On My Spark

Yet again

Bumblebee's POV

A couple cycles after he went temporarily offline

I came back online in an autobot med bay. I immediately sat up, but my processor was still slow, and I could hardly keep my balance, even while sitting down. I heard someone's steps, and then saw the medic.

"Good, you're online. I was worried for an astro-second second there. " He said, checking over my vitals, and giving me another energon boost. I laughed, or, well, tried to laugh. I couldn't make a sound. I looked up at him, worried.

"You took quite the beating. You... you lost the ability to form coherent phrases, meaning, you can no longer speak, in the most casual form of the word. I did my best to try and fix your voicebox, but, well, I'm not as good as I wish I could be. You can converse with noises that only some cybertronians are capable of understanding. I'm sorry." The medic said, frowning while typing something into his data screen.

"WhooaaHHH!" I... buzzed. I didn't really know what to expect, and when all I heard was clicks and whirrs I got scared. The medic grimaced, and looked at me sadly.

"I'm Ratchet. Speaking will take some getting used to, but you will be able to communicate easily very soon." He said, reassuring me. I looked down and sighed. It came out as more of a long buzz.

"Do... know... Emb... Flux?" I asked, slowly forming my words with buzzes and clicks. It was infuriating how slowly I had to talk to him. He turned around, and nodded slowly.

"She is a good friend of mine. Known her ever since I was a sparkling, in fact. No one's told me what happened to her, do you know?" He asked, getting hopeful that she was fine. How could no one have told him?! She was his best friend! And now I have to tell him that she was taken... scrap.

"Ember Flux... taken... hurt... Shock... wave... said... experi...mentation... painful... took... bridge. I... sorry..." I said slowly, losing all form of grammar correction ability without my voice box. Ratchet stared at me, mouth slightly open, optics wide, then he walked out of the med bay.

A few cycles later, Optimus Prime and Ratchet came back in. I tried to stand up, but was immediately pushed back down by Ratchet.

"Ep ep ep! You are not fully recovered. You're not moving until your vitals are back to normal."

"Optimus...Prime...respectful...stand..."

"No. You can't even speak in full sentences, let alone the fact that I had to remove your leg to repair it, then reattach it. Sit down!" Ratchet explained. I stopped fighting him, and sat back down, as Optimus came and stood in front of me.

"Bumblebee, when you are fully healed I need you to recount your tale to Ratchet. As detailed as possible, please, we must find Ember Flux."

"She told... me you... were... close... second...is she... in... command?

"Yes, she is my second in command. She trained me, in fact. We have always been close... I will take my leave, if you wouldn't mind, tell your tale to Ratchet as soon as you are capable. I am glad you are back, Bumblebee."

"I am too."

--(*_*)--

"Ratchet, I'm getting bored! Can I leave now? It's been, like, eons!" I said sarcastically to Ratchet.

"Bumblebee, you know that you have to stay until you pass the examination! It has only been half a semi-cycle since you last asked me. If you really want to leave, prove that you are in full health! Walk from this side of the room to the other and back, no aid!"

"Ok. And if I fall?"

"Then we'll know you aren't ready to leave yet. Now, I have work to do!"

"Geez, no need to be so grumpy, lug nut."

"I AM NOT A LUG NUT! GET WALKING!"

"Skidplate buffer."

"Cybertron below me. What am I supposed to do with this bit brain?"

"Burnout!"

"Gasket breath."

"Half clock!"

"If I didn't know better, I'd mistake you for the leaking spawn of Unicron! Shut it!"

"Aw, you're beautiful too, Ratchet."

"WALK!"

"Ok, ok, I'm walking! See? Walking! Wheee! I'm having so much- WHIRRHH!"

"I TOLD YOU THAT YOU WEREN'T READY!"

"Shut it, Ratchet."

¤¤¤¤¤

"Optimus... I fear the worst... we've been looking for a few thousand cycles, bots have started to disappear while searching, you know what she would be saying if she was here. We have to call it off." Ratchet whispered sadly, lowering his helm.

"Yes, I know my friend, I know. You are right. As always. The search shall be halted. Go, the soldiers need you." Optimus replied.

Ratchet nodded his helm, and headed off, looking back only once, before turning back around and starting once more towards the med bay.