She thought they could pull it off but she forgot to factor her bum arm into things. Jolt was careful, so fucking careful to lift her by her torso and not by her arms, but it still tugged just wrong and she couldn't help the aborted scream. Her arm was swollen and fucking hurt. The meds the doc had given her didn't do shit.
Jolt immediately lowered her back into her chair.
"What the fuck?" he asked, leaning heavily into her space.
Normally she would try and play it off. It wasn't a big deal just her bum arm. But it was fucking hurting her. She was done playing around.
"My arm," she gasped out, clutching it tightly to her.
"Did I hurt you?" Jolt asked, immediately concerned.
"No. It's the one they replaced the bone in. It hasn't felt right," she said weakly. Admitting she was in pain was not something she was fond of. She'd rather suffer in silence and take her grumpy mood out on everyone else.
"Let's go to Ratchet," he said, making sure she was settled in her chair before enclosing himself around her chair.
They were in the hangar before she could think to protest. She felt a bead of sweat pop up on her forehead. She definitely didn't feel good.
"Ratchet!" Jolt called into the hangar, speeding deeper into it. He drove straight towards what she thought of as the no go zone.
"What?" a cranky voice called back.
"Somethings wrong with Katie," he yelled out before stopping with a squeal right next to where Ratchet was wielding some kind of wrench.
"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked, suddenly all business.
"She made a funny noise when I picked her up and said her arm hurt," Jolt said before unfolding around her. With a tap, her wheels were back on the floor.
"What's wrong with your arm?" Ratchet turned all of his intensity onto her. It was a bit intimidating.
"Well it's the one they replaced the bone with titanium. It hurts and it's swollen," she said lamely. She didn't know how to explain things she barely understood to a giant alien but the way he immediately started scanning her seemed to be good enough. The scan felt weird. Like a buzz tingling under her skin. It was brighter and more intense than the normal hum she felt from the Autobots.
Ratchet made a strange noise, one she registered as a chirp of surprise, before scanning her again, more thoroughly. If it had felt like a buzz before, now it felt like a strong touch, waving through her.
"Well it is infected, which the humans should have figured out," Ratchet said with distinction.
"But that isn't all. You were injured during Mission City?" he asked, leaning down to meet her eyes.
"Uh, yes?" she said, leaning back a bit. He was so intense.
"Interesting. Matter can't be destroyed after all," he mumbled to himself before straightening up.
"What does that mean?" she asked nervously.
Ratchet sighed, peering down at her and throwing one more tingly wave her wave.
"It means paperwork for Optimus and myself," Ratchet said with a grimace.
"What does it mean for me?" she asked, fiddling with the brace on her right arm. The brace did fuck all but she put it on religiously anyway.
"It means there's a complication. It should not affect your health in any way," he said with a dip of his head.
She stared him down, starting to feel the grumpiness sneak up on her.
"Well are you going to tell me?" she said, knowing her voice was shrill.
"Not yet. I need to talk with Optimus first," he said, gathering things up looking like he was about to leave. She wasn't a fan of this.
"So something is wrong but it doesn't affect my health and you're just going to straight up not tell me?" She was getting done with the whole being out of the loop thing. The doctors all did that to her. The military people did it to her. The Autobots couldn't be part of it too. She wouldn't allow it.
Ratchet paused gathering his items and stopped to stare at her.
"I promise, we will tell you tonight," he said softly.
It wasn't perfect but it did ease some of the hackle raising she was about to do.
"You better," she said sternly before wheeling back.
"About that infection. Can you tell the military people so I can get treatment?" she said as he walked away.
"Already done," he called back and then he was gone. She sighed. At least the Autobots were looking out for her arm. Nice to have someone give a shit.
"Ok Jolt, take me back," she said quietly.
"You ok?" he asked, quickly folding himself around her. She was in his front seat before she could think. It was nice, further soothing some of her frustration.
"I've been lied to and not told the full truth for how many months? And then Ratchet knows some secret information and doesn't tell me? I don't like it," she whispered into the cabin.
There was a slight hint of static and the thrumming buzz of Jolt's energy grew just a little thicker.
"He'll tell you. He keeps his word," Jolt said, voice calm and sure.
"He better," she grumbled.
The rest of her afternoon was spent fretting. Someone had dropped off antibiotics though they hadn't bothered to actually check on her. Probably would be helpful if she just croaked on them.
It was a morbid thought but she didn't think it was entirely unfounded. She was just a pest to them. Something taking up their resources and time. At least Jolt seemed to appreciate her company.
She zoomed out for dinner and went towards the hangar instead of her usual straight to bed routine. It was getting dark which made the shadows nice and creepy. Didn't help with her heightened emotions whatsoever.
She zoomed in to the hangar and wasn't all that surprised that everyone but the mysterious Bumblebee seemed to be there. She hadn't had a chance to meet the ladies yet but they were all there, lined up to watch.
Watch what, she didn't know. The whole thing felt ominious. Ratchet was standing next to Optimus and Jolt was off to the side with Ironhide. Sideswipe was put on twin duty and was holding the two from sneaking off, if she had to guess. They both looked incredibly put out.
What she wasn't expecting was the hangar door to shut with a bang after she rolled in. It made her jump.
She glanced back at the door with wide eyes before looking forward.
"This is not for other human ears," Optimus said, a serious look on his face.
She rolled forward slowly, now completely unsure of what the fuck was happening.
"So what's the deal?" she asked quietly.
"You have AllSpark energy radiating inside you," Ratchet said.
She stared.
"I have no idea what the fuck that means."
Ratchet sighed, looking at Optimus.
"The AllSpark is all of our knowledge condensed into a cube. It was lost during the battle of Mission City," he said quietly, leaning down on his knee to get closer to her.
"That energy seems to now be residing within you."
She still had no idea what the fuck that meant. All of the knowledge condensed into a cube? Sounded like bullshit. And to be in her? More bullshit.
"So am I like pregnant with the cube or some shit?" Ratchet snorted at that, shaking his head.
"It means, as far as we know, the knowledge lives on inside of you," Optimus said with that wise old voice of his.
"Is that why I've been having wacky dreams with a bunch of Autobots all yelling and fighting?" she asked, head tilted towards Optimus.
"Dreams?" he asked, clearly hungry for knowledge.
Jolt made a noise that signaled startled knowledge and pointed at her.
"You do know our language you sneaky shit," he said voice rising in excitement.
"I don't know the specifics, just the general meanings behind the sounds," she retorted, sticking her tongue out for good measure.
"What do you mean?" Ironhide's rough voice cutting in was a bit of a surprise but she turned to answer him.
"I know the general idea of what the chirps and whistles mean but not like a specific translation."
She got a brilliant idea and flashed him a wicked smile before doing the fuck you whistle.
It was so quiet in the hangar you could hear a pin drop.
And then Ironhide let out a slow rumbling laugh.
"You've got spunk, fish bait," he said with amusement.
"Thanks, Hoss," she replied with a wink. She really liked the dude even if he was a little weird about her fragility.
Optimus looked nervous and actually cleared his throat, which was fucking adorable. Apparently cursing in their language got the old man flustered.
"I wouldn't let the soldiers know about that one," Ratchet said with amusement before letting out a chittering stream that she just knew was total profanity.
Optimus stood quickly turning to look at Ratchet with wide eyes. She burst into laughter, feeling good. For one split second she belonged. It was nice. Different.
"We're getting her clearance changed. We gotta. We need more cute swearing," Sideswipe said desperately, still holding onto the twins. Who were now just whistling obscenely at each other.
"That will be arranged," Optimus said, a hint of a smile on his face.
"So what does this mean for me? Like I can't tell other humans, right?" Ratchet nodded slowly.
"You can't tell others. We will, unfortunately for you, have to conduct some tests to make sure the radiation is stable," he said giving her an apologetic smile.
"Will there be needles?" she demanded harshly. She fucking hated those bitches.
"No needles. Just scans," Ratchet said before distractedly reaching for something.
"I have your blood results right here. There's nothing unusual or different than what I can detect with a scan."
"So just the tingles then," she said with a nod.
"I beg pardon?" Ratchet said quickly, immediately leaning down to her level.
"Like the tingles? That's how it feels when you scan me?" Now she was concerned. Everyone seemed laser focused on her.
"Is it different than the buzz?" Jolt asked suddenly.
"What buzz?" Ratchet looked upset. Great. She upset the grumpy one.
"Like all Autobots have a buzz, ya know? But no the scans feel different, more intense. They're like strong tingles," she said, eyes wide as she glanced between Ratchet and Jolt.
"This would be important to know," Ratchet said with a huff before leaning back.
"And there's a buzz in that back room," she said hesitantly. This time it was Optimus that leaned down slowly, kneeling before her.
"What do you mean, Katie?" he asked, voice rough with emotion.
"There's a buzz in the back room. I felt it when Jolt took me to the back to see the wall." Ironhide immediately cuffed at Jolt who shot him a sheepish grin. Apparently she wasn't supposed to go back there. Great so she told on Jolt. Just fantastic.
"Where Jazz is?" he asked softly. His great big blue eyes were trained directly on her. It was an intense feeling.
"Yes," she said hesitantly.
There was silence as they stared down at her. Honestly it was starting to make her nervous. They were just staring at her, like they were waiting for something.
Then she heard just the faintest of buzzes before a slight chirp. She startled when she realized they were talking to each other and somehow she could hear it.
"I can hear that," she said softly.
"How well?" Ratchet asked as the sound seemed to increase for a moment before decreasing back into a small buzz.
"Little louder than ambient noise but only barely. It got really loud for a second and now it's kind of gone away," she said, picking at her nails nervously.
"Would you do us a favor?" Optimus said instead of replying to her comment. She nodded slowly.
"Look at Jazz for us?" he asked hesitantly.