[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]Face Full of Hurt [Ratchet]

[Deleted]

[Week 3, Day 6]


Waking up from anything was rarely fun. 

The first thing to return to functionality was his HUD. Almost immediately, the alerts began streaming in. Some of them he could discern were old, delayed during his stasis. They appeared first and were quickly replaced by newer concerns. Though, the concerns grew fewer and fewer until finally, only the now-familiar standby remained: a warning about how low his fuel levels were.

There were a few different sorts of wakeups that Sideswipe was accustomed to. The first, and most common, was waking up from recharge. That was a gentle catapult into a new day that his rebellious spirit sometimes wished wouldn't happen. The second was waking up after being put down hard. During that time, his HUD would flood with warnings concerning his wellness and he would realize that a trip to the medibay was in order. The third was waking up after the medic had already gotten to him. This was always the worst, as pain usually accompanied it. He could tell that this awakening was of the third kind, based on the old alerts, things that he didn't have to worry about any longer because they'd already been handled. 

The next thing to return was his sensor net. He immediately wished it hadn't. He'd been laying down a long while, and could tell as much from the stiffness in his joints. Damn, he'd need to give his t-cog a spin after he got up. It wasn't that he hadn't gone long periods without transforming before, but, he didn't particularly like it. This realization was followed by a achiness in his face. Well, the entire left side of his head, to be exact. Huh. For some reason, he'd expected more...

Memories rushed back in a blur of chaos.

Gunfire, white optics, something wasn't right with Bee. Optimus, damaged. Pain, a shot to the head. A shot through the leg. Ratchet sliced his arm off! Help from that other bot. Medibay. Where was Raf? Exhaustion. Darkness.

Blue optics flickered on as the possibility of a threat catapulted him back to full consciousness. Holy shit what had happened? Where was Bee? Was Raf okay? Was Optimus okay? He'd never seen the Prime look that bad-

He was still in the medibay.

The realization gave him pause. If he was here...how much time had passed? What was going on? Was there still danger? He had been repaired, from the feel of it...

It was quiet.

"Ratchet...?"

The medic's name was a cautious mutter, barely audible as the frontliner attempted to make sense of his surroundings.

[Ratchet]

Ratchet almost didn’t hear the muttered question amid the humming of the medibay’s tools and machinery. While the centrifuge was no longer running, monitors were still keeping an eye on everything, and the gentle, constant hum was punctuated by occasional beeps and boops as results were gained and reports written.

Glancing towards where Sideswipe had been laying, powered down, for the last few days while the insanity of the attack in Omega had taken place, Ratchet was surprised to see the frontliner had finally powered himself back up, and was now laying with his optics lit.

Putting down a small glass vial he had been holding, Ratchet grabbed up a cloth and wiped his hands as he made his way towards the red mech. When he spoke, his voice contained a small hint of relief.

“Sideswipe. You’re finally back online. Don’t move just yet – you’ve been powered down for a while and it’s going to take a few minutes for all your systems to completely reboot.”

Laying down the cloth, the doctor reached for his small portable scanner, and turned it on, getting it ready for a quick scan. His eyes were tired looking, and there was a mesh patch over his shoulder. Nonetheless, the frontliner had Ratchet’s complete attention.

“How are you feeling? Pain? Dizzy? Are there any parts of your system that don’t feel like they’re rebooting?”

[Deleted]

Sideswipe didn't move from his prone position, even to turn his head in response to Ratchet's appearance. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck. A big one. Like, a Fort Max sized one. Maybe bigger. Like a Omega Supr-

Stop. Focus.

He was actually super relieved to see the medic, a phenomenon that did occur every so often in the frontliner's existence. As much as he tended to bother the old bot, and enjoyed doing so, Ratchet was one of the few he trusted without doubt. Yeah, he was a cranky old doc, but, he'd never let Sideswipe or Sunstreaker down. If anyone could patch him up and do a good job of it, even in these crappy circumstances, Ratchet could.

At the moment, Sideswipe was still rather dreamy. Ratchet's presence had reassured him that he was not in any immediate danger, which allowed him to settle into his more-desired state of half-awakeness. His lip components twitched, on the right side, since the left still felt odd.

"T' stiff t' move yet," he muttered, his optics focusing on the medic, "Y'know, I'm really glad t' see you right now? That shit hurt."

He vented softly, more than happy to let his body continue its process of reawakening fully. His HUD flashed with the calmer informative blips about various systems returning to functionality. So far, so good.

"Nah. Face aches a little, but I feel pretty good, all things considered," that half smile widened sardonically, "He got me good, huh, Ratchet?"

Then, his faceplates shifted in an approximation of a furrowed brow.

"What happened? How is everyone? Prime. And Bee," his gaze focused on the mesh patch on Ratchet's shoulder, silently questioning.

[Ratchet]

“I’m not surprised you’re stiff,” Ratchet replied, “You might need to warm up a little before moving.”

Raising the small tool, Ratchet started to scan Sideswipe, forgoing the more invasive but more complete link up with the wire from the elbow. Right now he just wanted an overall peek at how his inner components were handling becoming active.

Eyes on the small screen, he continued to speak.

“He got you very good, Sideswipe. You’re incredibly lucky. It was a point blank hit. If you had lighter armor....you still took a great deal of damage, though.

I’ve repaired your face, but you will continue to need to heal. Your nanites will take care of that.”

Everything on the screen looked ok. Some of Sideswipe’s components were a little sluggish coming back, but that was hardly surprising.

Turning off the scanner and putting it on a nearby bench, Ratchet turned back to Sideswipe.

“Optimus was badly injured as well. Mostly to his face. He lost an optic, but I was fortunate to still have optic glass here, and his focusing rings just needed a heavy cleaning, so he won’t lose his vision, thank Primus. He will continue to need smaller repairs, though, and heal, so don’t be too shocked when you see him.”

There was a pause. Ratchet looked over Sideswipe to where the curtain separated Bumblebee from the rest of the medibay.

“Bumblebee is...not well.”

He paused for a minute, trying to order his thoughts. Normally Ratchet wouldn’t talk about a patient’s trouble with someone else, but Sideswipe was a victim of Bumblebee, and deserved to know just what had happened. He was also a good friend, and would be worried.

“Apparently Bumblebee was under the influence of some new illness we can’t yet identify. That was the reason he attacked both Optimus, and you. He wasn’t in control of himself. Right now, while I – we – conduct tests and try to work this out, Bumblebee is powered down. It’s easier on his system to be turned off and resting.”

Ratchet didn’t say anything about the fact there was practically no more energon at the base, and right now, it was simply easier to keep Bumblebee powered down than bring him back up and try to find enough energon to refill his lines.

“He certainly did a number on the control room, as well. Our scout has a strong blaster.”

[Deleted]

Sideswipe contented himself with lying still as Ratchet scanned him. That in and of itself was a testament to just how stiff and worn out he felt. Even after being in stasis for so long, there was a sense of fatigue that clung to his joints and pistons like a heavy fog. Normally, he would be chattering away, practically bouncing in his attempt to escape the medbay quickly. As it was, he allowed his optics to drift, listening to Ratchet's explanation. His lip components quirked when the medic trailed off, insinuating what would have happened if Sideswipe had been equipped with lighter armor. If he'd been anything but a frontliner…

"Yeah. Y'know, when he was pointing that gun at me, before Raf said anything, I was saying goodbye to Sunny. Thought for sure I was about to have my ticket punched. What a way to go, right? After all these vorns, too."

There was a dark humor in Sideswipe's light tone, belying just how much the experience had shaken him. He'd been in this war since the beginning, the possibility of death was not new to him, but, this time had been different. This time, it hadn't been some 'Con sneering down the barrel of a blaster at him, someone he could tear into with no remorse. No, this time, it had been a friend. A good friend, someone he'd known for a long time.

"I trust ya', doc-bot. I'll do my best to heal up fast so I can get back out where I'm needed. Princess Peace ain't gonna save herself, you know," his smile at his own joke was genuine but fleeting.

The frontliner's optics turned to Ratchet again, the ring within focusing on the medic's faceplates as he spoke about the conditions of the others. This was what had plagued Sideswipe the most. His own condition he could handle, he always did. But, the others...They were his comrades. Losing them would be almost as bad as losing his twin. 

He was glad to hear that Ratchet had been successful in repairing the Prime. And a bit surprised. He'd always figured that those chosen by the Matrix needed special Matrix Approved(tm) parts, but, apparently not. It was a strange reminder that Optimus was a bot just like the rest of them. Except like, bigger and tougher and wiser and shit. The warning not to be shocked drew a wry look from Sideswipe and, for a moment, his resemblance to Sunstreaker was made all the more obvious.

"Considering he looked like pit when I saw him last time, anything's gotta be an improvement."

This was, of course, followed with Ratchet's assessment that Bumblebee was not well. That wry look faded into another very Sunstreaker-esque look of 'really'. It wasn't that he was trying to nonverbally sass Ratchet, but, he wasn't really putting forth any effort in self-control at the moment. For a second, he wasn't sure the medic was going to elaborate. When he finally did, horror replaced fatigue-driven sarcasm.

An illness? What sort of illness jacked a bot's system like that? He'd seen some of the slag the 'Cons had released during the war, bio-weapons made to spread quickly and kill just as fast. Nothing like this, though. Sideswipe's optics narrowed and one servo curled into a hard fist as experience led him to an assumption. 

"Was it the 'Cons?" he asked, any trace of humor, dark or otherwise, gone from his vocal inflections, "Did they do this to him?"

Effects of the illness aside and truce be damned, Sideswipe was more than ready to pick himself up off the berth and go find whoever was responsible in order to rip them a new exhaust pipe. 

[Ratchet]

Focusing back down at Sideswipe, Ratchet spoke again.

“Everything looks in order, Sideswipe, just give it time to all come back online.”

He said nothing as the frontliner spoke about Sunstreaker, letting him talk. Facing one’s own death...not something to be taken lightly.

“Well, thank Primus your goodbye was premature, Sideswipe.” A rough pat on the shoulder with a large hand followed that simple statement. Ratchet didn’t ever say it much, but those he considered friends were important to him, and he honestly was glad the often annoying mech before him had made it.

He had been about to speak, when Sideswipe made a comment, making him pause for a moment. Princess who? Was Sideswipe addled?

He put it aside as Sideswipe continued to talk. Ratchet rested his hands on the edge of the berth where the red mech lay, and grunted softly at the comment about Optimus. Yes, he had looked like the Pit, that was no lie. He was still worried about the optic that wasn’t completely repaired, but there was little time.

Sideswipe’s next question caused him to sigh slightly, and shake his head.

“I don’t think so, Sideswipe. Primus knows they’re more than capable of it – Shockwave has created some truly foul biological weapons – but this is different. Shockwave deals with logic and order. To create an illness that is so illogical...it’s hard to think Shockwave wouldn’t be utterly insulted by it. It seems random, yet isn’t. I don’t even know yet if it was created by anyone or isn’t just a true evolutionary leap in the nanites, but the way the code is added...”

Ratchet’s words drifted off for a moment as he fell into thought. Shaking his head, he came back to the present, focusing at Sideswipe again, “I’m ashamed to admit I have no idea what this is yet.”

[Deleted]

Waiting was...not one of Sideswipe's strong suits. For someone who had been around as long as he had, one would think he should have more patience. But, nahhh. Patience was not his thing. He settled against the berth, letting his tiredness make up for his lack of patience. 

He was honestly surprised by the comfort Ratchet gave him. Woah. He must have had him worried or something because that was usually not what Sideswipe got from Ratchet. The pat made it all the better, too. As surprised as he was, it was nice to hear the medic's gruff sort of assurance. The other bots were family and, after that kind of event, he needed the contact and comfort more than he'd realized. 

Speaking of needing comfort...

He still wasn't sure that this wasn't something Shockwave hadn't cooked up and lost control of. Though...he didn't seem the type to ever really lose control. Huh...maybe it was the Screamer's fault? That would make more sense...Though, from what Ratchet was telling him, the virus might have mutated naturally. 

That would...suck. Not only would they be stuck lightyears from home with no food, they would be dealing with something their anatomy just decided was time to pop out. Like a big 'here you go!' addition to their handbasket on its way to hell. 

It was that last addition that really worried him, even more than the existence of the illness itself. Ratchet didn't know what it was. Well, shit. Sideswipe had never met a more skilled medic than Ratchet...this was going downhill quickly-

Wait a moment. 

"Is this thing contagious, Ratchet?"

Because hadn't Bee been spewing energon all over base and his fellow bots? If it was a biological thing, it would spread through fluids, right? At least, that made sense. And Sideswipe himself had blown the gaping hole in the scout's leg, which had been planted in his chassis at the time. 

"And, what it is aside, can you kill it?"

Sideswipe had shot plenty of things he couldn't identify. He figured if it was hostile, it needed to be dead. But, maybe medicine wasn't that simple...

[Ratchet]

“That’s something we’re still working on. It...appears to be, but right now we don’t understand the method of transmitting. I’m writing a code to counter the effects, but....if you come into contact with any foreign material or substance, for Primus’ sake, let me know. Right now nothing can be excluded.”

Ratchet frowned mentally. This planet was so organic. Anything could have caused the illness, but it seemed more and more unlikely any Earth substance could have just caused the nanites to evolve and change that rapidly. It was looking more and more like this was made, but if that was the case, how did those that had it get infected? If it was a cybernetic weapon Shockwave made, something had to be uploaded to their frames – and that wasn’t easily done at a distance, if at all.

The same went for MECH. While they had shown their ability to hack their fields – Ratchet gave a faint shudder of disgust – a field couldn’t be used that easily to introduce a pathogen.

Shouldn’t be, at least.

Which meant contact in some manner.

I can only assume this is following the same pattern as other diseases we know about, he thought in silent anger, this thing might be breaking all the rules.

Ratchet pushed himself back from the bunk, resting servos on his hips, “As for “killing” it....I should be able to once I find out exactly what it is and how it formed. For now, though, a reprogramming should work. I don’t like using bandages on injuries without repairing them first, if you get my meaning. But right now it’s needed.

Do you think you can sit up, or do you still feel weak? Don’t try and be a hero.”

[Deleted]

Well, shit. That wasn't very promising. Essentially, Ratchet was guessing at this point, which was scary in its own right. That wasn't something Sideswipe was used to at all. So, to sum up: they had no idea what the hell this thing was, how or if it was transferred, and no cure. 

Fantastic. 

The frontliner vented, his faceplates drawing together in the approximation of a furrowed brow. 

"Doc bot, everything on this planet is foreign material to us, but, I'll let you know if I find anything really weird. And I won't eat anything not pre-approved," he gave a dry sort of smile, "As long as we can recover from it, I guess we're good. Though, I'd prefer just putting the brakes on it, you know?"

In response to Ratchet's question, Sideswipe slowly began to shift on the bunk. First, he curled his servos, stretching and contracting the digits. Then, he pulled in his arms, feeling the gears and components within moving for the first time in a while. His T-Cog was practically aching for a transformation spin, but he held off. 

"Me, weak?" he grunted, bringing his servos down to push up from the berth, "C'mon, Ratchet, you know me better. I was practically programmed to be a hero."

His joints protested slightly at being forced to move, but, it was nothing a bit of exercise wouldn't fix. Slowly, he sat up, feeling relieved to be out of his prone position. With a vented sigh, he gave an unneeded stretch, the way a human would upon waking from rest. 

"Feelin' pretty good, all things considered."

[Ratchet]

Ratchet watched Sideswipe closely as the Frontliner sat up, “You and me both. I’m sure that in time I’ll figure it out, but for now I’m not taking any chances. Everyone gets their energon checked, and everyone gets the modified code I’ll be writing out.”

Not seeing anything to cause alarm, Ratchet relaxed slightly, though continued to watch Sideswipe’s movements.

There was a slight pause, then he spoke again.

“I mentioned telling me if you come into contact with anything strange, but...Sideswipe, did Bumblebee ever tell you he had been anywhere strange, before the attack? Had he ever mentioned doing anything strange, or coming under attack from the Decepticons when he was alone? Or MECH?

Even if Bumblebee asked you to keep something secret, I need to know if he told you of anything out of the ordinary happened to him. He won’t be in trouble – nor will you, but it would help immensely if I had some idea where this came from. I don’t see how the Decepticons could have infected him without him being aware, unless he had been attacked at some time when alone, and he didn’t want to let anyone know.”

Ratchet fell silent again. He didn’t say anything to Sideswipe about Carbine, or anyone else that may have caught it. But there was a good chance that the red mech might be a confidant of the youth’s. Sideswipe was easy going, personable, and close to Bumblebee in age.

“You, however, dodged the proverbial bullet, Sideswipe. Being in such close contact with Bumblebee, you were in contact with his energon. However, I’ve already tested you, and you’re free of .... whatever this is.”

[Deleted]

Primus, Sideswipe felt old. He was still considered to be fairly young as far as number of vorns lived went, but, damn, this war was aging him. He creaked in ways he wasn't supposed to and had too many weld and patch scars to count. He prided himself on being able to take a hit, even hits like this. All too soon, this whole ordeal would just be one more hit he'd taken and walked away from. He couldn't help but wonder, though, just how many more hits could he take before one of them was the hit that punched his ticket? This one had come all too close. And they were in the middle of a fragging ceasefire with the 'cons. Ironic, that. 

Sideswipe looked up as Ratchet asked his question, his faceplates shifting into a thoughtful frown. He'd interacted with Bee a few times since getting back to base. They'd talked, but not about anything relating to this. At least, not that he could recall. Since Ratchet was so serious about it, he actually took the time to shutter his optics and access his memory banks, dredging up the conversations he'd had with their scout. Finally, the frontliner shook his head. 

"Sorry, Ratchet. He never mentioned anything to me," he said seriously. 

As much as he liked to joke around and pull pranks, not even Sideswipe could make light of this situation. It was fragged up in every direction imaginable, and he wasn't about to add to it.

"We've talked about the slag of a situation that we're in as a faction, but, he never said anything about getting jumped by the enemy. And I think he would, you know?" his frown became more severe, "I don't think it was the 'cons...I feel like Megatron would have gloated by now. Definitely sounds like something MECH would do, but if they know how to do that, wouldn't they have just unleashed it on us all at once? Or maybe they assumed one of us could take the others out..."

He paused for a moment, considering, before shaking his head. 

"Gonna give myself a processor ache. Better leave the thinking to the smart people. Where's Percy when you need him?" he smirked slightly at his own small joke. 

The clean bill of health he received took a huge weight off his shoulders. He wouldn't be able to handle it- knowing that some thing that they had no answer for was waiting to turn him into an all-out murder bot. Attacking his comrades- his family- was unthinkable. He visibly relaxed when he was told that he was virus-free. Honestly, he and Bee had been so literally up on each other that he had thought he was going to get it for sure. 

"Thank Primus," he sighed, "Brainwashed murder-bot is definitely not my thing. Too cliché with the red paint job."

He grinned, some of his usual insufferable nature coming through. 

"So, I'm in the clear, right? Ready to go ahead and be a hero?"

[Ratchet]

He nodded, listening to Sideswipe. The frontliner made some good points. There was no way Megatron wouldn’t be gloating, unless he didn’t want the Autobots to know what had happened. It was hard to tell with Megatron...he was tricky.

Hearing Bumblebee hadn’t told Sideswipe anything useful caused the doctor to silently huff. It had been too good to hope for, but he had been forced to, all the same.
If he only had a lead, just one lead...

Turning his attention back to the red mech, Ratchet shook his head, “Yes, and no. You’re in the clear, and free to leave. You are not free to play the hero, not for a few days. I want you to take it easy, until you’re sure the welds took and you’re back up 100% to your usual self. If you want to keep active, there are always things around the base that need doing, and never enough hands.”

Ratchet picked up his datapad, and tapped a few things into it, before looking back at Sideswipe.

“I’m releasing you as of now-“ there was a narrowing of his optics – “Do not come in here tomorrow with any serious injury or so help me I’ll weld your lips to the back of your hand, do you hear me?”

[Deleted]

Sideswipe perked up when Ratchet gave him permission to leave, only to let his helm fall back with a dramatic sigh at the addendum. Dammit. There was always an addendum. Of course, he'd follow Ratchet's directions. He'd been around the block enough to know that not doing so would only result in a longer recovery time, which meant longer to wait before being his usual spectacular self again.

"Fiiiine," he sighed, rolling his helm to the side to pout at the medic, "I'll be good. But only because you asked so nicely," he grinned, then, ruining his petulant look.

With a groan and a series of creaks as he moved his stiff body, the frontliner swung down from the berth and stood to his full height. He took a moment to move about, stretching joints and shifting concealed gears to ensure that they were doing alright. Aside from the patches on his neck and face, he was fine. He gave Ratchet another grin, accompanied by a thumbs up.

"You got it! I like my lips the way they are, thanks. I couldn't charm other bots with my devilishly handsome features if they were welded to my hand."

Chuckling to himself, he strolled toward the door, raising his hand in a wave.

"Don't overwork yourself, Ratchet. And let me know if there's something I can do to help with this mess."