Azura whimpered as she was forced to keep her mouth open as Ratchet gently applied the metal burn gel to her throat. While the gel itself was soothing, it was uncomfortable feeling the tool in her throat and feeling the gel being rubbed in her throat. Ratchet was extremely gentle, and Optimus gently her to make sure it would go smoothly. She had already ingested some medicine before for the infection, but she needed the gel for the burns, and she certainly wasn't happy with it. If there was another way to do it, Ratchet would. She kept her optics closed as she waited until he removed the rod from her mouth, and she was able to relax, even though she shuddered and some tears fell from her optics form the discomfort.

Ratchet himself was having to focus while the sparkling was in a state of discomfort. One of wrong move with the rod, and he could cause damage to her throat, and no one would be happy. Ratchet at least was glad that Azura was tolerating the procedure at the moment, as it made his job easier to finish without her squirming. It did help that Optimus was there to keep her comfortable and to ensure she would not move too much so that the procedure can be done in a timely manner.

"At least the metal burns will heal quickly. So this won't need to happen every day, Azura." Ratchet smiled as Azura snuggled again Optimus with a slight frown. Her reaction to him was adorable and Ratchet was amused. "Now you can go and spend time with Rafael and watched Bulkhead and Bumblebee play some version of basketball. I am not sure of I am fond of that idea if I am honest. Especially since I know how rough they can be when it comes to lobbing."

Azura smiled a little as she was happy about that. "I am still interested in seeing what it will look like, Ratchet. Personally, I am more interested in helping Rafael with his assignment."

"Yes, yes, I overheard that. You told him his assessment should be of the Great Barrier Reef. And I have no idea what that is." The medic also likely didn't care too much about it. He walked over to his desk to put things away and tidy up. "At the very least, we can also start to prepare for the procedure as well. I think that'll be more important." Azura nodded as she was also happy about it, but also nervous. "And if Megatron is out of the picture, we can at least be rest assured that it will go smoothly." Azura grumbled for a moment with a slight frown and Ratchet looked back at her curiously. "Oh, right…it still bothers you…"

"As it should, Ratchet," Optimus responded calmly to the medic. "Megatron is Azura's sire. Like it or not, she has the right to feel some sort of feeling about him." Azura looked at Optimus as she was surprised that he said that. He smiled at her and hugged her against his chassis. "Azura, I will not ever be mad at you if you have some feeling to Megatron. It wouldn't be fair to say you should not. His CNA is a part of you, and while Megatron may never be part of your life, he still played the role of creating your spark, before you ended up within my body from that pulse."

Azura didn't really know how to respond to that. She hugged her Angel plush that she was still holding onto as it brought her comfort. She thought on his words for a moment and looked at Optimus. "So you aren't mad that…um…when I-I saw Megatron on the screen…with the cortical psychic patch…you aren't mad that I kind of felt curious?" He shook his head and kissed her forehead gently, knowing she was a little fearful. "Really? Y-You're not?"

"No, Azura. It is natural for you to have some kind of interest in knowing both of your parents. You know me, and you might think you only need me. But it is a natural instinct. Deep down, your system knows which parent created you. It steers towards them. And in this case, it is Megatron." Azura couldn't help but feel guilty, even if it was something she couldn't necessarily control. "It is unfortunate, but it is the way it is. I am sure that while you are happy to hear stories about Megatron before he became a decepticon, you probably have a wish to speak to him."

Azura didn't really know how to respond to that. "Um…that's a yes and no answer…" Optimus kissed her forehead again as he completely understood. "If I had the chance, it might be good. But I saw what he was like, I heard what he said...so I would not know if I honestly really would want to speak with him, daddy. So that is why it would be a yes or no answer."

"A reasonable answer. I do not think anyone here should show any kind of irritation regarding it. You are still very young as well, Azura. When you get older, there will be a time when that connection won't worry you as much. But at your age, it is natural for sparklings to desire both parents." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek and hugged him, happy that Optimus was not mad about her thoughts regarding Megatron.

"You're the best, daddy," Azura complimented happily. "The best carrier…" Optimus's smile widened and he gently tightened his hug around her. "I love you, and I am looking forward to having my full system. But I will admit I am nervous about it. I just hope nothing goes wrong."

"I assure you that I will make sure that nothing goes wrong, Azura," Ratchet reassured the sparkling confidently. "I understand that it is the nerves now that it is going to happen very soon. But this is something that I know will go smoothly, Azura. It might not be a common procedure, but it has happened successfully each time."

That made Azura feel a lot better, as knowing that the procedure is successful each gave her more confidence. She still yet did not know what it will feel like, and Ratchet has not told the full description of what is going to happen, aside from the amount of information he has already explained. But she trusted him, and she was looking forward to a long, healthy life now. She just hoped nothing bad will happen between now and then, and during the procedure as well.

"Can I go and watch Bulkhead and Bumblebee play basketball now?" Azura asked curiously. "Even if I am not watching, I do want to see if I can help Rafael make a start on high assignment."

Ratchet chuckled softly and nodded. "You and Optimus don't need to be in here, so you can go and watch them play some ridiculous version of a human sport. Though I think it'll just end up being some kind of lob game, if I am honest."

Azura giggled as she knew that is what it will probably turn into, but she did not mind at all. She thought it was very funny that Ratchet was not happy about it, but she knew it was better for the bots to get out some of that stress. "At the very least, they won't be hurting anyone. I think it will be a lot of fun to watch them."

Optimus slid off the berth as he rubbed her back gently with a smile. "I will take you to the lobby, Azura. I need to go and get a cube for myself, and I will come back to watch and see how the game goes. I hope you will not mind."

She shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair if I didn't want you to leave me alone and you had to take me, though I know you wouldn't mind. I will be fine for a little while, daddy. You go and get some energon. I am sure that it will do you a lot of good."

Optimus hummed in amusement at the sparkling's comment. He certainly wouldn't mind at all if she wanted to go with him. But she was excited about something else, and he was completely fine with her wanting to do something else. He encouraged it as well, as she needed to spend time with the others too. Optimus kissed her forehead again, and that made the sparkling squeal in irritation, making him even more amused, even though he knew she loved the affection she was getting from him.

Optimus walked through the hallway back to the lobby and looked over at Bumblebee and Bulkhead who were talking to Miko. The girl was standing on the catwalk by the hoop, and Optimus couldn't help but feel a little concerned. "I hope that you will not find yourself hurt from this game, Miko." The girl looked at Optimus when the leader voiced his concern. "You seem to be standing close to that hoop."

Miko smiled at Optimus as she appreciated the concern. "Don't worry, Optimus. I won't be standing right beside the hoop. I will be close enough to see when one of these guys score. I am only standing here so I can watch the whole game, Optimus. Besides, if I were to get hurt, Bulkhead will be there to witness it and help me if needed."

Bulkhead nodded. "I will make sure the girl is unharmed, boss. I have already told Miko to keep her distance, and she fully understands. She might run through the ground bridge when she is not supposed to…" Miko couldn't help but glare at Bulkhead slightly, making the autobot chuckle at her. "But she does understand that this isn't a game that she can be involved in too much, or she will get hurt. Miko does understand that, Optimus, I assure you."

Optimus believed him and he walked over to the platforms and lowered Azura down to place her by Jack and Rafael. "Very well. I will be back soon." Optimus gently rubbed the back of Azura's head and looked at Bulkhead and Bumblebee. "I do trust you will not cause trouble." He turned and faced Arcee who was leaning against the side of one of the platforms and smiled at her. "And I am sure you will inform me if something were to happen."

Arcee nodded affirmatively. "Of course, I will, Optimus." Arcee smiled at him. "I trust them too, but those two can have a lot of energy to throw around as well."

Optimus nodded in agreement before he walked out of the lobby. Azura watched him with a smile before she turned to Raf who was sitting at a desk with his laptop doing some research on the Great Barrier Reef. She chuckled a little as the boy seemed to be the type to study a lot, but she understood because she knew that Raf's family wants him to succeed and be able to go to one of the best colleges in the country.

She walked over to him and looked at the screen. She saw Raf was reading about the different corals in the reef, and he was taking notes down. "Ooh, corals." The boy looked at Azura with a smirk. "I remember writing a whole project about coral themselves. Oh, that involved a lot of research. Though I guess you don't need to go in depth regarding the animal, only going over the basics of them."

Raf nodded. "Well, I figured I should write down the important facts about coral before deciding what should be featured on the presentation board that I will be creating. I want to put easy to understands things on it while I explain to the class about it. As it is a verbal presentation after all."

"That is understandable." Azura thought about grabbing a chair to sit down, but she knew she probably would break it from her weight. She stared at the screen and she saw that Raf was currently writing notes down about the staghorn coral. "Staghorn corals are pretty cool to look at. And it is unique that some corals require algae to live in their tissues to for food, or to capture prey."

"Honestly, I thought they all relied on algae, but learning that some require prey certainly surprised me when I started diving deeper into learning about corals," Rafael said in agreement. "And it has been kind of fun and frustrating at the same time." He turned to look at her with a smile. "But at least you studied corals, I am sure you can help me."

"I can. But certainly won't do it for you either." She looked at the screen again for a moment and jumped in surprise when she turned her head. "Oh, Jack!" She placed her hand on her chassis as she intakes heavily. "You scared the spark out of me."

Jack smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry, Azura. I didn't mean to scare you suddenly. I was just curious to see what the project was about, and now I understand." Jack stared at the screen curiously and looked at Raf. "Seems like you got work cut out for you, Raf. But it seems like you are going to do just fine."

Raf nodded. "I hope so. There's a lot to learn…luckily I have a lot of time to complete it, so I think it will be okay." He finished writing down the notes and looked at the screen before scrolling to read through about the soft corals. "And I haven't even gotten to the sea anemones yet. Or any of the fish species…"

"I wouldn't panic, Raf," Azura interrupts the boy gently. "Your assignment is about the ecosystem of the reef. You don't need to focus so much on what species of coral or fish there are. You need to know about the ecosystem of the reef itself. In a reef, as an example, there are a lot of things there that filter the water and keep it clean. Essentially, it makes reefs extremely important to the life of the ocean itself. Anemones, for example, filter water. So do corals. They might sit towards the bottom of the sea floor in the shallow, warm waters, but they are extremely important. It is like fungi in a forest."

Raf relaxed as he listened to Azura tell him what he should focus on, and she was right. "Yeah…yeah you're right…"

Azura chuckled a little. "Don't worry, Raf. I can easily draw a basic diagram of the reef's ecosystem for you, but you will still need to create your own presentation. I certainly have no problem helping you with that, but don't focus so much on the animals, but the ecosystem. There are many animals in reefs that are important to the ecosystem, but you don't need to focus on the species of the animals, as that will not be necessary."

The boy nodded slowly and realized she was right. "Ugh, you're right. I guess I was a little too focused on the smaller details. And I was getting myself worked up about it. Thanks, Azura." He turned and hugged her suddenly, making her giggle in amusement. "That helps me a lot. You don't need to make a diagram, I think I have it all in my mind right now."

Azura was very happy about this. She knew that Rafael was going to do well with his assignment. "Good. I guess we can now focus on…"

"Basketball by way of Cybertron!" Azura, Jack and Raf turn as they hear Miko's loud voice, and they immediately became intrigued as they realized that the game was about to begin. Azura saw that Bee was holding the lob, while Bulkhead stood in front of the hoop watching him. "Let the games begin!"

Azura was surprised Miko had a whistle on her, but she chuckled when Miko blew it. She walked over to the railing with Jack and Raf to watch closer with a smile. She watched Bumblebee toss up the lob and balanced it on his index finger as it spun around, a classic way of showing Bulkhead that he was ready. Technically, it was a classic move in general, but it was funny to watch. Bumblebee moved the lob into both hands and looked at the hoop, and jumped up to throw the lob at the hoop.

Bulkhead laughed as he jumped up with his hands raised and caused the lob in the air. He turned and threw the lob at the hoop, and Miko cheered loudly as the lob circled the ring for a moment and fell through. "Yeah! Go, Bulk!"

Bulkhead leaned down as the lob bounce and rolled back towards him so he could pick it up. He turned to Bumblebee with a playful smirk. "Come on, best two out of three." He threw the lob at Bumblebee so the scout could have another chance at getting a score.

Bee caught the lob and ran forward, and Bulkhead moved to try to get in his way. Bumblebee was leaner than Bulkhead, so the scout was able to avoid Bulkhead easily and ran around him to make his way towards the hoop. "Bee! You're in the clear!" Rafael shouted excitedly as he watched Bumblebee run towards the hoop. Bumblebee seemed to be very excited about it as he ran towards the hoop, and Azura watched him. She was hoping for him to get a score. "Dunk it, Bee!"

Just as Bumblebee was in range of throwing the lob into the hoop, he came to a stop and seemed to just stare. Azura frowned as she was worried immediately. Jack also frowned as he was confused. "Um…that's a little strange."

She nodded in agreement. "Uh…I don't want to say it…but…" She turned her head to look at Jack. "Bee's been kind of acting strange ever since he and Arcee got back."

Arcee looked at Azura in surprise. "You think so?' Azura nodded and Arcee looked back at Bumblebee. "Hmm…I haven't noticed anything strange until now. Otherwise, I would agree with you."

Azura knew that the other autobots had not noticed anything different about Bee. She didn't know why she picked up on it so quickly. She couldn't help but guess it could be her dragon senses that might have provided her that warning, but she couldn't be a hundred percent sure on that. After all, she also knew that there was something else about Bee that was familiar, and yet it was something she didn't know if she actually recognized.

Bulkhead though was more annoyed that Bumblebee was holding onto the lob for too long. "Bumblebee, quit hogging the ball!"

Bumblebee seemed to hear Bulkhead, but he turned suddenly and threw the lob directly at Bulkhead. Bulkhead was lucky he moved out of the way in time before the lob hit the wall behind him and it fell to the floor. Azura stared with wide optics as that made her feel even more concern towards this and she didn't even know what to think of the situation right now, because it was getting strange.

Miko didn't seem to notice as she slid down the ladder and whistled loudly to alert this was a foul play. She shook her head loudly and frowned at Bumblebee. "Flagrant foul!"

"Dodgeball, by way of Cybertron." Azura looked at Jack with a frown, even though he was trying to be sarcastic, and failed. "Um…you know what I mean, Azura…I am just trying to make light of whatever might be happening here."

Azura shook her head as she didn't think now was the time to make light of what might be happening. "I am not sure if you should joke, Jack. Bee's never acted out like that before, and we should be genuinely concerned about that. Especially after that cortical psychic patch, we don't know what effect it could be happening on him."

"I would think that he would have bad nightmares, not the intent on throwing a large, metal ball at Bulkhead." Jack didn't share the same concern with Azura, but he could see it was bothering her a bit. "But I do understand this is bothering you, so I hope that it will be okay in the end."

Bulkhead frowned at Bumblebee and points towards the hoop. "Hoop's over there, Bumblebee."

Bee turned and looked at the hoop in slight confusion. "Oh, yeah, I know that. I am sorry, I am not sure what came over me. I didn't mean to throw it at you, Bulkhead."

Rafael also seemed to be genuinely worried about his friend. "Bee, you okay?"

Bumblebee nodded. "I feel perfectly fine! I think we should go for three out of five, instead two out of three." He held up three fingers to show how serious he was about it.

Raf seemed to agree, even though he wasn't sure if Bee was just deflecting. "Yeah, three out of five." The boy smiled at Bumblebee who seemed to be relieved and turned to Bulkhead as the wrecker picked up the lob. "Hopefully."

Azura nodded in agreement. "Hmm…" She was starting to wonder where Optimus was, but she was feeling unsure if she wanted to just sit and wait. She walked over to Arcee and leaned over the railing. "Do you think daddy will be here soon? I kind of want to go into my room and do something else. I want to help Raf, but things are getting weird."

Arcee looked at Azura as she could hear the concern in the sparkling's voice. "You aren't in danger, Azura. I know you are somewhat uncomfortable about Bumblebee, and while I don't understand it, you might be right in thinking it could be connected to the cortical psychic patch. But you aren't in danger. Optimus will be back with his cube very shortly."

Azura smiled a little as she hoped that Arcee was right. She looked at Bumblebee and watched him dunk the lob this time, and she was happy that he was enjoying the game. But when he looked at her, she saw that there was a bit of worry in his optics, like there was something that was on his mind but he couldn't say. She felt bad because she knew this wasn't his fault, and feeling fearful of Bumblebee was probably hurting him as well. She didn't want to stay away from him forever.

She intakes heavily and looked over at her art platform and decided to make her way over there to do something for a while. She figured she could do that while not trying to think of what might be causing Bumblebee to act differently. Azura hummed a little and made her way down the stairs and ran over to the art platform just as she saw Optimus walking back into the room with a cube in his hand. She was extremely happy to see him and he looked over to see she was on her art platform now.

"Daddy!" She squealed excitedly. "I need some idea on what to draw or paint next now. Raf and Jack are intent on watching Bumblebee and Bulkhead play, but I kind of lost a little interest now. But I need some ideas."

Optimus hummed as he walked over and sipped from the cube while he thought on an answer to give her. "That is a good question." Azura placed her toy down and she walked over to grab an empty canvas and place it on the easel. "What about a painting of you and I?" Azura looked at him and smiled immediately. "After all, you and I are on the mend. And you will have a better quality of life very soon as well. I think that is worth painting."

Azura liked that idea immediately. "You're right! It might take me a while to finish, but I do love painting, so I will definitely do it, daddy!" She grabbed a pencil and stood in front of the canvas thoughtfully. "But now I need to think of the setting…hmm…I think my mind is busy thinking of other things."

Optimus understood. "Understandable. But take your time, Azura. You have no need to rush this, as it is something that should take time. Plus, it will be sentimental, so I know you are going to do an amazing job."

Azura was feeling excited over this as it could turn into something extremely amazing. Azura knew that a good picture would take time, so she grabbed a sketchbook as she could use that to sketch different pictures to decide on which one she would go with. That way she wasn't stuck thinking and thinking to the point she would want to just walk away and do something else. She hummed happily as she let herself start getting creative.

Though at this time, both she and Optimus did not notice Bumblebee looking at them. His optics had changed shape as he had listened in on the conversation the two had, had. If they did notice, they might think it is just Bumblebee listening in. But they were unaware that Megatron zoned in on the conversation out of curiosity. Megatron could not help but watch how the sparkling was being treated, and it seemed that Azura was well adored by Optimus. He had once thought that Optimus would have disdain towards her. But he knew Optimus all too well, and that he could never hate the sparkling for his actions. Megatron at least was still intrigued in learning more about the sparkling. Especially as this sparkling was the only one to survive, and seems to have special abilities that he was definitely intrigued in learning more about.