Chapter 11

Optimus felt lubricant falling down his faceplate as he woke, his vent shaky and hitching. He sat up slowly, bringing his servos to his helm. He sobbed silently at the horror he had just witnessed. That was the last of his memories, and it was a hard one. The mech he had seen as his own son was dead, brutally murdered like the rest of them. The poor scout had been tortured and hurt so brutally that he almost hadn't been himself. Optimus was even more shocked with the fact that he had broken. He had given up on all hope, wishing that his own spark would be extinguished like the others. He couldn't believe himself, giving up when they needed him the most. He cursed himself over and over as he vented to himself, not caring if Ratchet or Taylor saw him. Slowly, ever so slowly he calmed down, but not before making a promise to himself. He would never allow himself to become like that again, and would fight to the very end. He wanted to promise that he wouldn't lose anyone else, too, but deep inside he knew that it was impossible to know.

He got up slowly, venting to himself. He looked around the small base and found that Ratchet leaning against the wall asleep again, his derma parted slightly. His arms were again crossed, but his faceplate looked more peaceful. The Prime saw that the young girl was sitting on between his helm and shoulder plate, like in the picture. She was awake, watching Optimus while leaning on the medic's helm. When he got up, she flinched, but shot him a small smile.

"Um," she muttered. "H-Hi."

He offered her a smile as well, staying where he was so not to frighten her. "Hello, Taylor. Did I disturb you?"

She shrugged. "No... but you looked... upset."

"I.. have been dreaming off the past," he admitted to her gently. "A painful past. One I wish I could change."

Her eyes changed as she glanced away, her face becoming more relaxed and gentle. "I think everyone has a past they wish they could change," she answered. "I wish that none of this.. ever happened. That I had stayed with Ratchet." She looked down to the mech sadly.

"There are some things in life that can never change," Optimus said, carefully taking a step closer. Taylor didn't flinch this time, a good sign.

She looked back up to the Prime. "He's so different now... I mean, he was always grumpy, but.." she sighed shakily. "Look at him. He's missing an optic, covered in scars. I went through torture, but I can only imagine what the... others did to him." She shuddered, rubbing her hand along his facial plate. "And now much pain he feels."

Optimus felt a sense of sorrow. If only she knew, the entire story, but he had doubts that the medic would ever tell her, which he could not blame him for. He himself wasn't sure if he was ready to tell her either, at the current time. He walked closer to Ratchet and the girl. She inched away only slightly, looking up at him longingly.

"Will he.. tell me what the others were like?" she asked quietly and hesitantly. "I really wanted to meet you all, a long time ago.."

The Prime shook his helm sadly. "When he is ready," he replied. He looked at the recharging mech's faceplate and suddenly felt bad that he had been occupying the berth for so long. Ratchet had no other berth to recharge on, and probably got a restless sleep while standing up.

As if on cue, the doctor's optic fluttered open slowly, the light slowly getting brighter. He groaned slightly as he pushed himself off the wall, rotating some of his limbs. He saw Optimus standing in front of him and gave him a confused look, before he felt Taylor leaning on his helm. He lifted his good servo and hugged her with it, which she returned by wrapping her arms the best she could around his faceplate. Optimus smiled, his spark fluttery as he watched them bond without words. He was glad his old friend had someone else to confide in now.

Then Ratchet looked over to the Prime with a puzzled look in his eye. "Optimus, are you... alright?" he asked slowly.

Optimus blinked and realized that his optics still had lubricant in the corners of them, and he probably looked like a wreck. He shifted uncomfortably, slightly embarrassed, even for a steely Prime. He nodded once and glanced away from the medic's gaze. Ratchet cocked an optic ridge, letting go of Taylor, while turning to his leader. He crossed his arms, waiting to hear a real answer.

Optimus sighed, defeated. "I remembered Bumblebee, and the Omega Lock.. and your servo."

"And your gash wound," Ratchet added solemnly, pointing to his friend's side. As Taylor exchanged worried glances between the two, the medic sighed and nodded once. "I understand."

The two didn't say anything else to each other, the memory filling both of their processors. Taylor watched them in confusion and anxiety, hoping that they were fine. She turned and hugged Ratchet's facial plate again, pouting slightly. The medic jumped out of his thoughts, his optic turning to the girl.

"Sorry," he said with a small smile. "This is probably uncomfortable for you."

She nodded, though she gave him a silly look. "Yeah, a little."

Ratchet chuckled and opened his derma to day something more, before he froze, optic widening. While he his chassis started to rattle, he hastily took her in his servo, earning a surprised cry from the femme, and bent over, setting her on the ground. Taylor looked back up with a puzzled frown, but Ratchet paid no mind to it. Instead, he turned on one pede and stalked farther away in the room, as far away from the two of them as he could. Optimus realized with a sinking spark what was happening, while Taylor started to walk after her friend worriedly. No more than a second later is when the coughing and harsh chassis shaking arrived.

Taylor started, the color draining from her face. She looked up to the Prime in terror, who gave her a remorseful and apologetic look. She gasped as the hacking grew sharper, turning to see Ratchet doubling over. Without a second thought, she ran towards him, Optimus following behind her. The medic saw them coming in his fit and did his best to back away, only for his backside to hit the wall. He paused for a second for a couple vents, before another fit overtook him.

"What's happening?" Taylor practically screamed as she tried to reach his pede. He kept avoiding her, afraid he might accidently hurt her. Optimus carefully took a protective step in front of her. 

"Ratchet informed me that ever since he acquired that wound on his lower side, this kind of attack is normal," he told her solemnly. He rested his servos on Ratchet's shoulder plates to keep him steady, which the medic didn't try to shove away.

"This happens.. a lot?" she asked in horror, stepping around his pede. She wanted to go to Ratchet so badly, comfort him, but she was no longer sure if that was safe.

Optimus held onto his friend as he weakly slid down the wall, the coughing and vents only becoming harder. Ratchet's optic was squeezed shut tightly, his entire chassis tense and rattling. Energon started hacking up from his throat again, but this time, the medic did his best to cover it up with his mangled servo. Optimus swallowed as he saw the blue liquid oozing through his twisted digits. Taylor held back a scream, hesitantly patting Optimus pede.

"He needs help," she uttered shakily, her body shivering at the sight before her.

Optimus facial plate twisted as he looked down to her, still holding Ratchet steady. "I... there is nothing we can do to help him. The damage is irreparable."

The girl choked back a sob, nodding and backing away from the two mechs. She decided to watch at a distance. Optimus turned his attention back to the medic, trying to stop the panic gripping at his spark. This Energon coughing fit seemed to be harsher and longer than the first one he had seen. Where they slowly getting worse? The Prime feared for Ratchet's future health, seeing at it was already tainted. As the dark thoughts set in, he grew afraid for his friend's own spark. He clenched his servos unintentionally as Ratchet erupted into harder gasping vents and hacks. Ratchet's entire chassis jolted upward, before doubling over and gagging. Optimus backed up as his friend vomited a large amount of Energon from his derma, jerking as he gagged. Optimus moved his servo to Ratchet's back, wondering how he could help. He slapped his backside in hopes of helping the flow run out better, so that Ratchet could vent better.

Taylor's face had gotten even more pale as her Autobot friend threw up the glowing blue subsidence, feeling her own stomach churn. Ratchet looked absolutely horrible, his servos stained with the Energon and his faceplate twisted in pain and lack of vent. He tried his best to stop, knowing he was giving the others a scare. When he stopped vomiting, he did his best to sit back up, bringing his servo to his mouth again as he continued to cough weakly. After another agonizing quarter of an hour of hacking and venting heavily, the flow stopped. Ratchet vented deeply and quickly, dazed as he leaned back on the wall, hanging his helm back to help vent clearer. Optimus was still knelt next him, though he had returned his servos to himself. Taylor was still shaking farther away, staring at Ratchet with a look of horror, her hands to her mouth.

Tears rising and falling quickly, she sobbed once and rushed forward. She stopped at his leg, placing her hands on it and looking up to Ratchet, her face red and splotchy. "Ratchet!" she called, doing her best to shake him, though it wasn't really much. The mech didn't answer, still venting heavily while facing the ceiling. His optic was still shut, his chassis limp and shivering. 

Optimus turned his optics to Taylor, then to his old friend. His spark was sinking lower and lower in his chest chassis, and he felt himself starting to rattle, too, the after affects of the panic from earlier. Taylor continued to try and catch his attention, but while the medic wasn't unconscious, he wasn't fully self aware, either. After several more failed attempts, which Optimus had added to a few times by shaking the mech's shoulder plates, Taylor turned to the Prime, shaking violently, but her eyes were desperate and pleading.

"P-Please," she begged silently, her voice rattling in fear. "Could you... lift me to his faceplate?"

Optimus nodded solemnly. He knew this was hard for her, but was glad she was facing her fears. He was honestly surprised, knowing that he was rather large and frightening to her, but would do it nonetheless. He bent over more and held out his servo, his digits firm for a good platform. The girl gulped, wringing her hands at her chest, and hesitantly stepped onto his large palm. She wobbled a little bit as he brought his servo up, so he slowed down. She was still shivering horribly, her eyes wide. Optimus could almost see the trauma hidden beneath the deep blue. For a moment, he thought he saw the color change into an Energon like glow, but she quickly turned her head to see Ratchet. Optimus decided to think nothing of it as he lifted her to his old friend's faceplate. Ratchet's gasps had turned into weak wheezes, but his optic was still closed, his faceplate stiff. He inched Taylor closer and closer, until his digits were just barely grazing the metal plates. Taylor slowly tiptoed over to the edge of Optimus' servo, getting down to her knees. She slowly reached out with her tiny hand, grazing it along his cheek. 

"Ratchet," she whispered, her eyes drooping. "Please wake up... speak to me. Do something." She suddenly sobbed loudly and leaned forward, hugging him the best she could. "Anything!"

Much to Optimus' surprise and relief, the medic's optic fluttered and he twitched, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. When he realized that the young woman had her arms around his facial plate and neck cables, his optic widened slightly. His vent hitched and he twitched again while the girl sobbed into him. His vent quickening slightly, he tried to lift his servo up to her, but halfway up it rattled violently and fell limply at his side. He didn't have the energy to be annoyed, so instead he turned his helm to let her know he had noticed her.

"Ratchet!" the girl screamed, backing away but still holding his faceplate with her hands. "Why didn't you.. why didn't you tell me about this?! You s-scared me! I thought you... I thought you where gonna die!" she shouted at him between sobs.

"Talyor.." he gasped weakly. "I didn't... want to frighten you.."

She glared at him, a look on her that seemed unlike her. "Well, that's exactly what you did!" she cried, tearing still fresh and flowing. "I was so scared!" She sobbed for a few minutes more, before abruptly coming down and giving him a downright depressed and sorrowful look. "You.. you can't fix it. You're stuck that way.." she whispered. "You're going to keep that doing that.. for the rest of your life." She let it sink in, and her heart felt like it was being crushed inside her chest. "It must hurt so much.."

Ratchet stayed silent, listening to her ramble and sob while calming his vents. Eventually, when she calmed down and just cuddled him, he began to shake again. Optimus tensed, but the medic went limp with a groan, his gears steaming slightly. Taylor let go, sniffing and wiping her tears away with her hands. Ratchet watched her go the best he could, his gaze hazy. 

Optimus placed his free servo on Ratchet's shoulder plate gently. The medic turned his helm and focused on his leader, his expression weak and exhausted. "It is time you got the proper rest, old friend," the Prime told him firmly, nodding once.

Ratchet made no effort to reply, simply sighing tiredly and leaning his helm back again. His venting was normal now, but he was drained off Energon and strength. Optimus looked down to the human in his servo, who was watching the doctor with a strange look on her face.

"Taylor," he said gently, and she looked up to him. "I am going to have to set you down now. I am going to help Ratchet to the berth."

Taylor took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay," she agreed, before turning to the medic again. She stared for a second, before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his faceplate quickly. She pulled away a second later, her face a hot mess, and backed away on the Prime's servo. Optimus cocked his optic ridge at her, but said nothing as he lowered her to the floor.

"A-After you put him on the bed," she stuttered quickly, "may you.. let me sit next to him?"

He gave her a small smile and nodded. To his surprise, she beamed brightly, her face shining like it had in the pictures he had seen before. He felt better as he slung Ratchet's arm over his shoulder plates and stood slowly. Ratchet's chassis was limp, but he wasn't hard to carry. Using his other servo to steady him, he walked his friend over to the medical berth. Careful as he laid him down, he looked back down to Taylor who was waiting impatiently, looking almost excited. He smiled at her again, which she returned right away. She was no longer shaking, and seemed to be more at peace.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently.

She nodded quickly, raising her arms like a little sparkling. He held out both servos to her this time, and she jumped on instantly. He lifted her again carefully, setting her where he guessed she was most comfortable, between Ratchet's shoulder plate and helm. The girl stood on the berth, looking happy, but clung to his digits before he could pull away.

"Thank you," she said quietly, giving him a warm, grateful smile. She hugged his digits for a few moments, letting go and sitting down cross-legged. 

The Prime blinked in surprise, before nodding to her, feeling his own faceplate turn up. It felt like one of the first real smiles in a long time, and it felt good. 

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Wow! This was a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it, I really liked writing it.

I'm so proud of my OC!!! I really love her.

BYE!

*waves*

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