Ep 2 Final Calls (Closed)

[Deleted]

(Set week 1, day 5, 8.00 am)

Wheeljack placed the last screws into their respective containers before placing them into a cupboard and shutting them. The Wrecker rocked back on his pedes, before glancing around at his lab space.

No utterly wrecked spaceships, just waiting for him to tear down and recycle. The arc smelter was quiet and cold, disconnected from the energon generator normally hooked up to it. All his tools had been put away. The floor was clean of chemical spills and scrap material. No half completed projects sat on the workbenches.

It was clean. It was quiet.

...it had almost felt like home, if only for a little while.

Wheeljack's face did not tighten but something inside him did clench. He's be back soon. Or maybe he wouldn't. The Wrecker did not know. Too many conflicting impulses running rampant. His wanderlust. His desire for solitude. The need to see Shockwave dead. His desire to not occupy the same space as Ultra Magnus.

But also-

His enjoyment of metal working. Inventing, solving problems for the Omega base. The presence of Bulkhead and Miko. And deep, deep down inside, the smallest sliver of his spark that he always ignored, the bit of him that actually enjoyed company and working together with others.

Yes, he would miss the Omega base, not that he ever planned to tell anyone that. But Wheeljack strongly needed to get out of it as well. He was relieved that everything was in its place. He was almost ready to leave the base, there were just a few people to see and ensuring that he had everything he needed for the Jackhammer.

The Wrecker strode unhesistantly out from the lab. The lights switched off and the doors closed behind him. All was silent.

Wheeljack stood outside, his back to the door. ::Ratchet:: he pinged. ::You free? Gotta moment?::

[Deleted]

Ratchet was in the medical bay when the call rang through his commline.

He sat in a slump at his workstation, his head in his hands. The list of ongoing repairs was mostly complete, and the room was empty save for its occupant in the isolation ward. The lights were dimmed. Even the monitors were turned down low. Only the life support system made a sound, a sad and warbling beep that was, at least, reassuring in its steadiness.

Ratchet rubbed his knuckles against the side of his head and tried to blot it out. He had a splitting headache.

It had begun at Kamchatka and persisted over the next few days. It wasn't getting worse, which was at least a relief. But nor was it getting better. Scans had brought up nothing. No neural glitch, not optical damage - nothing that would explain the sharp and unrelenting ache.

Mostly likely it was just the stress getting to him. And after the attack on the MECH facility...

Ratchet growled at the chime over his comm and did not raise his head.

"Yes, Wheeljack, I am free," he said wearily. "For the moment. What is it you require?"

[Deleted]

Wheeljack headed down the hallway, towards the rec room. He stopped there briefly, fetching two cubes of energon. Bribery Good manners were always important when asking for a favour.

::Quick chat actually. You down in the med-bay?::

[Deleted]

A quick chat didn't sound like urgent medical repair was needed, at least.

Ratchet slid back in his seat and sat upright. He looked at the monitor he was sitting in front of. The slightly fritzy schematic of an Autobot hovered in the screen. He frowned at it and wondered why he had pulled up that particular medical file before dismissing it with a tap of his finger.

"Yes, I am in the medical bay at the moment," he said. He frowned. "Are you coming this way yourself, or do you need me to meet you somewhere?"

[Deleted]

::Coming your way, doc::

It wasn't far from the rec room to the med bay. Wheeljack's stride was leisurely, unhurried. There was a touch of relaxation that had been absent these past few weeks.

He strolled into the med-bay, slowly refueling on one of the cubes. Ratchet looked tired, which wasn't all that surprising considering the raid only a couple of days ago. Good thing then, he'd stopped by the rec room. Wheeljack offered out the other cube he'd nabbed on his way over.

"Need some energon doc? Swear it ain't been poisoned."

[Deleted]

"So you say," said Ratchet, but his expression was wry.

With a grunt he pushed himself to his feet, his hands on his knees. He turned to face the Wrecker and reached out for the cube. An experimental swirl revealed nothing suspicious, so he tried a sip and sighed a moment later when the energon hit his tired systems. It was good.

Good enough for him to ignore the 'Doc.' Hmf.

Ratchet waved at the empty berth.

"Sit down, if you wish," he said. "I was just doing likewise. Nothing on my schedule at the moment, save for the usual. You're not here for a medical reason, are you? Another scan perhaps? I've had little luck with your prior ones. No solid diagnosis has arisen, only theories I'm afraid."

[Deleted]

Wheeljack settled himself on the berth, ignoring Ratchet's reaction to the energon. He was not responsible the slightest for another mech's well being and had brought the energon along merely as an offering. The Wrecker had only just taken another sip of his cube when the medic went, bringing up the business they'd dealt with last time he was down in the med-bay.

Wheeljack's expression temporarily ran sour at the lack of good solid news. But, well he supposed at least Ratchet hadn't found anything outright and blatantly wrong with it. "No scans," he growled, narrowing his optics at the medic. "'m fine."

The Wrecker frowned at himself, sidetracked by the question before looking up and meeting the medic's optics. "Actually, came here to ask a favour from you, Ratchet. I'm leaving," he said. "The Omega base. Don't know when I'll be back. Still kicking around Earth so you can contact me if you're in a real pinch and need a Wrecker to show you how its done."

Wheeljack tipped his head in the general direction of his lab. "Was wondering if you minded taking over my lab for me while I'm gone. Everything has been cleared up. You can use it, if you need it."

[Deleted]

Ratchet lowered his drink in surprise.

Not at the announcement that the Wrecker was leaving them. The Wheeljack he knew was a wanderer anyway, and not inclined to stay in one place for long. If anything Ratchet was astounded that he had remained at the base for as long as he had, while putting down something that almost resembled solid roots if you squinted at them in the right light.

His optics wide, Ratchet leaned back against his station. He regarded the other mech sceptically. It was not uncommon knowledge that the two of them had not always seen eye-to-eye on many matters. Or even had compatible personalities. Ratchet valued sense and pragmatism, and Wheeljack - was a Wrecker.

He nodded, slowly.

"You want me to take over you lab?" he said. "Me? Not that I would object to doing so - providing all of the more volatile chemicals have been safely placed into storage. But I was half expecting you to simply lock it up behind you. Why me?"

[Deleted]

Wheeljack gave Ratchet a dour look. Space was a limited commodity at the Omega base and with new arrivals rocking up on the planet ever other cycle, their numbers were only going to grow. It had not escaped Wheeljack's notice that his lab was occupying quite a lot of space, one that the base probably could not afford to go to waste. While locking it up behind him and simply walking off sounded like a nice idea in theory, it was highly likely that if/when he returned, he'd probably find his lab and equipment gutted and repurposed. Making sure the lab remained useful and earned its keep was vital to ensuring he actually had a lab to come back to.

"Got tired of hearing you bellow about how much 'you needed that'," he replied dryly with an amused smirk. "No, honestly Ratchet. Go do a count, how many bots there are on base with the scientific training to use my equipment then come back and ask me that question again."

Rook was Wheeljack's other option but Rook was...complicated.

More seriously, the Wrecker continued in a somewhat thoughtful tone. "We used to have...so much. The technoversities. Now all we have is what we can build outta whatever materials we can scrap and what the humans give us. You don't lock up science or hoard it," Wheeljack snorted. "That ain't the way it works. 's a crime, more than anything in fact."

In his distant memories, Wheeljack knew that he'd given a lecture once. Just once and then the Crystal City technoversity had decreed never again. Thanks to the damage to his memory core, Wrecker did not know whether he'd enjoyed teaching or not but he suspected he had. He found science simply too fun and cool to keep it to himself. He couldn't comprehend why you'd want to do that, science was for everyone in his personal beliefs. But Wheeljack could remember too though, that he had peers who believed that it should purely remain the domain of academics and intellectuals.

The Wrecker had a feeling he could ramble at length at this. Instead he shrugged, took a sip from his cube and finished up in a lighter, drier tone. "After spending all that time getting the lab in working order, seems like a waste to just switch off the lights and leave everything in the dark."

[Deleted]

It was the most pensively Ratchet had ever heard Wheeljack speak before, and he sobered in response. It sounded as if the Wrecker had given this more thought than he would have given him credit for.

"Well, in that case, I thank you for preserving your laboratory like this," he said. "It should prove invaluable to us. I can't speak for any of the other Autobots, but I for one will be glad to put your workspace and tools to good use in forging new parts and biotech for patients who need it. My medial bay is woefully incomplete, and manufacturing such tech using what equipment I managed to scavenge from the Ark has been a difficult endeavour to date, to say the least."

To say nothing of the frustration he felt every time he remembered that much of the materials they had come to rely on came from the humans - but that was a rant for another day. Ratchet only swirled his drink and frowned.

"I will admit that I find myself frequently longing for the resources we enjoyed back home," he said grudgingly. "As well as the great intellectual and academic circles that cultivated and spread scientific knowledge to ensure that it was accessible to those who needed it. To go from that to Earth, even in the wake of the Exodus and the war, has been - jarring."

The old medic heaved a sigh. Then he snorted off his own brooding and lifted his cube to Wheeljack.

"Here's to having a proper lab for the production of replacement parts for ingrates," he said. Despite the harshness of the words he looked pleased. "Cheers."

[Deleted]

Wheeljack could commiserate over the lack of materials. All too often, he'd been struck by the thought that he could build a particular item easily only to realise he lacked the equipment or the materials. Protective gear for Miko? Sure, just need a forcefield generator...oh wait, they don't have any. Just needed some ion mesh to upgrade a new weapon? Forget it.

The Wrecker listened as Ratchet reminisced about Cybertron and its once great technological prowess. His optics dimmed as Wheeljack looked inwards, through his own ravaged memories. His life back then...well it was very much removed from who he was in the present. Irrelevant for the most part but he did recall the resources once available to him. He might not care much for the people he'd once known but, yeah, he missed being able to build whatever he wanted, without restriction and the knowledge that had been available.

Wheeljack raised his cube in answer to Ratchet's toast. Amusement returned to the Wrecker, his optics gleamed with good humour at the medic's words. "And to the many ships that have crashed on this planet due to pilot incompetence," he rumbled. "Without them, that lab would be sorely lacking. Cheers."

Take a large sip from his cube, Wheeljack nodded towards the critical unit in the ward. "How's Air Raid going?" he asked abruptly. "Or is that a topic I shouldn't be bothering you about?"

[Deleted]

Ratchet rolled his optics to the ceiling and lifted one hand in a shrug of dry resignation at the mention of the scavenged ships. But Wheeljack’s next remark brought his mood crashing back down again.

“No, it’s fine,” he said tersely. “Air Raid is – hmm.”

His gaze travelled to the isolation screens and lingered there. “Physically, he is in good condition. I have repaired the damage MECH inflicted and restored the mangled systems to functionality. They respond well to tests, and both external and his own internal self–diagnosis report that everything is operating within acceptable perimeters. I’ve still a little body work left to do on his armour and the underlying mesh, but it is nothing that would hold him back from partial operational status if he were awake.”

The medic heaved a pent–up sigh. Frustration edged his voice as he said, “But despite my best efforts, his brain module remains inactive. His neural net is completely dead. It is receiving power, the system itself is not physically damaged - at least not in any way that I have been able to detect. It simply does not respond to interrogation or stimulation. His brain is... a radio, its dials lit and humming with energy, but neither transmitting or receiving signals.”

Ratchet broke off, looking haggard and every bit his age. He raised the cube, and had drained half of it before he lowered it again and sagged back against his workstation, braced on one arm.

“With that said, be careful out there.” He spoke grimly, his optics on Wheeljack’s face. “I know you are highly mobile and capable of seeing to your own care and maintenance. But even a Wrecker – and an engineer – cannot perform neurosurgury on himself. Brain death is not a fate I would wish on anyone, even an enemy.”

[Deleted]

Wheeljack listened carefully as Ratchet grimly outlined what he'd been able to fix with Air Raid-and what he hadn't. The physical was fine but the mental... The Wrecker's scarred lip-plates pulled tight at the description of the aerial's neural net. Wheeljack actually knew a little about how the brain module worked and functioned. He'd learnt after...well he'd learnt after Shockwave. But his studies had focused primarily on the memory core and how it functioned in relation to the rest of the processor. He knew enough to know just how complicated the situation Ratchet was attempting to repair.

Still, it was important to know what he was dealing with out there. MECH may have sunk its claws into other Cybertronians and who knew where they could come crawling out of the woodwork. Or what with. Their drive to improve their technology and weaponry was concerning to witness and every encounter seemed to bring something new to the battlefield. Their reach though...they seemed primarily based on America and Wheeljack wouldn't be hanging round on the same soil for long.

He snorted a little at Ratchet's warning and the jab at being an engineer and Wrecker was not enough. "Oh I don't know Ratchet," he replied blandly, though a slight mocking edge entered his voice, unable to resist the opportunity to take a jab at Ratchet's profession. "Would have been engineers that did this, not medics. Humans ain't trained in cyberneurology. Might it be that you're looking at it from the wrong perspective?"

The Wrecker sobered then and he tilted his head in acknowledgement. "That being said, I appreciate the warning. I'll watch my back though I make no promises I'll keep outta trouble."

[Deleted]

Ratchet scoffed.

"When a mech is shot, you don't call in a marksman to assess the damage," he said. "No more than you go to an architect for his medical opinion when a bridge collapses on top of you. The knowledge of the attacker is relevant only as evidence that might bracket the extent of their capabilities. It is ultimately the skills and experience of the medic that must be relied upon to diagnose and repair the patient in the end."

The last few words were spoken with a trace of bitterness, even as Ratchet moodily glanced aside. Then he huffed and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

"Anyway, while I hardly expect you to stay out of trouble entirely, I do hope you'll exercise some form of prudence while travelling about in that flying deathtrap of yours," he grumbled. He leaned back with his arms folded across his chest, the cube dangling from his hand. "I'd feel marginally better if you were taking another Autobot with you - for a second set of optics, if nothing else. You can rely upon us at least for backup if you should need it."

[Deleted]

It'd be an easy shot, a cheap one to take at Ratchet's medical skills right now over his failure to repair Air Raid. So Wheeljack didn't. He'd come here for a favour after all, not to hound Ratchet over his work. The medic probably got plenty of haranguing from his own side.

The Wrecker snorted, surprised, amused and doubtful all at once at the suggestion to take another Autobot with him.

"Not sure Prime would approve of me stealing one of his Bots," the Wrecker commented, with dry amusement. "'sides, it'd take us less than a cycle before we can't stand each other."

Who'd he take anyway, with him? This time it was Wheeljack's mood which darkened as he thoughts travelled to their inevitable next step.

"S'not like Bulk's gonna abandon the Omega base any time soon."