Chapter 181

Storm Gunner sighed at the scene in front of her. While the bridge of the Midnight Pearl was no hive of activity, she was actually surprised how soundly the two most important people in her life were sleeping. Rodimus had leaned back in the chair he was on, his arms wrapped protectively around Datablaze, who snuggled into his father's chest. Upon hearing that Tsunami was preparing the ship to be flight capable once more, Storm Gunner offered to aid in running the engine diagnostics. Rodimus had kept their son company as she worked, and now they were both out cold.

She couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't tired herself. Sure, she had slept for quite a while after the delivery; nearly 36 hours, but was recovery really that quick?

As if hearing her musings, Uranium entered the bridge and approached her. "How are you feeling?" the medic asked.

"Like I have too much energy," she answered, keeping half her attention on the diagnostic readouts. "I understand why Rodimus and Datablaze are sleeping, but I don't understand why I can't."

"Your Transformer half allows for a quick recovery," Uranium explained. "I was actually concerned with how long you slept, until Rodimus explained that recovery for Humans was more spread out. Combine that with the booster shots you had for the frizzing, and you'll have quite a bit of excess energy for a while. Enjoy it while you can."

"No kidding," Storm Gunner chuckled. Raising Datablaze was a challenge that made her both excited and afraid. She loved the idea of raising one of her own, but the complications were daunting. Datablaze had no precedent, being the first true-born Terraformer. Lori was raised as a Human for most of her life, and therefore had no idea how to raise a Transformer, let alone a being who had qualities of both. Even with his infant years literally skipped, it would take years for Datablaze to adapt to the knowledge he already had. He learned from our memories, she thought, remembering what Rodimus had told her. It left so many questions unanswered though. How do they deal with schooling? How would they track his age and maturity? When would they have to give him the "birds and bees" talk?

What if they failed him?

That last question scared her the most, and it brought with it thoughts on what her brother had become. She shuddered at the thought. Her brother; her parents had done everything they could to raise him right, and yet he still had become a monster. Even when he was offered a second chance, he still threw it away.

What if that happened to Datablaze? Storm Gunner didn't think she'd be able to take it. Her very soul would surely break.

"It's sinking in, isn't it?" Uranium asked. "The realization that you are now a parent."

"Does it always feel like this?" Storm Gunner voiced aloud.

She didn't expect an answer, but Uranium gave one anyway. "I imagine so. I never had the chance. I..." The medic paused, looking away uncomfortably. "I am incapable. Ever since First Gunner and I tried to have our first..."

"I'm sorry. You didn't have to answer," Storm Gunner apologized.

"It's okay," Uranium said. "It's about time I talked to someone else about this. We were expecting when the war began, but we found out about the Red Rust Plauge all too late."

"First Gunner was infected?" Storm Gunner gasped.

"No, he was on the front lines," Uranium began to sob. "I was. That was how I found a cure. I realized that I was infected with that... that shit! But by the time I figured it out, by the time I found a cure..." She suddenly latched onto Storm Gunner, sobbing into her shoulder.

Storm Gunner gently put her arms around the medic, finally understanding the reason why Uranium punished herself so much. She also became immensely grateful that Datablaze had been born successfully. While his loss would have devastated herself and Rodimus for years to come, it likely would have killed Uranium.

Uranium eventually calmed down enough to stop crying, and Storm Gunner promised she'd keep the story secret unless otherwise necessary. Uranium quickly collapsed into an empty chair on the bridge, emotionally drained from releasing her darkest secret. It was that scene that Tsunami entered when she ran into the room with some very bad news.

"They found us!"