thisavrou | [video] + 001

[video] + 001

[The feed cuts on to show a Cybertronian with a red and white helm, blue optics, and what appears to be a habitually irritated expression on his face. His voice is brisk and no-nonsense.]

This is Ratchet, former Chief Autobot Medical Officer. I've been assigned here as a field medic, apparently, though I'm volunteering to lend my hand in the medical bay on the ship in my off-time. I have no idea where we are or what happened to get us here, which I can deal with considering everything else that's happened the last year or so, but I really don't like not knowing the effects this "Ingress" [brings bright red hands, chipped in places to reveal specks of blue paint, up to add scarequotes] thing may have had on us, so I want people in for checkups.

Autobots, since there seem to be some of you on the ship, I'm assuming I'm still ranking medical officer here so I'm making that an order--report to Moro deck room 022 earliest. Non-Autobots... I obviously can't order you to do anything, but barring any wild extenuating circumstances you're welcome to drop by for a systems check also. You won't be turned away out of hand.

I specialize in non-organic medicine so if there are any non-Cybertronians on board who fit that bill, I can't promise anything, but I'll take a look. If you're strictly organic, you should probably just hit the regular medibay, but I've got some experience and I won't turn you away if you want to come here instead for whatever reason.

Any current medical officers seeing this, I'd like to talk supplies and if I can get put on rotation--I have a holomatter avatar, same as the others, so I'll fit just fine. Unless any of you expect my field medic duties to take up the majority of my time, in which case I would like a much more thorough briefing on what the fresh hell is going on here.

Ratchet out.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ratchet actually laughs, the sound rough and warm.]

After the year or so I've had, you'd have to go to a truly monumental effort to come up with something I'd consider crazy. Try me.

[You see this face? (Because she gave up on audio when he didn't demand or force the issue) That is the face of a bot that does not know what to do with a Ratchet that actually has a sense of humor okay.]

For the record you did ask, and I state here and now that I refuse psych evaluation due to this confession.

Exposure to the blood of Unicron, due to Megatron deciding it would be an excellent idea to make an actual sword out of it and then use on his enemies. Older exposure to said Dark Energon when we found out a fairytale was actually a prophecy of doom and Unicron was awakening and finding out his slumbering form was the center of Earth. Thus having to go into said sleeping god to keep him from waking up and destroying all of humanity and such, and another even older exposure because Megatron was planning to use it to raise an undead army only he could control. Making said army by using the corpse of fallen comrades on Cybertron.

[And because she knows he'll ask at some point during this.]

Outside of weakness until the taint goes away, there hasn't been any foreseeable side effects, on the living that is.

[Ratchet opens his mouth at the blood of Unicron but doesn't actually interrupt her--she's right, he did ask. The look on his face grows slowly more saturnine before he draws in a slow vent of air and releases it on a patient sigh.]

Okay. [He waits a contemplative beat.] You're right, that does sound insane. But not more insane than Shockwave going completely off the rails and trying to destroy the universe by stopping time, which resulted in a metrotitan battle that ended in Megatron defecting to the Autobots, and that only happened a few months ago, so I'll roll with it.

I would definitely like to check you out now, though, so I can observe the effects and then get a proper baseline when--if?--they wear off. If this... whatever-it-is is in your systems, it could be causing subtle internal damage that would only show up on a close examination.

[There's a small huff that may or may not be slight amusement from her.]

I actually wouldn't put it past Shockwave to do such, especially if there was logic in it. He never did seem all that bothered by destroying natural laws in the name of research. That whole Megatron defecting though sounds like something out of a human fairy tale.

[And here is the venting of a sigh because you didn't actually scoff at her tale.]

That must have been a fun adjustment, especially if he was anything like the Megatron I know.

I guess there's no convenient patrol duty that needs filling, or someone that actually needs medical attention to postpone this check up?

Shockwave was a real piece of work, but yeah, it's been weird. He mostly just sulks in his room and writes bad poetry now, from what I can tell, it's depressing as hell.

[Small miracles, Ratchet's voice actually gentles a little.]

Hey, nobody's going to show up and kidnap you for routine maintenance, and I'm not interested in actually forcing you. I just want to make sure everybody's all right. I mean, as much as I can without a proper medibay, I guess.

[It says a lot about her that she's actually more nervous at you showing actual and decent bedside manner here Ratchet. Where is the barking and grumbling as you threaten to sic someone on hunting her down and dragging her to her appointment?]

Never thought I'd ever hear a Ratchet be polite in saying a check up is mandatory. No one back home would ever believe this.

[She's also still stalling]

Uh-huh. [Ratchet sounds almost entertained.] Well, don't get too used to it--I want to get you in here eventually, to make sure you're all right, and I'd prefer sooner rather than later.

.......

[She really doesn't want to do this, full baseline check ups take so long, but he's asking and it does make sense to have some records handy in case something happens.]

....I'm on my way.

Thank you.

[He sounds surprisingly sincere, and he settles in his habsuite to wait.]

[Well you got your hope on the sooner, because she had just been on her way to actually look at the room she was assigned, and see why it was three rooms in one, so her turning around and finding yours was easy enough.

So, there she is knocking on your door and hoping somehow you have another patient arrive in those few moments it took her to get here.]

[Ratchet keys it open and waves her inside.]

I have to talk to somebody in charge here about getting my own place to practice, but this isn't too bad in the meantime. Any particular complaints, besides the... uh. Unicron thing? [He does believe you, Arcee. Barely. He isn't really much of a theist.]

Could always call dibs on a room and make your own space if it comes down to it. Beats working in a missile silo at least.

[She knows it sounds crazy, she didn't believe in Unicron either until all this went down. So she just shrugs a bit.]

Nothing really, just the usual things that happen when you decide to fight the Decepticon Warlord.

Yeah, I hear you.

[He nods to a seat and flicks a scanner out of his wrist, starting to take notes. He frowns after a minute.]

These readings are not... quite what I'm used to, but I guess that's to be expected, and I can work with them. There a fuel shortage, where you come from?

[That perplexed look isn't really at you there Ratchet. It's just taking her a few extra seconds to realize that the threat of energon starvation isn't actually supposed to be common thing.]

You could call it that. I hope you're not going to give me the "Every shot could be your downfall" speech. Ratchet back home tends to give that one out every other day when he takes stock of our supplies or one of us gets hurt.

[Please don't give that speech. She's certain she has it memorized by now.]

Nah, not going to give you a lecture. But I will give you some medical advice--I don't know if things are quite that dire here, so you might want to fuel up. You're all right, but running that low isn't great for your systems.

Other than that you're not too badly banged up, though I can see a lot of the repairs that have been done. [His optics flick up at her briefly, then back down to his readings.] Your medic does good work.

I'll take that under advisement.

[Translation: She'll try and remember to do that, maybe even on some sort of regular basis if they do have the energon available.]

Now, if only you could somehow get him to believe that.

[Ratchet chuffs a soft, tired half-laugh, shaking his head.]

I'll be sure to tell him if I see him. ...I am getting some weird readings that differences in physiology wouldn't quite account for. I'm assuming that's the--the stuff you mentioned before. Does it wear off completely on its own, or does it require treatment?

We've mostly been just letting it fade on its own, we don't exactly have past examples to work with. So it's trial and error and mostly trying to avoid it if we can.

We're still working on the avoid at all cost aspect.

All right. In that case, I'll want you to come in for more frequent semi-regular checkups, just to make sure it's clearing up. Just let me know when you're feeling back to normal so I can get an actual baseline for what your specs should be when you're in good health--I'll have to look over what I have now and try to make sense out of the differences. We're certainly not built quite the same as Autobots where you're from, but it doesn't look like it'll be too difficult for me to work out the kinks.

How are you feeling, otherwise? Any particular complaints?

I'm pretty much back to how I normally feel, but I'll wait a bit to see if anything changes. I got pulled through before Megatron decided to actually get rid of me, so there shouldn't be anything to really worry about.

Thanks, Ratchet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[video] + 001

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

-->action

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject