibly while looking up at him or glancing around the room. He appeared much less excited than he was earlier that Orbital Cycle, where he was running around the room. He was only rambling in a way no one could understand.
They remained in that position for a while. Ratchet waited for Orion to tire himself out, but the sparkling kept on going, without even a hint of requiring recharge. Ratchet expected that Orion was going to make him stay up all night once again, but he didn't mind.
Orion was going to be alright.