I've Done It Again

Chapter 15: His Whereabouts

Ratchet growled. "In the ship, probably, but you don't have access."

Verdant frowned. "Oh."

He grumbled something to himself before pulling out a datapad. "Lucky for you, I was his medic. I've got his history permanent downloaded into my processor. I'll copy it for you."

Verdant smiled. "Thank you."

Ratchet only made a gruff noise of approval while connecting the datapad to his processor. The two of them waited a moment before Ratchet unplugged and handed it to her.

"Here," Ratchet huffed. "The sooner they stop hoping he's alive, the faster they'll move on with their lives."

"I agree," Verdant started walking away. "No use in holding onto the past."

Ratchet frowned sadly.

Once she was outside, Verdant transformed and flew across the city toward a building in Citrotrex. There, an unidentified mech was silently waiting. Verdant landed next to him and handed him the datapad.

"Optimus Prime's medical records, as Shockwave requested," Verdant told him. "Be quick and bring it back."

The mech nodded respectfully before transforming into a ground-based vehicle and leaving. Verdant watched him go before heading to her berthroom.

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"He's onlining," a nearby mech announced. "Someone comm Starscream."

Optimus heard them before he could see them, but the delay wasn't too bad. He blinked up at the mech standing over him and it took him a moment to realize he was being held down.

"Don't move," the mech warned.

Too late. Optimus surged upward, trying to free himself, but the desire was short-lived. A sharp pain ran up his backstrut and into his helm, making him cry out and arch his back before going limp against the berth.

"Don't try it again," the mech slowly took his servos off of Optimus, assuming that the ex-prime had learned his lesson.

Optimus couldn't see much from where he was laying, not unless he lifted his helm and looked around, but he could hear maybe three other bots in the room, including the one who had been holding him down. He furrowed his brows, preparing to ask what had happened, but then he remembered.

He'd fought (if you could call it that) with Megatron. Optimus had used their close proximity to their advantage by planting a kiss before attacking Megatron. It had worked, but it didn't end well in the long run. Now he was confined to a berth, unable to move his frame.

Optimus didn't need to guess what kind of injury it was. When Megatron had dislocated his shoulder for stepping out of line, he'd threatened to do the same to his helm.

"Get out of my way," Starscream's shrill voice was muffled at first, but he got closer and eventually leaned over Optimus with a look of disgust. "Everyone get out."

"Starscr—"

"Don't waste your breath, you dumbaft," Starscream glared. "I thought you were a wuss, I didn't think you lost the wisdom of the Primes! What were you thinking when you went out there? You didn't stand a chance. I don't think you lasted more than a minute!"

"I told you it was a bad idea."

"You didn't tell me why!" Starscream exclaimed. "And I thought Megatron had trust issues!"

Optimus grimaced. "It isn't wise to tell your former enemies that you're completely at their mercy."

Starscream scoffed. "But it is wise to challenge them to a duel?"

Optimus shuttered his optics. Yes, he felt stupid. It was foolish and immature. Now the alliance with Megatron was completely ruined. So much for getting him to take part in Cybertron's future.

"How is Megatron?" Optimus asked.

"Well, after I hit him with a rocket, he went for a flight and hasn't come back," Starscream explained.

Optimus offlined his optics. Wonderful.

Starscream sighed and leaned against the berth. "On the bright side, you did manage to catch him off guard, land a solid blow, and wipe the smug grin off his face, so you did pretty good considering the circumstances."

"And now I'm stuck in this berth."

"Not for much longer," Starscream reached back and looked behind Optimus's helm. "Your spinal strut was snapped in your neck, so Shockwave had to cut some of your cables and tubing away in order to repair it. Once he gets them replaced, moving should be easy enough. Painful, probably, but doable. Serves you right for picking a fight you couldn't win."

Optimus frowned. "I take partial blame, but you goaded me into it."

"And I am very satisfied with the results," Starscream did look rather proud. "I hope Megatron isn't too embarrassed to come back, because I'll never let him forget what you did."

"I feel like you provoking him will endanger my health more than it will endanger his pride," Optimus said.

"Be complacent," Starscream chided. "You get your own room now that everyone knows their former enemy commander is weak and vulnerable. That is a reason to celebrate."

Somehow, Optimus doubted that. The door must have opened again because Starscream looked over and pouted.

Shockwave leaned over Optimus next. "I'm still confused."

"About what?"

He moved away and went behind Optimus. "Your frame is apparently the same as your second to last reformat, but you look like you did before the war, so when I'm repairing you, how does that translate to your injuries in the other form? How can you be both tall and short at the same time? Do you have the muscle strength of Optimus Prime or Orion Pax?"

Optimus blinked. "I... don't know."

Shockwave pulled at Optimus's arm. "Your medical port looks unlocked and unguarded, as one would expect from a pre-war frame, but I can't open it. I tried to cut the hatch off, but there's nothing beneath it."

Optimus looked at his arm, but he only saw a hole. He didn't remember ever having a medical port right there. Maybe before the war, but that was a long time ago.

"Nobody else understands either," Starscream huffed. "Stop asking questions that you know we can't answer."

Shockwave stared at Optimus. "This isn't logical."

"I'm sorry," Optimus apologized.

He scowled and looked away, returning to the spot behind Optimus's helm that was just out of his field of vision. Shockwave's servo slipped under Optimus's helm, making the red bot wince, but Shockwave was gentle as he lifted it up and slid something underneath to hold his helm there.

"I can't access your medical port, so there isn't much more I can do to dull the pain since I'm operating so close to your deteriorating processor," Shockwave informed him.

"My what?"

"Try to keep still," Shockwave advised before diving in.