Shards (Transformers Prime, Shattered Glass)

Chapter 5

"Oh Starscream not you too," they were met with a groan from the slate gray medic as they enetered the medical bay.

"What are you talking about?" Starscream's eyes swept the room "What happened to Soundwave and Laserbeak? And what is THAT?"

He pointed at a scrap of burnt fabric laying on the medical table next to Knockout.

"It's a human. Or, at least, it was," Knockout shook his head "I'm not sure for how much longer though."

"No word from MECH?"

"Communications are down," Knockout gestured towards Soundwave "Will be for a couple hours until the ash clears from his systems."

He set down his medical scanner and gestured for Megatron to set Starscream down on of the tables.

"Sir, I can repair Commander Starscream, so that you can continue monitoring the human," a Vehicon designated 8-17329 offered quietly, medical tools already in hand.

"Thanks 8," Knockout nodded and turned back to the struggling human.

"Is there anything you can do at all?" Megatron helped Starscream to the operating table, then joined Knockout.

"I don't know, I'm trying," The doctor sighed heavily "I know I've helped several MECH agents, but this is beyond that and the instruments I've recalibrated to heal humans just aren't cutting it."

"Do what you can," Megatron patted his shoulder lightly.

"It still may not be enough," Knockout turned and held out his scanner as if he expected someone to take it, then let it drop.

He and Megatron stared at it lying on the ground for several seconds in mutual surprise.

"Where's Breakdown?" Knockout asked finally.

"He's stuck in storage unit 7 again," 8-17 said as he finished the repair on Starscream's leg.

"What? Seriously? Idiot," Knockout muttered the last part to himself "Could someone get him out? It'd be easier if he was here to help me."

"I'll see to it," Starscream said, standing up with 8-17's help "Unit 7?"

"Yes sir."

"I'll come," Megatron passed a hand over his forehead "That door's really stuck. Knockout, when Soundwave's functional again have him contact MECH, ask them what they want us to do with him, at the very least give him a descent burial if it comes to it."

"Alright, I will."

----

"How did one scrappy seeker manage to do this to both of you?"

Cliffjumper shrugged, watching from the wall as Ratchet fussed over Arcee "It was STARSCREAM, he's not second in command of the 'cons for nothing."

"And you're two of Lord Optimus' elite warriors," Ratchet retailiated "Which means you should be good enough to come back from a mission in at least one piece."

There was a burst of rough laughter from the door and Bulkhead came lumbering in, red optics dancing in malevolent amusement.

"Losing your edge, Arcee?" The beige 'bot asked, setting down a box of supplies with a heavy clang.

With a snarl she shot from the medical table, the blades in her forearms extending as she lunged for Bulkhead's neck cables.

A blur of red blocked her attack, swift hands wrapping around the inside of her elbow and wrenching her off-balance, but then steadied her as she lost her footing.

"Let go of me," she spat as she regained her balance but the hands didn't release. Yellow optics looked at her in a silent calm question.

"I'm done, Bee, now let me go."

The scout released her, but his hands hovered, ready to catch her if she decided to take a parting shot a Bulkhead.

"Alright, out. I'm done with your games," Ratchet growled "And no more fighting, I'm not patching anyone else up."

With rolling optics, the four 'bots pushed and shoved against one another as they exited. Bumblebee paused for half a second, glancing towards a shadow in one of the darker corners of the room then at the medic.

"Go on scout," Ratchet said, his voice a touch softer "You can't help."

He nodded and followed the others out.

"Your warriors got their tailpipes handed to them today," Ratchet said to the seemingly empty room as he began to clean and put away his tools.

The shadow that Bumblebee had glanced at shifted and moved closer to the center of the floor. Cloudy violet eyes rimmed with white regarded the boxy black medic, from the top of his helm, following the green and orange stripes down to his feet.

"I didn't send them out to fight," a tired voice rasped out slowly, the depth of the tone seeming to integrate with the very base of the darkness "Do not judge their failure on a task I did not set them to."

"Fair enough," Ratchet shook his head "Though, they barely succeeded on the job you did have them do."

"Win or lose, Ratchet, either they did or they did not."

"Well, they did," Ratchet held up a tiny fragment of pulsating purple crystal "But I don't know if it's enough, Optimus."

The Prime came closer to Ratchet, the effort obvious as the purple frame shook under its own weight and the heavy black hands bracing against the medical table "It is."

Ratchet sighed and curled his fingers around the shard of dark Energon, reducing it to a palmful of dust "If you're certain."

"I am."

Ratchet let the dust fall into a vial, then set it down as he measured out a portion of liquid and poured it into the vial. He stepped back as a dark cloud rose up, the result of the two substances mixing.

He waited until a pale glow radiated from the vial before picking it up.

"Your arm."

Optimus extended his arm while Ratchet loaded the vial into an injecter.

There was no reaction from the Prime as Ratchet pressed the syringe into the crook of his arm. Ratchet watched as the liquid drained away, the he looked up, wincing as a light began snaking across the Prime's chest.

"I don't know Optimus," he ducked his head as the light grew brighter "Every time you use the Dark Energon to reknew your bond with the Matrix, it weakens the link. Eventually no amount of Dark Energon will be able keep it from rejecting you."

"You have little faith, my friend," Optimus laughed roughly, but his shoulders rolled back as pain jolted through his body.

"Optimus!"

He gasped weakly, reeling, his feet shuffling as he tried to balance.

"Optimus," Ratchet snagged his arm and pushed the crumbling Prime onto the medical table "If the Matrix rejects you, then it'll kill you when it expulses itself from your body."

He paused, hoping that Optimus was listening to him "But if I remove it now-"

"Stop, Ratchet!" Optimus snarled "Shut up you idiot medic, I will not be one of your little experiments!"

"I want to save your life! Not play with it!"

Optimus stood up, sweeping his arm out and throwing Ratchet against the wall with a resounding clang.

The medic sank to the ground, sobbing in pain.

"I am Prime, fool doctor, no one will take the Matrix from me."