Nexus. Lost Highway Hospital. Might Have Beens.

[dens_extra_pups]

Ratchet: *grumbles softly and leans on his cane as he watches the dressing room bots meet with the Perceptor and Jazz that they once had known. Perceptor's kindly graciousness is good to see, but Jazz's arm-folded and withdrawn stance to one side of the group troubles him. And that pink pest's spazz fest is giving him a headache* *glances at WakeJumper standing beside him, and then discreetly uses his cane to thump Scattershot on the bum*

Scattershot: *startled squawk, accompanied shortly thereafter by spazzy flailing while his holo-pet bunny hops around excitedly*

WakeJumper: *quick to mute his vocalizer. Totally saw what you did there, Ratchet*

Ratchet: *snorts as the pink pest just gets louder* What do you care about the accommodations here, Scattershot? You live in the Backwater.

Scattershot: *more spaz*

WakeJumper: *pinches the bridge of his nose* Scattershot, circulate. They chose this location. They were advised on what to expect. And Pinkie Pie can give you a wash when you get home.

Ratchet: *suddenly forgets the pink pest and his holographic rabbit as he feels something become very present* *quietly* Optimus is here.

WakeJumper: *looks up from his contemplation of giving the pink nightmare a finger flick* ... *scanning!*

Ratchet: *quietly* He hasn't crossed back yet. *quiet chuckle* And I don't think he's supposed to be here. I recognize that furtiveness.

WakeJumper: *muffled snerk* *quietly* He had to make sure they're alright...

Ratchet: *nods, then winces and grumbles as Scattershot runs over toward the others and his alternate starts to scold* *hand over eyes* That tin can's an embarrassment to the name of Ratchet.

WakeJumper: *reassuring patpat* Just remember, it could be so much worse.

Ratchet: I'm not remembering any such thing. I want to keep my energon where it should be. *pause* And you're frothing again.

WakeJumper: ... *sigh* I knew I should've checked what the boys gave me.

Ratchet: *amused* It's your own fault for telling them you liked the flavour. *glances toward the immigrants* Let's get out of here before my alter brother sees that.

WakeJumper: *nods* At least it wasn't the stuff that makes most of us leak at the joints. *hand on Ratchet's shoulder* Ready?

Ratchet: *braces himself and then makes a quiet sound as he gets a distinct feeling of thanks from that unseen presence*

WakeJumper: *quiet rumble* *will bring Ratchet back to the hospital*

Ratchet: *gasps as he sees the couple sitting in the waiting room*

wanWakeJumper: *stands and looks from the yellow medic to the orange and black one* *flatly* I need a basic overhaul and tuneup.

wanEclipse: *fades from sight on her husband's back*

WakeJumper: ... One moment. *to Ratchet over a private comm* //Do you want me to check him over, or would you rather?//

Ratchet: //I think you'd better do this.// *turns to look toward a Gawl who just wandered in with blood running off his knees* //I need to patch this again.//

WakeJumper: //Alright. I keep telling him he needs to get a more stable mode of transportation...// *will move to offer a hand to his counterpart*

Ratchet: //The thing's built to be untippable.// *goes to grumble at the blue-haired boy*

wanWakeJumper: *steps forward, quietly waiting for further direction as his single optic glints back light from the overhead tracks*

WakeJumper: Try and hold still... *will scan his counterpart, noting wanEclipse's presence as well*

wanWakeJumper: *is an old man, though not as old as a certain pair of siblings who burp in the Black Dog. Also shows the wear and tear of a few thousand years of hard work and low rations. And a spark that, though alive, still resonates with that of Cybertron*

WakeJumper: *small nod* Wait here. *going to get a few parts that he knows can easily be replaced. Will also see if he can find the wish jar, because if he can use one to help fix some of the minor things...*

wanWakeJumper: *waits without saying anything or nodding, though his head tilts slightly toward the door to the stairs*

WakeJumper: *back with the wish jar and the parts* *pauses and looks to the door to the stairs. Listens for a few moments, then chuckles softly* Lumen and his Thetacon counterpart are playing with one of the dogs, from the sound of things.

wanWake: Four dogs and some sort of drone. *attention back to his counterpart. Lone eye shows no emotion, but there is uncertainty in the angle of his mouth and brow plates*

WakeJumper: *small nod* They must've gotten the toy they were saving their pocket money for. *will hold up the wish he grabbed from the jar* This should help with some of the repair and tune-up work...

wanWakeJumper: *looks at WakeJumper's hand, and then back at his counterpart's face* I can't see it.

WakeJumper: ... *scanning his counterpart a bit more closely, focusing on the single optic*

wanWakeJumper: *speaks in a quiet and matter of fact way* I can sense something alive there, but my prosthetic can't image something that small. And it's not solid enough for sonar.

WakeJumper: Ah... It's a piece of Guardian Fae energy. Commonly called a wish.

wanWakeJumper: *still quiet and calm* How is wishing going to help?

WakeJumper: Well, if it works, then it'll take care of some of the things that need repair or adjusting while I work on other parts.

wanWakeJumper: It might not work?

wanEclipse: *peeks and then withdraws again*

WakeJumper: Sometimes wishes don't work, for whatever reason.

wanWakeJumper: *frowns. Then nods slightly*

wanEclipse: *quick flash of colour and she's gone to visit with the ghosts at the sanctuary*

WakeJumper: *holds the wish close to his counterpart* *quietly* I wish for my counterpart to be as repaired as is possible.

wanWakeJumper: *turns his head, but shows no surprise as he finds himself enveloped in a swirling storm of little lights. Stands there for a moment, but then suddenly grabs his head and collapses like a puppet with the strings cut*

WakeJumper: Awk! *moves to catch and scan his counterpart*

lights: *few last swirls, and then stop*

wanWakeJumper: *unconscious but showing only healing damage to his memory core and scuffs and wear on his shell* *and the optic circuitry is still missing*

WakeJumper: *much soft rumble* *knows he doesn't have anything that could replace the optic circuitry. But he does have good fuel that he can put in wanWake's tank!* *will make sure the mech is laying in a comfortable position before retrieving some of the fuel and putting it in his counterpart's tank*

Nickle: *looks in and snorts* Don't you have examining rooms, you aft?

WakeJumper: *talk to the hand, Nickle* *will move to lift his counterpart*

Nickle: Brainless booby. *walks off* And that fuel's rigged.

WakeJumper: *grump* You could'a told me that BEFORE I put it in his tank, Nickle.

wanWakeJumper: *suddenly burps so loudly that he startles himself awake* ...Who put (mineral yxz) in the fuel?

WakeJumper: The boys. They've been learning recipes from their older counterpart. *straightens and hunkers with forearms on knees*

wanWakeJumper: *sits up carefully, and then bounces off the floor as another gas pocket leaves* ...

WakeJumper: ... *sigh* I'll talk to them about labeling the fuel next time.

wanWakeJumper: *toot* *facepalm*

WakeJumper: *scans wanWake*

wanWakeJumper: *perfectly fine. Processing good fuel, which just happens to be making a lot of bubbles* *poot* *sigh*

WakeJumper: You'll be fine. The bubbles are a side effect.

wanWakeJumper: I know. *braap* *attention toward childish laughter from upstairs* *expression suddenly shows surprise*

WakeJumper: *curious sound, will also look toward the laughter*

wanWakeJumper: *quietly, his attention still focused on what now sounds like a minor stampede* I thought it was better to let the past stay in the past; that everything would have healed over the hole that I left.

WakeJumper: *quietly* Sometimes, the multiverse doesn't play nice.

wanWakeJumper: *slight smile* I know how the multiverse works. I've been Wandering in it for five thousand years.

WakeJumper: ...Huh. *thinking of a certain old clunker and said clunker's sister*

wanWakeJumper: *frowns as another gas pocket escapes* May I get up?

WakeJumper: *nods and moves to help wanWake to his feet* Yeah.

wanWakeJumper: *rises easily, his expression thoughtful* One of those children up there is your son?

WakeJumper: *nods* And the other is his counterpart from a different reality, who is being raised as a Thetacon. *pause* *quieter* You have a son as well.

wanWakeJumper: *also quiet* I know. I'll meet him at the tournament.

WakeJumper: He and his sister are rowdy, but they're good bots.

wanWakeJumper: *head turns, and he gazes in the direction of the Question Square* They never went home.

WakeJumper: *headshake* They're Heroes.

wanWakeJumper: *soft snort* So am I.

WakeJumper: Some Heroes get pulled to the calling before meeting up with Primus, some get pulled to the calling after. *slight shrug*

wanWakeJumper: *nods, and then puts up his hand. Quiet click to the tiny jewel of a bird that's sitting there flicking her tail* You're right, we didn't go either.

WakeJumper: *curious, will scan the bird* *surprised sound*

wanWakeJumper: *looks at him* What is it?

WakeJumper: I'm not familiar with the tech your Eclipse is using...

wanWakeJumper: Panacea's husband knows about it. *looks over toward a surprised sound from the stairs*

eLumen: *studying the readout of his coordinate scanner*

WakeJumper: *moving to offer to pick up his son so he can explain what's going on to the little guy*

eLumen: *quietly* The coordinates are the same as yours, except for different marks at the end.

WakeJumper: *quietly* Yes, because his reality and our original one split from one another after a certain point... Remember how your Aunty Desi told you about her meeting with Jabez?

eLumen: *quiet nod as he moves into his father's arms* Uh huh.

WakeJumper: Well, this other me is the me from Aunty Desi's reality.

eLumen: *serious and searching look for the older WakeJumper* ...That's weird.

wanWakeJumper: *toot* *deadpan* Not as weird as that.

eLumen: :o *wants down to run away!*

WakeJumper: *soothing rumble for his son* *stage whisper* I fed him some of the fuel you and your brother've been making.

eLumen: 0_0 *whisper back* I can hear it.

wanWakeJumper: *armour vibrates* *face palm*

wanEclipse: *floof*

WakeJumper: *amused snort*

eLumen: *will just hide on Dad. No kid here. Nope*

wanWakeJumper: *nods to the other things WakeJumper had brought in besides the wish* What about those?

WakeJumper: *blink* *looks* Oh. Those were gonna be used just in case the wish didn't work.

wanWakeJumper: Did it work? *soft sound to his wife as she flirts her tail and ruffles*

WakeJumper: Yeah. Aside from a couple things that I don't have parts for...

wanWakeJumper: The optic nerves? *brrrrrp*

WakeJumper: And optic settings.

wanWakeJumper: *shrug* I don't need them. *tilts head toward his wife and nods to her, then turns his attention back to his alternate* So you're done?

WakeJumper: *nods* Yeah. I'll probably see you again at the tournament though. I'm part of the medical crew.

wanWakeJumper: *toots and sighs, but then offers his empty hand to grip WakeJumper's wrist* Thank you.

WakeJumper: *nod* Safe travels, brother.

wanWakeJumper: *slight smile as he lets go of WakeJumper* *and then there's a flash of light, and he and his wife are gone*

eLumen: *yell of surprise that has the dogs barking and Nickle cussing*

WakeJumper: *much rumbling, will hold eLumen close and sway, trying to soothe his startlement* Nickle, stick a cork in it.

Nickle: *bleeeeep!* *stomps off*

Ratchet: *looks in, the other little Lumen peeking bravely around his leg* Come have some Java.

WakeJumper: That sounds like a good idea. *will go to the break room and sit with his son and nephew as he drinks warm java and thinks of the bots he's worked with today*

((Written with random_xtras))