[Rachel POV]

"Wow... That's, well, that explains a lot, actually." Wheeljack lowers his gaze, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"You're... taking this surprisingly well." I slightly turn my eyes to see his holoform hunched over next to me, his face contorted into confusion, understanding, and a mix of worry. He turns to watch me carefully, then slightly chuckles. "Well, I guess it's only fair to say this now, but you're speaking to someone who... has gone through what you are going through."

My eyes widen. I knew Wheeljack has lost people, people close to him, but I never expected him to deal with nightmares, fear, and insomnia as well. He's always been the strong, tough shelled wrecker, never letting anything get to him. However, I can see his mask drop, and forgotten pains resurface on his face. In his eyes, I start to see myself.

"You've lost someone... because of someone else you're close to now as well?"

Wheeljack only gives a small nod, turning back to look at the floor. "It's taken me a long time to forgive them, but in the end it is what helped the most. I was able to grieve and move past the pain. It, well, it wasn't instant." He slightly laughs again. I give a soft smile and lay my hand on his shoulder. He turns to me, and I see a sorrowful smile form.

"I'm glad you're here, Jackie. It means a lot that you're willing to listen, and help." I drop my hand back onto the bed and slowly start to stand. Wheeljack is up first and takes my arm. Carefully, I steady myself on my bruised legs, letting out a slight hiss. "Easy, now." Wheeljack slips his arm under mine, and it helps a little. However, the pain is a bit worse than I anticipated. I wouldn't doubt that I have a few fractures from the explosions and trees I crashed against.

"Alright, let's get this over with." I mutter. I try to start moving us towards the door, but suddenly I'm weightless. An arm slips under my legs, and I am now being cradled in Wheeljack's arms.

"Wheeljack! What are you-"

"You're hurt."

"I can walk just fi-"

"You're lying. I'm carrying you. Deal with it."

I close my mouth after that and sigh. I would be lying if I said this was a thousand times less painful. As much as I hate seeming weak in front of anyone, at this moment in time I didn't care. I would rather be seen getting carried the whole way than having to get picked up halfway there.

Besides, I trust Wheeljack not to drop me.

Carefully, he opens the door and makes his way to the Medical Bay. As we arrive, I feel my heart drop a bit at the sight of Colonel Lennox standing there. His back was to us, but I knew he would still see us. As if hearing my thoughts, he turns and his eyes widen at the sight of Wheeljack carrying me.

"Rachel!"

"It's not as bad as it looks. My legs are just in a lot of pain."

Still, he rushes over to meet us, then walk with us back to where he was just standing. "Any other symptoms? Pains? Soreness?" His face holds worry, and I sigh.

"My ears? Really, Lennox, I got blown up, thrown around, and electrocuted. I'm surprised I'm not worse off."

"Electrocuted?"

"Long story, I'll tell you later."

Wheeljack makes it to an empty bed and cautiously lays me down. I sigh as I sink into the mattress. The moment Wheeljack steps back, I am swarmed with doctors. One tries to remove my watch, and before I can speak another doctor appears and grabs his arm.

"That stays if you want accurate readings on her vitals."

I look up at this specific doctor and smile. He held mostly white hair, but there was a single thick streak of red on the left side. His eyes match Wheeljack's and he stands a head taller than the other medics. The doctor that was trying to remove the watch nervously nods his head and retracts his hand swiftly the moment the taller medic releases it. He then disappears, and I can't help but laugh.

"I'd say give him a break, but I know you're worried Ratchet."

Said medic only flicks his gaze to me before raising a hand and holding it above my body, palm down. A blue light emits from it, and a skeletal hologram suddenly rises from my legs and hovers just above. His face scrunches up at the clear breaks in the left leg. "Both tibia and fibula are compromised. You'll need a cast, no exceptions." He turns his head towards me, but I don't protest. I was too tired to argue, and I knew he was right.

"How long?"

"Look, you're getting this whether- what?"

"I said, how long? I can see the break, doc. Not like I can just walk this one off."

I was hoping this would get him off my case. He is silent for a moment, and I swear I see his stern gaze waver. "You'll have it for three weeks minimum. I'm putting you in our experimental mending cast. It is designed to expedite the healing properties of your human bodies." I only nod my head and sigh.

"Better that than three months. Will I be able to walk?"

"No."

"Fine."

This earns me a look, and I try to return a glare. I really wasn't in the mood to have a thousand questions drilled into me. I just want rest. If I have to cave into what needs to be done, then so be it. As long as that gets me back into my own bed and resting, I'll give in for now.

"I'll go get the device."

With that, Ratchet turns and disappears. I sigh, but a hand wrapping in my own makes my heart sink. I was hoping Wheeljack wouldn't bother me about it, after hearing everything earlier, but of course, he's worried.

"I am sorry I couldn't get there sooner."

My heart skips. That wasn't Wheeljack or Lennox. I turn to see a different holoform standing next to the bed, hand on mine, and worry in his dazzling blue eyes. Brown hair parted to the side, short and clean cut. Small beard, also clean and short. He wears a leather jacket that resembles the colors on his alt, and the Autobot insignia on the shoulders. 

"I-It's fine, Optimus. You couldn't anticipate something like that happening. None of us could." I could feel my face starting to flush, and I try to fight it. However, the worry in his eyes grows as he leans over and carefully uses his free hand to brush the hair away from my forehead and feel it. "Your face is turning red, but you seem to have no temperature. Are you feeling alright?"

Stay calm, Rachel. Breathe. Relax. It's just his holoform, not a human. Get yourself together.

"I-I'm fine. R-Really. Just... feeling the pain sink in a bit more I guess." I can see Wheeljack in the background with Lennox, both wearing smug looks on their faces. I scowl at them, but can't hold back the soft smile when I look at Optimus again. He returns to a standing position, offering a very small smile in return. It disappears as Ratchet returns with the cast device. "Alright, I'm going to elevate your leg in order to get this all the way around. It's going to hurt, but try not to move."

"Yes sir, doc."

That earns me a slight growl, but he continues with his duties. Just then, I hear footsteps rapidly approaching, and I can help but slightly laugh. Took them long enough. Sure enough, Raf and Sam both appear from behind some curtains set up to block off sections of the medical bay and push in front of Optimus. Both look flustered and both are already spewing a hundred words per second.

"What were you thinking?!"

"You kicked Megatron in the face?!"

"Soundwave electrocuted you?!"

"You almost got kidnapped?!"

"Starscream was there?!"

"Your leg is-"

"Yes, yes, her leg is broken and all of that is very interesting, now could you please quiet down?! Some of us here are trying to work with very delicate instruments!" Ratchet glares at both men, and they swiftly grow silent. I shake my head and sigh. "Yes to everything. I had reinforced the plating in the suit around my legs, but I suspect the break was either already there or forming from the close contact I had with explosions, getting slammed into a tree, or the fall after ripping out of Soundwave's grasp."

That last sentence gains the attention of every Autobot near me. Ratchet stops dead in his tracks. "You... You did what?" Optimus places a hand on Raf's shoulder, slightly moving him back so he can return to where he was standing before. "His tentacles are made of pure cybertronian metal. Only your high heat sabot rounds have proven effective against it." I feel my face start to flush again as my heart rate increases. I never realized that and figured the suit just boosted my strength. 

"How did you manage to free yourself?"

I shake my head, trying to figure out a way to describe it without sounding crazy. Oh yeah, just had a mental conversation with some dragon-head-glowing-presence, then I became glowy and exceedingly strong and laid out flat both the Decepticon TIC and their leader. No biggie.

"Hulk syndrome."

Everyone turns to Raf, who has his hand slightly raised. "It's a rare occurrence, but it is a condition that causes people to become ridiculously strong whenever they are extremely angered or in great danger." I can see Sam nodding his head as if he's heard of it, but he remains quiet. I think he's still shocked about me kicking Lord Buckethead in the face.

Ratchet flicks his gaze between Raf and myself, then returns to putting on the brace. "That would explain it, and the suit would magnify that strength even more. Still, I'd like to run a diagnostic on it later to study this... phenomenon." I nod and smile, thankful that Raf was there with his unintentional save. He has no idea how much trouble he just saved me from having to deal with.

Optimus, however, still looks concerned, and he pops a question I was hoping no one would ask.

"Why did they try to take you?"

I can feel the air grow cold and my heart drops. I didn't want to go over this yet, since I still didn't fully understand it. "I-I'm not sure. I figured it might be as leverage? I don't know. They..." I stop myself. Could they have known what I have been dealing with? Starscream had mentioned something about my biology, and even Ratchet has admitted that the 'Cons have better tech right now. Could they have known about these dreams and sudden blackout fits of rage I've been fighting off?

Did they want me as an experiment?

Panic starts to set in, and I feel a hand on my arm. It was cold, but comforting. I find myself gazing back into Optimus' soft blue eyes. "Take a breath, Rachel. What did they say?" I struggle to take in a deep breath, but I know it would only be for the better to say it now.

"They mentioned something about my biology."

This makes Ratchet's head snap towards me faster than I have ever seen. "Your biology? You're human. What more could they possibly need to understand? Unless..." His eyes widen, and he flicks his gaze to Optimus. The Prime lifts his head to meet Ratchet's gaze, and he gives a slight nod. "Rachel? I'm going to scan you, but this will be more like an x-ray. No harmful radiation, but I haven't done one on you past your hips." I can only nod, knowing they will find something, but terrified as to what it could be. My chest was already starting to burn in anticipation, and I could feel something inside me trying to escape as the red light emits from Ratchet's eyes and forms a line along my abdomen. Slowly, it rises, scanning my gut, chest, then head.

The air leaves the room as the hologram of my scan floats over my body.

Shock, confusion, and fear all mingle together within my chest, and it grows tight. 

There is no heart between my ribs, but a bright, beating spark. Metal surrounds it, similar to the cybertronians around me. However, that's not even the best part. My spine was mostly metal as well, starting at the lumbar and rising. Cybertronian engravings are etched on them, and it all leads up to the main event: my brain.

Or, as the Autobots call it, my processor.

It was bright blue, shining almost. I couldn't tell if it was from the scan, but the metallic tendrils that were slightly covering it at the base were clue enough that this was not a normal brain. It almost seems to be shifting in color, like waves in an ocean. It was brain-shaped, but there was much more behind it all.

"You... hold a cybertronian spark... and a cybertronian processor."

Ratchet's utter disbelief causes me to panic. I start to question everything I knew. Am I even human? What's going on? How did this happen? How did I get those inside of me? Is my mom even my mom? My brother? Was my father my real dad?

I can feel my pulse rise, and tears well up in my eyes. Breathing was getting difficult until two hands grab my own. I finally focus my eyes to see Wheeljack on my left and Optimus on my right.

"Easy, kid. Breathe. In and out. Nice and slow." I try to focus on one or the other, but both were hard to look at right now. I close my eyes, and try to do as Wheeljack says.

"In and out. That's it. Relax."

I finally suck in a shuttering deep breath, and let it out evenly.

"How... How long... Can you tell me how long...?" I can't even finish the sentence, but thankfully Ratchet seems to understand. "You are human, Rachel. That much is certain. However, these additions seem to have been made only a few years ago," His back was to us, but I could tell his eyes widened. His shoulders stiffen, and he is slow in his turn to face us. In his hands is a clear tablet, nearly resembling glass. Images and icons are all over it, including a heart rate monitor. He raises his eyes to meet my own before speaking.

"Near the time of Mission City."

I can see the monitor on the glass spike as panic sets in again. I try to push out the memories, and forget what happened, but the reminder of the building crashing down on top of us, crushing my father as he tried to save me.

My body getting crushed.

Everything going dark.

My eyes widen, and I remember something I had long pushed aside until now. I feel my hands get squeezed, and I take a deep breath. "I-I remember being in the hospital after I..." I turn to look at Wheeljack. His gaze is soft, and understanding, but pushing me to finish what I was saying. I switch to Optimus, who only holds concern. 

This was going to hurt more than the break.

"After a building fell on my dad... and myself."

Wheeljack squeezes my hand in an attempt to comfort me, but I could feel Optimus' slacken his hold in shock. His eyes are wide, as are Ratchet's, but Lennox simply turns away. Sam and Raf are silent, but holding the same look on their face as well. I try to speak again. "I-I woke up in the hospital nearly two months later. I-I f-figured the rubble had just m-missed me and I simply got knocked out b-by debris. But I..." I suck in a deep breath one more time, trying to steady my shaking voice.

"I remember getting crushed."

When I look up again, I find myself gravitating toward Optimus' gaze. His eyes are soft, but sorrowful, and they suddenly widen again as he looks into my gaze. It was almost as if I didn't have to say anything, but he already knew how it happened.

"I am sorry, Rachel, that you had to go through such... such pain." Optimus tries to keep his voice steady, but I can hear a slight break in it as he lowers his gaze. I quickly squeeze his hand, and I can see Wheeljack giving me a soft smile of support. "Optimus, don't. Don't do that to yourself." He looks back up, and I try to reassure him. "You couldn't control what happened. It wasn't you who attacked in the city. It wasn't you who started the fight all those years ago-"

"But it was me who caused that building to fall, was it not?"

Ratchet nearly drops his tablet, and I see Lennox turn and face us. Sam's hands fly up to his mouth, and Raf holds his chest. I feel my eyes widen, and my chest hurts. I couldn't answer that, but by not speaking at all, I gave him the answer.

I can feel his sadness and sorrow flowing freely, despite his best attempts to hide it. I try to give him a squeeze, but the pain from my chest suddenly makes me release his hand and hold over my heart-er, spark.

And I notice my mistake a moment too late.

The pain from my chest was minuscule compared to the hurt that was flowing from Optimus now. He slowly stands, and Lennox moves in with a hand on his ear. "Optimus, Fowler is on the way. He wants a full debrief." The Prime nods, and his holoform fizzles away before I get the chance to apologize. Wheeljack gives me one last squeeze. "Give him time. He needs to mull over what he just learned. He'll come around again." His smile does help my nerves a bit, but he fizzles away as well, leaving me with Sam, Raf, and Ratchet. Lennox had left the moment Optimus did.

"Well, you need rest, and I'd recommend staying here for the night so I can monitor your vitals and... recalibrate your suit." I can only nod, but when our eyes meet, I know he can see my pain. He softens his gaze, then hardens it while looking at the two boys next to me. "I suggest you two leave her be for now. She can answer your questions tomorrow after she has had some rest."

I turn my head, seeing them start to protest, but I stop them. "He's right guys. I'm really tired." They both give in at that. "Alright. Goodnight, Rachel."

"Get some good rest."

With that, they both leave, and I let out a sigh. I feel a cold hand on my arm. "You can stop hiding it now, Rachel. I know you're in pain." I drop the facade and tears start to flow from my eyes. The hand gives a soft squeeze, and I hold my hands to my chest. "I... I don't know what hurts more; the pain from my leg or the pain from what I just learned." Ratchet can only sigh, but he stays next to me for a moment, removing my watch and replacing it with a smaller device that would monitor my vitals. He starts to leave, but I can't be alone. I reach out and grab his arm as he's leaving, causing him to jump slightly.

"I-I don't want to be alone. I'm-I'm scared."

I couldn't fake it anymore. I am terrified. Fear was eating at me after everything was finally settling in. I wasn't fully human, the Decepticons knew that already and I have a target on my back, and I was bound to my bed for three weeks.

He sighs, then turns. "I need to get a few items, and I will be right back." He moves to hold my hand, then offers one of his rarest small smiles. "I'll... stay by your bedside. I promise." I can only nod before letting go and sighing. I try to get comfortable, but without the ability to roll over properly with my leg in a cast, it was almost impossible. I close my eyes, feeling a bit more relaxed once I hear Ratchet return to the room. The lights dim a bit, and I try to force myself to sleep.

However, it was hard when I could still see the silhouette of the dragon's head even when my eyes were closed.