Heartburn

[nottabeater]

"Hey, Arcee." Bee walked into the hanger and looked around. "New tank of gas, wanna grab a drink?"

Arcee blinked, then nodded. "Sure. Where's Honey?

"Chasing Rap around Ratch's workshop." Bee absently fingered the chrome ornaments on her leg, then grinned. "It's good to see you down here. I miss you."

"Huh? I've been here," she gave her taller friend a confused look.

"You're usually doing aerial patrol with Starforge."

"Oh. Right," she said, blinked, then looking at her friend again. Was that a hint? "It's pretty cool up there. You can see everything all at once."

"I know." Bee chuckled. "C'mon before the guys get to the tank before us."

"Not happening," she smiled, running forward. "Ah. Hey, I think they're too distracted to notice. Looks like it's all ours."

The yellow femme chuckled again as she took the hose down and handed it to her smaller friend. Then she turned her head to watch as Optimus talked to Epps and the handful of men that he'd brought in for a visit.

Arcee took it, filling up. "Huh. I was almost on empty. Weird I forgot, I guess the lack of a gravitational pull plays with my.... sheesh, do these humans know what to do with fuel at all? Their stuff always tastes different."

"Huh?" Bee took the hose and drank, frowning as she analyzed the gasoline. "Tastes weird."

"It feels...." Arcee frowned and revved her engine slightly, then gasped as a loud knocking came from it.

"What?" Bee stopped drinking and looked at her, then coughed herself and watched helplessly as the smaller femme collapsed. "Prime, help!"

* * *

Optimus turned toward his scout's cry of distress, but then stopped as he sensed something about one of the soldiers gathered around Epps.

"You," he rumbled angrily, reaching out and picking the man up so as to be able to see him eye to optic. "What's so funny?"

The blond soldier gave a yell of panic, his gun swinging up....

"Optimus, whoa, what're you doing?" yelled Epps, then cursed as Farthing let rip with his gun. As the Tech Sergent watched with horror Farthing fell from Optimus's hand and the massive robot toppled forward onto his knees and one hand, the other pressed over an optic.

"Maan!" Epps ran forward, ordering the rest of his men to get Farthing out of there. "Prime, man, you alright? Prime, talk to me!"

"I dropped him." The mech's voice held clear pain. "Did I...."

"No, you didn't squish him. What's wrong with your eye?" Epps approached cautiously and put a hand on his arm. "Prime? Sir? Hey."

"...It's not functioning." Optimus sat up and unshuttered the undamaged optic, then groaned as he saw Farthing and realized that the man was dead. "Sparkmaker...."

He was aware of Starforge running to gather Arcee up, and Ratchet's voice coming from the hanger, but at this moment nothing seemed to make sense.

Comments

[dajazzmech.livejournal.com]

Jazz is startled from his place on watch gaurd and speeds back to the main base from his post near the gate.

What he see's when he gets there nearly makes his spark go cold.

"Great Primus, what happened?"

[random_xtras]

"Something in the fuel." Optimus's voice is slow, his hand still pressed to the damaged optic as he watches Ratchet bend over Bumblebee and Arcee, he doesn't seem to be hearing Epps' attempts to talk to him.

[dajazzmech.livejournal.com]

"Whoa! Epps, man, back away from Op. Optimus? You need ta sit down and wait on Ratch." Jazz pats both his leader's arms to signal him to sit then turns his head to yell at Ratchet. "Yo! Ratch! Status on the girls? Bee okay?"

[random_xtras]

"They're alive," is the terse reply from where the medic is kneeling next to Arcee, who seems to be stricken worse.

"Do you guys go into shock?" Epps wants to know, his face creased with worry as Optimus complies with Jazz's directions in stunned-seeming silence.

Bumblebee is still standing, but as Sam runs out to her she slowly lowers herself to the ground and leans unsteadily against the stand that the fuel tank is on. "Don't... don't touch me, Sam. It hurts."

He freezes and withdraws his hands, then crouches next to her and looks toward Jazz and Ratchet with wide eyes. "Everything's gonna be alright. Ratchet's almost done with Arcee. Don't worry."

Bee just coughs and shutters her optics.

[dajazzmech.livejournal.com]

Jazz nods to Epps and continues to look over Optimus. "Yeah, sorta the same. Hey, Prime, sit tight and keep awake. Ratch will be on ya next." He flicks horns at Bee. "Lady Love, do ya need me over there?"

[nottabeater.livejournal.com]

She unshutters her optics and looks at him. "Aren't you supposed to evac?"

"It's okay," says Sam softly. "Rap did it. He grabbed Honey and booked. It's okay."

She winces as her engine bangs again, trying to just shut it down to stop some of the pain. "Ow... slaaag."

[notxpected.livejournal.com]

Arcee was in pain. Serious pain. Her engines felt like they were in the midst of a stream of smaller explosions, and she barely even felt Starforge as he picked her up. Every tiny moment sent waves of pain through her entire frame, and she became aware of a low whimpering accompanying every movement.

She felt dizzy, and a bit like she was floating, but most prevelant was the blinding pain.

"Oww..." she managed to choke out.

[random_xtras]

"Shhh," rumbles Starforge, lifting his head to look for Ratchet or Endeavour... or even his mother. "Just lay still, sweetheart, I've gotcha."

[notxpected.livejournal.com]

She stared up at him, her optics clouding as the power lessened and went to support her more important funtions.

"G...gas...." she choked, needing to warn the others.

[random_xtras]

"We know, sweetheart. We got that. Jes' lay still." He croons softly in their native language, gentle words of affection and comfort.

[notxpected.livejournal.com]

She shuddered and whimpered again, then shut herself down to prevent her pain circuts from frying.

[random_xtras]

"Bring her inside." Ratchet jerks his head, and Starforge gets up carefully and complies.

Time pass

[random_xtras]

Starforge had watched as Ratchet flushed Arcee's systems, and offered some of his own fuel for her tanks. Now, the black mech sits on the edge of the bunk where the pink femme lay,s his eyes on her face as he waits for her to wake. Ratchet has warned him that she won't be up to much, and ordered him to keep her in the bunk if she should take it into her head to leave it.

Somehow, he doesn't think that's going to be a problem.

After everyone's as patched up as he can make them

[random_xtras]

Ratchet shakes his head as he finishes removing Optimus's damaged optic. "Your depth vision's going to be off till I get the parts to fix this. Try relying on your sonics."

"Alright," the Prime's voice is dull and weary.

Ratchet sighs and gives his shoulder a rough thump. "Get some rest. That's an order."

Sighing again, the CMO turns to where Endeavour is hovering wordlessly in the doorway.

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

She smiles a small smile and steps forward.

"You should get some rest, too," she says quietly.

[random_xtras]

"Just let me check on Arcee and Bumblebee again." He pauses to squeeze her shoulder, mindful of Optimus behind him.

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

She nods. "Alright."

[random_xtras]

//I love you,// he adds over their private channel as he steps into the hall and turns toward the femmes' dorm, trying to keep her from seeing how badly he's limping.

He manages exactly two strides before the leg gives out and dumps him on the floor, and he cries out as he feels other things give out inside him.

"Ratchet?" Optimus is at the door to his dorm, his lone optic wide with shock as he starts toward his fallen friend.

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

She doesn't even get a chance to respond before she's over there in a flash, doing systems scan after systems scan.

"...no."

Everything is failing. The earthbound metals and other components they'd used to patch him up weren't doing the job. The rest of him didn't like those components being there.

In essesnce, his body was rejecting the repairs.

She sits there stunned for a few moments because she doesn't know what to do.

After the massive shutdown

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

Endeavour walks with purpose to the back of the hangar and goes outside. Ironhide is standing there, on guard.

"I hate to interrupt you," she mutters, "but where's Chromia? There's something I need to talk to her about."

Re: After the massive shutdown

[random_xtras]

"She's in the front," he says gruffly, his sharp eyes turning toward her. "How are Optimus and the younglings?"

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

"We need parts for Optimus, but Bee and Arcee are going to be just fine."

She can't bring herself to say anything about Ratchet to her mate's best friend.

"...Out front?" She smiles a forced smile. "Thank you."

She walks around the side of the hangar (to be inside and hear Ratchet being in pain is just too difficult) and enough, there's Chromia.

"Um... Mia? I need to call in a favour."

[random_xtras]

"Whassat, darlin'?" asks the other femme without turning from her intent study of coyote music.

[go-endeavour.livejournal.com]

"We need to go to the supply dumps."

[random_xtras]

"Prime 'n Jazz've decided?" She perks and turns her head, absently scanning the area around the base again as she does.