Last update for the month!

Chapter 41: Oen to Meet You

Ratchet soon saw signs of the girl coming back to them after almost a week-worth of monitoring and enduring his ever worrying companion, Wheeljack who has posted himself at the corner of the Medbay since the first day. None of the NEST members –maybe except Mearing-, were really relaxed in that span of time in spite of his continuous effort to show them that they should not be worried but Ratchet could understand where they were all coming from.

Even he felt spark broken at the sight of the large pool of blood drying around her when she was found. The humans have followed a trail of blood into a large pile of Rocks, metal and live wirings before they could get to her. All of them -even Optimus Prime who had only muttered- cursed when their scanners had not been working properly.

Once they got to the point where her body is just beneath a large collapse wall, the bots moved it away as some others see to it that nothing would cause more damage from falling off of something. There was another spur of curses when they saw her. Ratchet would have emptied his tanks, too, as soon as he had seen the sight like one of the twins did, if only he wasn't needed in instructing the human medical team on what to do. All he could do was move to save the girl's extinguishing existence at that moment, ignoring all the shouts, barks of orders, running, and other things going around them.

That time was one of his worst times in his history of being a medic. Not only were they left blind without scanners working to look for the girl, but also, his scanners were being jammed as he tried to get information about the total damage that she had received. The medical team was hesitant to move her too, seeing that whatever injury she has, it must have been the worst to have that much blood, lost.

"I am not getting any feedback from my scanners!" He yelled angrily with a growl in the end.

"It must have been the radiation in the air… It seems that they are messing tremendously our scanners…" Ironhide tsk before he went to shoo off the humans who had been stuborn enough to not follow orders of evacuating the area when they found out that the radiation was toxic to them.

"Then, what are we going to do?! She's going to offline!" Mirage cried out frantically while he watched the girl's chest rise and fall in long intervals.

Optimus and Ratchet were processing rapidly as they searched through the web on what they could do. Ratchet became frustrated as he went over many of his databases for a situation like this but all it produced was that the patient had only so little chance of coming out alive. The probability did not only range from 1% and lower but it also showed that a medic was of no use! That is blasphemy if he were to say a thing about it.

Not a klik later, another incident occurred. Ratchet, Optimus, Mirage, Sideswipe, and the others who were present, could have stopped it sooner if they weren't all distracted too much... But the inevitable really happened.

Skids was again, teasing his twin about the purging while handing an energon cube to the other before Mudflap had enough and jumped at the other. That caused the cube to fly in the air and spill over the place where the girl was. The cube hit Mirage in the optics, leaving his sensors flaring in pain and him pulling away to fight with the twins. Ratchet was already yelling at the twins before Mirage joined in the ruff housing and tumbling. That left Sideswipe and Arcee to try and stop the twins from causing more damage to the place and one another.

All of them were too busy to see what was happening over the girl who had her body splashed with energon… Everyone… except Optimus Prime who was beside Wheeljack… Wheeljack had sunken low on the ground and was not moving until both of them felt a new signature flare from the place where she is…

It was small and unstable as it banished from Wheeljack's scanners but to Optimus who was sensitive of such life, he knew it was still there, trying to manifest.

Their optics went wide sooner when suddenly, her skin started corroding. They thought it was… until they called Ratchet who was shocked to see it too.

"Primus…" The medic said in shock.

"What? Ratchet! What is it?!" The others soon came to see what is going on. They were all confused about what is going on not until Ratchet produced some medical grade out and put it into their Cybertronian size bowl from his medical equipment. He then, poured it out before scooping the girl and plunging her there.

It was only an inch high over her body but still, the others weren't comfortable with what had just been done. Wasn't Energon poisonus to humans? Oen may be turning Cybertronian but Ratchet specified it that it only ranges from her neural complex a.k.a. the Brain.

"Ratchet, wouldn't it offline her faster?!" Arcee spoke up and asked in panic. Being one on the field most of the times with humans, she knew the most about the what-nots and what-dos.

Ratchet did not speak but the question was answered when suddenly, the girl's body started showing a signature.

"Ratchet?" Wheeljack asked in hope of something miraculous had happened. He had been begrudging his self for being a dimspark but seeing that the girl was fighting, he needed to be there to support her again. It was his fault that she got injured far greater than before, so now, he will make it his duty to care for her and support her to make up for his mistakes.

"She's stabilizing… Primus, she is!" Ratchet said in relief before glaring at them and leaving to his Medbay. He left Optimus a com message that he would be taking care of the girl and would make reports later.

With that done, Optimus ordered his troupes to help him clear up the place. Wheeljack was ignored as he picked something up before following the medic.

She felt herself waking up with a helm splitting headache, rendering her not able to actually move and open her eyes as she try to control the urge to vomit from the dizziness and throbbing. The girl couldn't tell how many times had her brain done the same routine in her for the past couple of months but she just knew that it had been numerous already.

She also just knew it that it had been months… but then again, she couldn't remember what happened in the between… It was hard for her to think with the pain distracting her as it is. Then… there was the weight on her chest that made it hard for her to breathe in the little space she already had.

It was dim here but there was still fair lighting for her to see where she is as she opened her eyes slowly. There was a rather small opening at the side where light seemed to scatter. Thank Primus it wasn't totally dark or she would need to cope in the dark.

In spite of that though, her eyes were having a hard time focusing as the pain made her flinch. Her sight started to turn to pixels so she knew that sooner she would come back unconscious. Maybe it was for the lack of air, or maybe her blood pressure is high… or was it low? She asked herself but her brain couldn't give a damn.

Something in her urged her, though, to do something… It felt like an inch that made her want to scratch it no matter how hard the place is, she just needed to do it! The mission was unknown but she knows she needs to do something… What is it? What is it? She kept wondering and wondering… Until she felt it, a jerk… and it came from the thing above her.

Cupping the frame, she felt that it was a familiar build to her. But reviewing her memories as far as she could, she can't recall. Familiar but she could not remember… And that left her feeling awful and guilty. There was a spark all of a sudden and she was grounded.

That might have given her a wakeup call as she snapped out of anxiety. The mech above her needed help so it was no time to go depressed for her lack of attention. Her consciousness would forbid her to do something like that and that something in her, ached as her head started to swirl again. She needs to do something first before the darkness take her again… Something!

Her mind soon conjured an image and some events. Her body moved languidly to do it but once her hands started working, they didn't stop. Something activated and soon, the sound of transforming echoed. The weight on her chest lessened but her arms came protectively around the cassette player.

She could hear the voices… and knew deep in her heart that they would be saved… 'They'? She asked herself as she looked down in her arms. She stroked the cassette gently as if assuring and just then, the light blinded her and there were shouts. Before she could see who was it, her hands fell and the cassette rolled to the side… She had blackened out again.

There was this mech that greeted her happily as if she had just been gone to somewhere and had been gone for too long. She blinked and tried to remember the mech but it seems that she couldn't come up who he was. The girl didn't really mean it but nothing… her memories are as blank as they were before… well, not that blank since she could tell that she was in Ratchet's Medbay, and that she knew who she still is… Not like the first time.

"Ratchet! She hates me!" The mech before her cried out before draping his self to the Chief Medic's side with a crestfallen look on his face plates… That made her feel worse as she bit her lip.

"Oh, stop it, you, bolt head! And go to your corner before I wield you to the ceiling!" Ratchet growled as he shoved the other away and making his way over to her berth.

"Ratchet… Uh… Thank you for taking care of me again…" She shyly greeted the medic, trying to remember what had she been doing to get herself another time with him.

What she didn't notice was that Ratchet was stunned… and he really is. It was not how the way he had pictured it to happen once the girl wakes up. This surprised him greatly. Was the damage really that extensive? How far is she now? He wondered in worry.

"Ratchet…? Did… Did I do something wrong?" The said mech who was lost in his processors again had soon snapped out of it only to stare at the girl who had fluids building up at the edge of her eyes and looked up at him with those large optics that are akin like cyberpups' own.

Wheeljack patted the girl's head and cooed at her like a sparkling, talking to her the same way he had at first but that only receive a response of a confused girl while she asked the medic what he was saying. He was confused, too, but Ratchet must have known something as he glanced at the other who was clearly making diagnosis again. There was something that had been gone unnoticed and the medic knew what it is.

::This is bad…:: Ratchet huffed as he stared in alarm at the data he had gathered from the femme. It seems that there had been damages still not treated by the nanites in her even as the energon continued to supply them energy. These cells had started deteriorating which is worse.

::What is bad, doc?:: The public Autobot com blared awake at the same time Wheeljack agreed with him when he also shared the news. Trying for the last time, Wheeljack had gotten no response from the femme in any way in their native language. It was like she had been reformatted and all of the files for the said language is gone.

::It seems that the problem still hasn't resolve itself but is now turning worse.:: Ratchet grimly informed as he tried to reassure the femme that everything was alright. Wheeljack produced that cassette player again and that seemed to calm down the femme as she pushed some buttons that played the same music it had been playing before.

::What situation?:: The wreckers asked. Just coming in from whatever they had been doing. They had managed to rebuild the facility again but Wheeljack had been banned to do anything but stay in the medbay and watch for the girl. The scientist didn't mind.

::The same one where her memories had disappeared… Oen… is Oen… The personality she had shown the past weeks is gone… It is like she had a reset back to the Oen we once knew…:: The medic tried to relay but even his processor was short circuiting from this.

::Simply speaking… She had lost her memories again… And this time, the duration might be from the time we have met her, am I correct to assume that, Ratchet?:: Sam's voice came on the Coms and that got an affirmative. No one noticed but Bumblebee about how the tone ranged on from awfully sad to frantic in another sense. The yellow and black Camaro just couldn't say how but he knew that it was different from before.

::But what is bad about losing her memories? You said that she went back to the human she was when we had met her… That means that she doesn't remember being taken and tortured by the Cons…:: Ironhide pointed out.

::That is not the matter here… It is that not only are her memory files again but all the other parts of her neuro system is collapsing. All those that hadn't had the chance to transform into metal had gone into deterioration…. Meaning, whatever memories that were not able to be transformed into data is now being wiped away permanently.:: Ratchet huffed.

::That sounds bad if you ask me, Ironhide…:: Sideswipe tried to lighten the mood but he only got deathly silence from the line.

::Is there anything that we could do to help her, Ratchet?:: Optimus's voice came with a hint of seriousness in it.

The medic hesitated and did some calculations. But as Wheeljack glanced at the medic, the drop of the other's shoulder plates had said it all.

::I don't think that there is anything we could do at this point, Optimus…:: Wheeljack supplied for Ratchet who had snapped his helm at him with a glare.

::I will find something, Wheeljack!:: Ratchet growled.

::But the human brain is the most complex part of the human body, Ratchet… Even the humans couldn't decipher their own systems, then how could we?:: the Scientist pointed out but Ratchet will have none of that.

::If the transformation she was going through was fast enough… do you think we could save her?:: Sam voiced asked curiously as Bee warbled in support. It was a nice idea that there was hope.

And that hit Ratchet. It was possible for him… If they were to counter the deterioration, their best plan of action is to speed up the transformation so that the memories could stay, to transform faster than being taken away.

::But… I just want to ask something…:: Mirage piped up again.

::What is it?:: All the others tuned into the conversation.

::Wouldn't it be really best for her to just forget about the memories than bringing them back to be remembered again… I… I think pain is all what she would get from them if they come back…:: Mirage whispered, uncertain.

No one said a word until Optimus spoke. ::We may think it is optimal for Oen to forget her memories because it withholds her remembering the pain and worse instances of her life, old friend… But let us take a deeper perspective into this… We are withholding what has been hers from the very start. The memories may have something bitter in them but we could not deny that there are other memories that are of happiness, joy and laughter.::

The big mech's tone changed into a soft one as if he was remembering something of the same before his tone changed with vocation and determination. ::Like the future, we have been and would always keep it as a source of strength and determination to live pass through the troubles of the present.:: He finished.

::I agree…:: Ironhide said. ::Experience comes with memories and we learn something from them…::

::And who knows what she would feel… Not being able to remember some parts of her life… May her family had left her but we would not have known what of back then… Maybe they have been happy.:: Sam added sadly.

::She needs it as we all need our own files.:: Sideswipe said with a lost tone.

::So, discussion, end?:: Arcee asked happily before it turns glum again.

::Then, report back to us on a sooner date, Ratchet… Now, Dismiss:: The others soon got off and went to their works.

Looking down to the table, Ratchet and Wheeljack silently watched her wait for them to respond back to her after leaving her off on her own.

"Am I grounded here again?" Oen asked solemnly, remembering the times she had been in the same situation after doing something bad. She really must have done it this time because they were taking too long to respond.

"No, you are just to stay at rest here as I monitor any changes in your health… Nothing to worry about youngling…" Ratchet comforted as she nodded understandingly.

She soon turned to Wheeljack with gleaming eyes shining brightly as if she had just realized something. The mech couldn't put it but somehow, he was lost looking at her like this. Maybe he was not accustomed on seeing her like this or that he doesn't know her like the others do… but yeah, he still thinks that there is something off.

"Hi, sir! Who are you? Are you new? Welcome to the base… My designation is Oen… It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance…" She smiled as she joyfully blurted out her questions.

The smile was… not true. Wheeljack thought as he stared before getting hit with a wrench. Ratchet glared at him before he apologized and saw her giggle. Another odd action, but Wheeljack didn't really think more of it as he thought his processor would heat.

He nodded at her, not really meaning to sound professional and flat but it just felt like it should be. "It is nice to meet you, Oen, I'm Wheeljack… The Autobots Engineer and resident scientist…" He said with his own flashes of headlights coming off. He just needs some reassurance… and this is how he thinks he would get it.

Waiting for the other to complain to turn it off, it didn't come. She just stood there smiling at him with her eyes closed to block of that light and added to that, she told him that it was pretty.

The change didn't make Wheeljack comfortable… And he thinks he wanted the other Oen more…

Oh, if he only knew that that other Oen wanted to offline him, he wouldn't really be wishing that right now, would he?

I am going to be very busy again so yeah... till I can update again!

Fav, Follow and Review! See ya!

~Dreamer