Destinies (Transformers Prime)

=32=

Optimus glanced at Smokescreen and narrowed his optics before picking up the relic and headed to the other room. He had to make sure his friend was alright. He put the relic in a glass cylinder first then set it somewhere safe. The Prime then wandered the halls as he looked for the doctor.

"You idiot." Arcee hissed at the Rookie and punched him hard in the arm as she glared. "Think about what you say before you speak." She growled.

"Why do you act that way?" Bulkhead said as he looked at him. "You saw what everyone else went through, and it wasn't 'awesome'. I'm sure Ratchet went through something just as traumatizing and you don't need to bother him about it." He said seriously.

"Oh come on. Nothing fazes the Doc. He'll be just fine and get over it in a little bit." Smokescreen said confidently as he smirked.

"Knock it off kid. Before you say something you shouldn't." Wheeljack warned as he stayed leaned against the wall with his arms folded.

"Why?" He asked as he looked at him. "Ratchet doesn't have any feelings. He doesn't care about anyone except him-" he grunted as Bumblebee punched him in the faceplate as hard as he could. The room fell silent and they blinked in surprise as Smokescreen stared up at him in shock. The scout glared down at him and he clenched his servos tightly.

::Don't speak ill about my friend. You have no idea what he's had to sacrifice to keep us alive.:: He chirped angrily. ::Yes some of us have gone through horrible things recently, but that doesn't mean we should joke about others pain. Ratchet obviously went through something awful. You could see it on his faceplate.:: He beeped and looked off to the side for a moment. He glared again and looked at him.

::You should start thinking about others and not yourself. This isn't a game Smokescreen, nor a challenge to see who has the better 'adventure'.:: He whirled and glanced at Raf as his expression softened, he then walked off down the hall. The room was silent as they watched the scout walk away. Smokescreen stared at his peds as he thought about how he had been acting, and how it was hurting everyone else.

"Dang... I forget how intense and protective that kid can get." Wheeljack muttered as he stared at the hallway entrance. Bulkhead walked over to Smokescreen and held his servo out. The Rookie looked up at him then hesitantly let him pull him to his peds.

"I'm sorry..." He mumbled and hung his helm for a moment and the others glanced at one another in turn. Bulkhead grabbed him and hugged him tightly, making Wheeljack chuckle. They heard the young bot grunt as he was squished.

"I forgive ya Rookie." The big wrecker grinned and squeezed him more. "Just stop being an idiot." He said seriously and set him down. Smokescreen stumbled then smiled a little as he rolled his shoulder joints, making them pop a little. 

"Thanks Bulkhead." He whispered and the green bot chuckled again as he smacked his back struts. The smaller bot stumbled again and gave him a look as the wreckers laughed. The children watched the exchange and smiled a little.

"Thats my wrecker." Miko said as she smiled and looked at Jack. "Easily forgiving people... because he has such a big spark." She whispered and thought about what they had seen. She couldn't imagine the pain she went through in the other timeline as he fell from the Nemesis. She loved her wrecker.

Bumblebee wandered down the hallway as he cooled off from his outburst. He could hear Optimus in the distance looking for Ratchet. The scout was worried about the doctor but knew the Prime was someone he needed to talk to right now. He sighed  and went to the storage room to get some energon. He paused as he rounded the corner and saw the doctor sitting on a container.

He had a small cube of energon in his servos and he just stared at it with a blank expression. He set it aside and hung his helm as he looked at the level readings on his arm. Half again. He forgot how tired it made him, to only run on half. How angry it made him to think about how they got to this point. He closed his optics as he kept his helm low. Tears filled his optics as he remembered his sweetspark and beautiful sparkling. Pain filled him and he remembered their screams as they were ripped away from him. He squeezed his optics shut as the screams grew louder. Everyone he knew was crying out for his help, but he couldn't do anything.

"Help... doctor... please help..." the voice he heard while traveling played again in his mind. He gripped his helm as tears threatened to fall and betray him. He grit his teeth as the voices and screams filled his processor. Begging for his help, asking why he wouldn't save them. He was a medic and supposed to save lives, not condemn them. 

Someone set a servo on his shoulder plate and he jumped as he vented quietly, yet a little faster than normal. He looked up to see Bumblebee staring at him with concern. The scout sat down and held an energon cube out to him. The medic stared at it then carefully took it again as he thought about his experience. He closed his optics as a tear fell and he slowly consumed the energon. The scout stayed there by his side, but never said anything. After a few bites, he sighed shakily then looked at him as if trying to decide something. He needed to talk to someone.

"Thank you..." he whispered and thought for a moment. "Bumblebee... I don't know what happened... or where to-" the scout gripped his shoulder plate and he looked at him. The young bot smiled sadly and shook his helm.

::You don't need to tell me... besides I'm not the one you should probably talk to.:: He chirped and looked up as Optimus walked in. The scout smiled and hugged the doctor, who grumbled, and walked out of the room. The Prime smiled a little and went to his friend then sat by his side. He didn't say anything to the medic and let him eat in peace. They could talk later.

After a few minutes, Ratchet felt comfortable talking and soon told his friend about what happened. He didn't look at him as he stared at the cube in his servos. He allowed a few tears to fall as he told him everything in detail. Optimus didn't say a word and kept a servo on his shoulder plate. He didn't feel the need to speak yet. Ratchet soon finished and hung his helm in shame as his shoulder plates shook with grief. He felt horrible for how he acted and ashamed of his selfishness. The Prime knew he was hurting and simply stayed there to help if need be. He hated to see his friend so torn up.

Optimus waited for a while then said a few things to help him feel better. Not chastising him or telling him he was wrong. They talked with each other for almost two hours. The Prime was just being there and helping him through his pain. Ratchet soon calmed and the two sat there in silence for another hour. The doctor was in deep thought and trying to figure something out. He frowned deeply and looked at the Prime as he thought of something.

"Optimus... where is the relic?" He asked quietly. The leader looked at him then slowly stood. He left the room and the medic followed. They got to the hiding place and stared at it through the glass.

"I know this sounds strange... but I feel it's alive in a way." Ratchet muttered and looked at him. "There's something very odd about this one." He admitted. Optimus nodded slowly as he sensed something inside the device.

"I will attempt to communicate with the relic." He said and picked up the container. It sounded strange to say or discuss, but it was worth a shot.

"That may not be the best idea." Ratchet muttered as he followed him to the main room. "Especially since we weren't able to earlier." He said as the Prime set it on the console. "We have to figure out how to use the relic or better yet... deactivate it." He grumbled. Optimus hooked it up to the computer and furrowed his optic ridges. The relic had glowed a little when Ratchet mentioned it.

"Please don't do this..." The medic whispered so only he heard. His own travels still fresh in his processor, and he didn't want to see his friend go through anything else. 

"I advise everyone to remain at a safe distance." Optimus said as he carefully gripped the relic. He closed his optics as it glowed.

They watched intently as the matrix glowed with the relic. The device attempted to throw him back in time but he resisted. He grunted quietly as the relic strained to take him somewhere. The pull became more desperate and frantic. He half wondered if it was trying to communicate through sending them back. He slowly let go and their optics widened as he disappeared. The room was silent for a while before anyone spoke.

"How many times has Optimus traveled back?" Smokescreen asked hesitantly as he looked at the others.

"As far as I know... this would be the third." Ratchet said as he worried about what would happen. He had wanted to stop him, but felt the Prime would have done this anyway.