Little Gladiator

Chapter 13: Tick Tick

Note: If you'd like, this fic is now fully completed on FF.net. I'll be uploading the rest here though, so if you see it done, it'd be nice to see some comments here too.

As usual, I own nothing.

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The walk back to the station was uneventful. Bee handed his assignment to Megatron to review as they waited for the next shuttle to Kaon. Others bustled around them on their way to work or home or vacation.

They didn't notice the strange, dark mech that was leaning against a pillar just a few meters behind them.

Megatron handed the report back to Bumblebee. "There are a few spelling errors in paragraph three, but otherwise, I think it's excellent." Bee cocked his helm at him. "Is there something wrong, Bumblebee?"

"Do you hear that ticking noise?"

It was an odd question, but now that he mentioned it, Megatron did hear a ticking noise. Barely audible over the crowd, yet it seemed to be coming from behind them. He turned to see a black mech that reminded Megatron of that life-changing orn 31 vorns ago there.

The mech walked closer.

The ticking quickened.

Then it stopped.

Megatron held Bumblebee tight to him and yelled, "GET DOWN! IT'S A BO-"

He never finished his sentence.

The suicide bomber just smiled crazily as he exploded with the bomb he carried within him. The blast range wasn't far, but it was powerful, added to by the shrapnel of the mech's frame. The pillar he had leaned against fractured and broke from the blast force, causing the ceiling to collapse on top of them. Unfortunate civilians were severely injured or even killed if they were nearby, but none were as close as Bumblebee and Megatron were.

The explosion sent them flying into the next pillar, only to have it fall on them because of the uneven weight distribution from the first pillar's collapse. The metal from the ceiling fell on them too, adding to the strain on Megatron's frame. He had taken most of the force, but Bumblebee still bore a few dents, scratches, and some heat warped plating.

Megatron could hear voices yelling on the other side, but he was too busy making sure they didn't get crushed to focus on them. The immense pain stabbing into his back was also making it hard to concentrate.

"Someone get help!"

"We need to get them out of there!"

"We've got a lot of injured mechs and femmes here."

"The one closest to the explosion had a sparkling with him!"

"1, 2, 3, heave!"

He heard nothing but certainly felt it when the load above him lightened. The gray mech carefully tried to stand with Bee in his arms, causing white spots to dance in his vision.

"The pile! It's moving!"

"Rescue Squad Sigma-17 here. Chase, clear the building. Blades, attend to the wounded. Boulder, you're with me. Let's get this mech out."

"Heatwave, they're saying he's got a sparkling!"

"Then we'll have to be even more careful."

"We'll help."

"Then let's work together. On three!"

The weight on his back became less and less until, finally, Megatron broke free with Bee held close to his chest. He stumbled into someone's arms and quickly tried to stand up by himself to save face.

"Here, sir. We've got medics waiting for you and your sparkling," a red mech said.

Megatron groaned. "Don't have the credits to pay for it. We've got a medic in Kaon."

"What about-"

"Oh my Primus! It's Megatron!" An orange one exclaimed.

"Blades, we are on duty! Please save your enthusiasm for break," a blue one said. Megatron just smirked at the orange one, Blades.

"Megatron, sir, your sparkling is hurt and so are you. At least let the medics scan you both to make sure there's nothing serious," a green mech said.

"Perhaps you are right. Fine. Where are they?"

"Just follow Chase. We're staying behind to help the others. Chase, when you're done, send out a message to tell the shuttles that this station is closed." Megatron allowed himself to be led by the blue mech, Chase, to a group of medics. Although they all looked at him - rookies - only one had the tanks to walk up to him.

"Champion gladiator or not, that was a very powerful low range bomb. You're lucky to be alive," he said.

"My armor is heavy-duty. It withstands a lot. It must."

"No doubt about that. But you'll still need to get that shrapnel out as soon as possible or you'll leak out. And your sparkling has some minor internal leaking. Kaon's too far away to wait."

Megatron sighed, wincing slightly from a pain in his upper back. "I can't pay for this. I only have enough credits for the return trip."

"Well, then. You came to the right medic."

"You came to me."

"Yip, yip, yip. My name is Ratchet. Just follow me to the hospital. I'll pay for everything."

"You don't-"

"But I will. Not that I'm complaining, but I make too much money for my lifestyle. I'll be fine. If you wait, neither you nor the little one will be okay. The hospital's just around the corner. Come on."

"Fine," Megatron conceded, watching Bumblebee take labored breaths in concern. "But my alt mode is a mining tank. I'll be slow."

"Then walk quickly."