JOEverse, The Pit, Strange Happenings...

[dens-extra-pups.livejournal.com]

Duke:  //Yeah.  We found the source of the distress call.//

Flint:  *leaning on the console with both hands*  Yeah, and?

Duke:  //Do you think our medics would be willing to treat Cobra Commander before we send him where he deserves to go?//

Flint:  0_o  *sends Breaker to Ratchet to see*

Ratchet: *Giving Desinex a check-up, is just about done when Breaker arrives at the med ward*

Breaker:  Ratchet, Flint's wonderin' if you're feelin' up ta treatin' Cobra Commander.

Lifeline:  *reading a notepad very seriously and chewing on a pen*

Ratchet: ... *looking a bit brain broken, pings First Aid's comm*

Desinex: *makes a break for Ratchet's office, will hide under his desk now, kthx*

First Aid:  *busy having a look at Ironhide and Chromia's three*  //Yes, dear?//

Ratchet: *sounding quite brain broken* //I'll be bringing Lifeline to you shortly... Cobra Commander's apparently been injured to the point that he's calling our side for help...//

First Aid:  *gives Chromia an absent wide-eyed look*  //Alright.  I'll be waiting.//

Ratchet: //I've contacted Showtime... Desinex has barricaded herself under my desk again...// *clicking quietly to Lifeline*

Lifeline:  *looks up at him and shows him her notes*

Breaker:  *calling the go ahead to Flint, who passes it to Duke*  *looks up at Ratchet*  Duke says he's not sure he's gonna make it.

Ratchet: *bites back the curse, quick glance to Cat Scan as the redhead enters the ward* Cat Scan, would you take Lifeline to First Aid?

Lifeline:  0_o

Cat Scan: ... *puzzled* Er... sure... *clicks her tongue a bit as she moves to offer Lifeline cuddles* C'mon, kiddo... let's go see your mommy, alright?

Lifeline:  *as Ratchet sets her on the floor, she looks up at him, but then clicks to Cat Scan and starts to crawl toward the door.  She's only just started doing it and can't go very fast yet*

Cat Scan: *gentle smile as she picks up Lifeline, gives Ratchet a quick, confused look before carrying the young Transformer out of the ward*

Lifeline: *oh this is new. Distracted from her confusion by the novelty of being lugged*

Showtime: *nods to Lifeline and Cat Scan as he goes to retrieve Desinex from under Ratchet's desk (again)*

Ratchet: *grabs his field kit* //Duke, coordinates?//

Duke: //They're bringing him here. ETA half an hour.//

Ratchet: //Understood. Med ward will be cleared by then.//

Duke: *quietly* //He's got someone with him that you'll probably want to have a look at.//

Ratchet: //...Cybertronian?//

Duke: //She seems to be a lot like First Contact.//

Ratchet: ...*pinches the bridge of his nose* //Understood.//

Duke: //It was her who put out the distress call, and she's very protective of Cobra Commander.//

Ratchet: *nods to Showtime and Desinex as they leave the ward* //Protective in what way?//

Duke: //Well right now she's hovering over him and talking to him. And it was apparently her idea to take him and leave Cobra HQ.//

Ratchet: //...Doesn't Cobra HQ have stronger security than we do here?//

Duke: //She says he didn't feel safe there. If you ask me part of it could be that he was delirious. He's not saying much anymore, but what he does mutter doesn't make much sense.//

Ratchet: //ETA?//

Duke: //Fifteen minutes. Oh @#$@#$#@!// *line goes dead*

Ratchet: *rushing through prep, though he is being careful to do everything correctly*


Ten minutes later


Duke: *pushing in a gurney as a shapely blond in a Cobra uniform gives the masked figure laying on it artificial respiration* Ratchet! He's not breathing!

Ratchet: *moves quickly to get Cobra Commander hooked to life support, wondering just what deity he angered* *to the blonde* What happened before you put out the distress call?

Fidelia: *looks up at Ratchet with wide, frightened blue eyes* He's been sick for a little over two weeks. I've been keeping Destro and the Barroness away from him, but they've started getting more insistent that they needed to talk to him. And then when I scanned him this morning his blood pressure was dropping and the fever had reached a dangerous level.

Ratchet: *Frowns, scans Cobra Commander*

Cobra Commander: *vital signs very low, and as the blond said, his fever is critically high. Totally motionlessl now, with few signs of brain activity. His spine seems to be somewhat inflamed*

Ratchet: *getting the necessary IV medicines, explains what the ailing man's symptoms mean* It's a very rare infection... It's not terribly contagious, and most who do contract it very rarely get much more than a case of the sniffles.

Duke: *dryly, from where he's standing by the door* So he just got lucky, huh?

Fidelia: *just hovering next to her master, her wide eyes on his masked face*

Ratchet: *as he gets the IV bags set up and connected* Either that, or it was deliberate on someone's part.

Fidelia: *quietly* Master says Destro did it.

Ratchet: ... *small nod* Right now, my main concern is treating the infection and bringing his fever down.

Fidelia: Starscream said that you'd be able to save him.

Ratchet: *quietly, remembering his medic's oath* I'll do everything in my power to live up to that expectation.

Fidelia: *softly, never taking her eyes from her master* Thank you.

Duke: I'll get some extra security for this place. *goes out*

Ratchet: *Small nod, continues to monitor Cobra Commander* *Quietly, to Fidelia* Miss... I do have a few more questions...

Fidelia: *looks up at him with those wide, innocent blue eyes*

Ratchet: First and foremost... I'd like to know your name...

Fidelia: Master calls me Fidelia.

Ratchet: *small nod* You are Cybertronian, or at the very least, built by Cybertronian hands, correct?

Fidelia: *nodding. Softly* I'm a drone created by Starscream to amuse and care for my master.

Ratchet: *blink blink* Starscream built you?

Fidelia: Yes, he did.

Ratchet: .... *Feeling brain-broken again*

Fidelia: *looks at him and waits a bit for his next question, then turns her attention back to Cobra Commander and gently takes one of his hands into hers*

Ratchet: *Gathering his thoughts again* How long ago was that?

Fidelia: I was delivered on August the sixth, 2009. At 12:36 pm.

Ratchet: ... *Resisting the urge to facepalm, as he knows full well the signifigance of that specific time... Thanks to the JOES who had hacked WoW and were playing against Cobra Commander's army at the time*

Fidelia: *looks up quizzically at his silence*

Ratchet: That time directly correlates with the specific time that a specific World of Warcraft server was hacked... *soft chuckle*

Fidelia: Oh...? *doesn't understand the significance, or know that her presence has kept Cobra Commander from wrecking the fun of gamers everywhere*

Ratchet: Never mind... You've been caring for him since that time... How has he been treating you?

Fidelia: *puzzled* What do you mean?

Ratchet: Is he kind to you? Does he strike you?

Fidelia: He would never hit me. *perfect faith* He told Destro and the Baroness that if they tried bullying me they wouldn't like what happened.

Ratchet: ... *small nod, now has something new to muse over*

Fidelia: *hesitates, then quietly* Why are you asking me this?

Ratchet: Simple curiosity.

Fidelia: Oh. *then gasps softly as she looks back at her master* Something's happened.

Ratchet: *Scans, frown* *gently* He's slipped into a coma...

Fidelia: *eyes widen, and then close as her chin trembles* No....

Ratchet: *checks the life support, small nod* All we can do at this point is wait... and pray... *moves to carefully transfer Cobra Commander and Fidelia to the far table, where the noise and bustle of the medbay is normally lessened*

Fidelia: *is quiet as she's moved, but as Ratchet turns away she slips onto the bed beside her master and puts her arm over his chest, her voice a soft murmur as she speaks to him and says the things that always make him happy*

Ratchet: ... *quietly goes to sit with First Aid and Lifeline while he begins writing his report*


Down the hall a ways


Wheeljack: *almighty sneeze*

WakeJumper: *Quiet fuss*

Wheeljack: I'm fine, Jumper, I'm.... *sneezing even louder* 0_0

WakeJumper: *Fusses more* 'Jaaack... *slight wibble, is worried about husband*

Wheeljack: *frowning. To self* Now when'd I update my antivirus last...?

WakeJumper: ... *going to be a bit bold now, and attempt to make Wheeljack go see Ratchet*

Wheeljack: It's not that bad, Jumper. *sudden repeatersneeze*

WakeJumper: *gives Wheeljack a pleading look*

Wheeljack: *a little dizzy* That kinda shook things up.

WakeJumper: *gonna try again to get Wheeljack to go to the medward... by picking him up*

Wheeljack: *startled flail* Jumper! Whaddya doin'?

WakeJumper: Taking you to see Ratchet...

Wheeljack: You're gonna hurt yourself!

WakeJumper: *pointedly* I've picked you up before, Wheeljack...

Wheeljack: *sideways glance* Right. I fergot. 0_0 *SNEEZE!*

WakeJumper: *Startled squeak, holds Wheeljack closer*

Wheeljack: *bit woozy from that last one* *winces as his intakes sting* Okay, now this' just gettin' weird.

WakeJumper: *Wibbles, moves to head for the med ward*

Wheeljack: *doesn't protest this time. Only tries to keep from sneezing himself out of his wife's arms*

Cat Scan: *Startles and hurriedly tucks her manga away when WakeJumper enters the med ward*

Wheeljack: *repeatersneezing, has gone over three this time* >_<.

Cat Scan: *relaxes a bit when she realizes it's not Ratchet coming back to check on things* Hey guys, what's up?

Wheeljack:  *resumes sneezing by way of explanation*

Cat Scan: ... Bring him over to the table, so I can see what's going on better...

WakeJumper: *Does so, gently setting Wheeljack on the table*

Wheeljack:  *wants to sit up, sneezes and blinks as his optics sting*  *decides to lay down, even if the medic's not big enough to make him do it*

Cat Scan: *climbs up to the top of the table easily* Okay... I've got a few questions, just so I know a bit of what I might need to look for... Were you working with anything particularly dangerous?

Wheeljack:  *KERCHOO!*  Nope.  Not today.  I was just using this cleaning stuff to erase one of Grimlock's messes... I mean strategic maps... *KERCHOO* off the wall.

Cat Scan: *raised brow* This the first time you've worked with that particular cleaning stuff?

Wake: Well, yeah... We just got the cleaning stuff the other day...

Wheeljack:  *KERCHUNK*  Ow....  They said somethin' about not gettin' the other stuff anymore 'n this bein' better.

Cat Scan: And with the other stuff, did ya have this kinda reaction? *has a hunch as to what's troubling the inventor*

Wheeljack:  *furtive look as he remembers how he used to chug the other stuff down*  Nope.

Cat Scan: *small nod* Sounds like you're allergic to the new stuff.

Wheeljack:  0_o  We're robots.  How can we be....  *KERCHOCHOCHOOO!*

WakeJumper: *Fusses*

Wheeljack:  *kinda dizzy now, and not in a fun way*

Cat Scan: That doesn't mean something in your environment can't be irritating to your systems to the point of causing a reaction.

Wheeljack:  Yeah... that makes sense... I think.  *wincing as his intakes and optics sting*

Cat Scan: The best thing to do at this point might be to just wait the sneezing out...

Wheeljack:  >_<  I was aKERHOOfraid you were gonna say that.

WakeJumper: *patpats Wheeljack's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze*

Wheeljack:  Dotcha got anythin' for the stingin' in my intakes 'n optics?

Cat Scan: Well... would a sedative help?

Wheeljack:  *thinks of his workload and sighs, then sneezes*  I'm not gettin' anything done anyway.

WakeJumper: *hesitantly* But if you're not home, the Dinobots'll riot...

Wheeljack:  *sitting up and rubbing his optics*  I kin sleep there too, Jumper.

WakeJumper: *small nod, looks to Cat Scan*

Cat Scan: *climbing down to retrieve a sedative*

Wheeljack:  *repeatersneezing again*

Cat Scan: *returns with the sedative, which gets offered to WakeJumper*

WakeJumper: *small nod, carefully scoops Wheeljack up and grabs the sedative*

Wheeljack:  Lemme walk this time, Jumper.  ...But I'll lean on ya, if that's okay.

WakeJumper: *nods and sets Wheeljack on his feet, though she will still hover protectively close to him*

Wheeljack:  *takes her arm as the sneezing starts again*  Any... KERCHOO... other directions, Miss?

Cat Scan: Other than taking it easy for a bit, no... oh, and don't forget to check in with Ratchet later on.

Wheeljack:  GotCHOOO!

Cat Scan: *coughs to cover her snerk, before gently ushering Wheeljack and WakeJumper out of the med ward*

Wheeljack:  *shoulders slumping as the repeater sneezing commences*  Just KERCHOO one KERCHOO thing.

Cat Scan: *Pauses* Yes?

Wheeljack:  *leans against his wife*  Our place smells like that stuff.

Cat Scan: ... Well, shoot... *Thinking*

WakeJumper: *small frown, squeezes Wheeljack's hand*

Wheeljack:  I'd just go git it outta there, but... I really don't wanna get near it again.

Cat Scan: Well, if you can recruit some of the other JOES to help with that, and with getting a few fans set up... and keeping the doors open'd help....

Wheeljack:  *nods, but then nearly sneezes himself over*  *looks like he'll be no help with this*

WakeJumper: *holds onto Wheeljack's waist to keep her husband upright*

Cat Scan: *calling First Aid*

First Aid:  //Yes, Cat Scan?  Has there been a change with Cobra Commander?//

Cat Scan: //No, but Wheeljack had an allergic reaction to the new cleaning product that arrived here the other day... and he's gonna need some help clearing the fumes out of his and WakeJumper's quarters.//

First Aid:  *gently*  //You do realize you've got rank to command JOEs?//

Cat Scan: *slightly sheepish grin* //...Oh yeah... // *Yes, she forgot*

First Aid:  *gentle chuckle*  //Do you need anything else?//

Cat Scan: //No... Thank you. Cat Scan out.//

First Aid:  //Alright.  First Aid out.//

Wheeljack:  KERChOOO!  >_o

WakeJumper: *Fusses*

Cat Scan: *Calling some of the other JOES and directing them* *to Wheeljack* We'll get stuff taken care of. Go get some rest.

Wheeljack:  Sure... sounds good.  *SNEEZE*

greenshirts:  *go to do as told, only to run into a territorial tyrannosaur and triceratops along the way*

gs1:  //Um... the dinosaurs won't let us in.//  *laughter in the background*

Cat Scan: ...*facepalm, snickering* Wheeljack, tell Grimlock to let the guys in, if you would, please.

WakeJumper: *tries to stiffle her giggles*

Wheeljack:  *gets on the com and sneezes at his creations till they back down, then groans and rubs his optics*

WakeJumper: *Rubs Wheeljack's back as she moves to guide him out of the med ward*

Wheeljack:  *is lead as meekly as a lamb, though not nearly as quietly*

Cat Scan: *Watches the pair leave, before going and getting her manga out of where she stashed it*

((co-written with random_xtras))