Aid - Sunday, July 31, 2011, 9:23 PM
"It'll just take a breem- I want to update the record on your armor's recovery rate, and then we can get some energon from the dispenser here instead of going to the refectory." First Aid is talking to a taller red mech as they walk into the med bay.
Blades frowns. "Just the armor, though? That's fine," he says distractedly as he shuffles onto a berth. He looks around the 'Bay for energon, but he practically knows better than to expect it to be sitting out in advance of his weighing. He sighs.
First Aid says, "Just the armor." First Aid retrieves the laser caliper from the tool bench and begins taking measurements of the thickness of several armor plates, recording the results on a data pad. "Have you had a chance to think about what I said, or look at the memories on the data pad from Hot Spot and Streetwise?" He turns off the data pad, and goes to put the calipers away.
Blades squirms through the caliper assay and finds the floor extremely interesting as he contemplates First Aid's question. "It's just... no. I can't let anyone in there. I just can't. I respect that all of you were fine with it, but you've got to be crazy," he says. The last is more a mutter. "Why does anyone *need* to see my memories, anyway? Can't someone else just get put in my place instead?"
First Aid returns with a pair of energon cubes from the supply room and offers one to Blades. "I don't know- maybe someone else could, maybe they couldn't. Our cogs are unique, Ratchet said, and the wiring and the code and all." He opens his own cube. "Besides, why would we want anyone else? You're one of us."
Shark walks into the repair bay and calls out, "Any docs about?"
Blades puts a hand protectively over his chest plates. "But maybe it's just a mistake. I might be a decoy, you know. Maybe I don't have all that cog stuff," he says. He takes a long swig of the energon and burps softly. "Maybe you want someone who wants to be connected to four other mechs...?" he asks, optic ridge quirked.
First Aid puts a hand on Blades' arm. "We want you, even if you don't want us. But there's time to figure out what we're doing about it. And if you're a decoy or whatever... well, we'll deal with that then." He turns to Shark, stepping away from Blades, which puts him directly between the abrasive triple changer and the big red mech. "Hi Shark- can I help you with something? I'm not sure who's on duty-" He gestures around the empty bay. "I was just here to check something for Blades really quick."
Blades eyes Shark with narrowed optics, but doesn't say anything. His engine revs.
Shark nods to the younger medic, "Uh yeah, you could if you don't mind that is." then a glance over at the rev from Blades, then showing the medic his hand, which has a rather nice series of tooth marks in it that are all leaking energon. "Got bit by a baby electrogator I was trying to rescue from a really pissed off hyperpotami. Let's say he got tromped good for his ill timed execution of latching onto me." the last bit comes out softly, like the mech regrets what happened.
"Um, sure, I guess- if you don't mind, Blades?" First Aid asks with a glance at him. He walks across the bay. "Have a seat, then?"
Blades nods silently to First Aid while he looks on and rattles his rotor.
Shark nods and does as asked, taking a seat on a berth as he holds his hand still as he can. "Thanks." is offered, actually sounding sincere about it. "He don't like me does he?"
First Aid examines Shark's hand. "He had a pretty rough time of it in Cubicron." *tight beam to Shark* 'And if you scare him, I will report you to Lifeline, Ratchet, Prime, and anyone else I can think of that might make you regret it.'* (outloud) "This isn't too bad- some nanite tape on the energon lines and a little bit of filler on the plates, and you should be good to go."
Blades keeps one optic on Shark and First Aid and the other on his energon, which he depletes. He shuffles off the berth to go look for more...
Shark frowns at that tight beam, "That's fine." he replies, though to what isn't quite clear.
First Aid pulls nanite tape and some filler compound out of the little cart next to the berth and, extending a screwdriver from one finger, begins removing the small articulated plates that make up Shark's bitten hand. "You said you were helping an electrogator?" He asks lightly.
Shark doesn't even pay attention to the wandering mech that FA is obviously protecting. "Yeah." he replies. "Kinda my hobby."
First Aid carefully cleans off the leaking energon lines and patches them with nanite tape- none of the holes are deep enough to require splicing the energon tubing itself, and puts the tape down next to it.
"Lifeline did say you were crazy." He offers a smile- as long as Shark is going to leave Blades alone, First Aid doesn't begrudge helping him- but Shark had scared /him/ before just to watch him jump, as far as Aid could tell...
Shark hmphs softly to that, "She would say that. I could say the same of her if we are gonna get all nasty about the name calling, but I'm not gonna lower myself to her level. Bigger mech than that." he notes, "I just got a soft spark for injured critters is all... nothing crazy bout that."
"Injured critters with sharp teeth?" First Aid says, picking up the damaged plating in one hand and a small trowel in the other, and begins applying nanite-laced filler compound to the small holes made by the electrogator's bite. The last hole filled, he examined the underside of the plating as well, trying to decide if it needed further reinforcement- hand plating gets a lot of stress due to the articulations...
Blades digs around in another supply alcove, since his earlier explorations won him only a more deeply battered rotor and broken shelves, which probably also meant some asperity from Ratchet. He starts playing with a device that looks much like the energon dispenser in the refectory, although it's got all kinds of bags on hangers next to it.
Shark nods, "Not all of em got sharp teeth. But yeah I'll tackle em if they are hurt, get em healthy, then put em back." he explains, then an hmm, "Sounds like your friend is trying to find something."
First Aid nods. "I'll check on him in a minute, this is almost done-" The hand can do without patching, Shark's plating is thick enough to manage with just the filler. "Let me reinstall this, and you'll be good to go." He checks the latches and begins to reapply the plates to Shark's hand in the opposite order as he removed them. "Can you make sure the articulation is alright for me? Flex your hand, then make a fist? it should be a little bit stiff."
Shark does as instruction, moving each finger in turn, then making a fist, then unclenching his hand, then another wiggle of the fingers. "Yeah a bit, it'll pass. Thanks." he offers.
"No problem," First Aid says. "I need to go check on him, though," He nods to the supply room. "Anything else?"
Shark gets off the berth, "I'm good." then a little smile, "See ya round."
First Aid waves, heading for the supply room.
Blades is holding the cube of energon under the odd nozzle on this energon dispenser and dribbling -- dribbling?! Just how slow is this thing? -- the energon into his cube. He eyes the dispenser with some annoyance and slaps the side of it, trying to get the energon to dispense more quickly.
First Aid eyes Blades. "Um... if you want more energon, that's probably not the best way to get it." He moves across to the cabinet. "Here-" He opens the door and takes a cube off the shelf, pausing to add a scoop of powdered metal supplement as long as the canister is handy. "Try this instead." He extends the cube to Blades.
"That would be much better, yes," Blades allows as he accepts the energon and starts sipping. "You know, this thing over here doesn't work too well. Might need to tell Ratchet." He blinks and gets busy with disposing of the contents of the new cube.
First Aid sets the transfusion tree back upright and into place beside the cabinet, eying the unit itself- it's probably been hit harder than that, but might need to look at it later- or rather, tell someone too, since he's not quite sure how to tell if it's NOT working correctly. "It's not meant work that way, with a cube- it drips energon slowly so you can feed it directly into someone's system if they can't intake it themselves."
"C'mon, I want to finish my cube, and not in the supply closet," First Aid leads the way out of the supply room and sits down at one of the chairs in front of a console.
Blades raises his optic ridges in surprise. "Oh," he says, not really medically competent to say much more. "I need to dig in the cabinet, then," he mutters to himself as he follows First Aid out. He eyes the console, but doesn't say much -- no wires, so what could it do?
First Aid punches up the search he saved on the console. "Here's what I've found out about combiner teams, if you want to look at it." Most of it is a list of gestalts built as war machines, although Aid has carefully annotated the one or two that were noted more for humanitarian (cybertronitarian?) purposes or guardianship. "I'm still trying to find out more. Most of this is from thousands of vorns ago."
Blades looks at the information with what starts as mild interest, but his face contorts deeply as he continues reading. "They're huge. They're -- is that mech hanging from his shoulders?!" he asks, peering closely at a figure in an encyclopedia article. "And what's this about... what's it called, a 'gestalt mind?'"
First Aid shakes his head. "I'm not really sure. I think it means that all the mechs on the team have to agree about what to do- which sort of only makes sense, since otherwise they'd be tripping over each other and stuff." He pauses. "I think it's like any other team, probably. Like when there's triage in here- everyone has their jobs and does them and that way we don't get in each other's way, and we're more effective- I get parts for Ratchet and Caducia and the other senior medics and they don't have to stop with urgent repairs to do things that I can do to help."
Blades frowns. "But it says here that they share thoughts and... sensations... Eww!" Blades is mortified. "I don't want anyone else to feel what my body's feeling like! And why do I want to know if someone stubs a pede? How can you be okay with this?!"
First Aid reads over the part that Blades indicates. "Yeah, but it's got to be wrong. I mean, I don't know what you're thinking or anything, and we definitely don't feel it when one of us gets hurt-" because if we did, I'd have found you sooner- "And all these are is legends. Sharing thoughts sounds very romantic, but it's not very practical. I mean, I don't think even spark twins or bonded mechs can do that."
"Maybe," Blades replies, his voice doubtful. "But it's called *combining*..." He shudders. "And they're all touchy... and feely... and I think I'm going to be sick!"
First Aid looks alarmed. "Do you want a basin or something?"
"How can mechs live like this?!" Blades asks, his voice found. "They might as well be spark-bonded! I mean, *look* at that --" he points agitatedly to a figure in the text. "How can anybody recharge like that? I mean, look at where his hands are! I wouldn't let anyone get that close to my rotors for all the energon on Cybertron, and most of the metal besides!"
First Aid says quietly. "I don't think it'd be that bad. As long as it was you guys. But no one's going to make you do anything or touch anyone, Blades.."
Blades’ mouth is hanging open. "But -- but -- " He pauses and vents a few times. "You don't even *know* all of us! I mean, there are the memory files and stuff, but after that, we're different mechs, right? I mean, you're all comfortable about touching me, but I don't want any of you touching me!" He moans. "And you're saying I've gotta be connected to all of you for this to work. That's awful!"
"I know enough. I know you didn't hurt me, even though you wouldn't let Dually or Horizon help you when you were in Cubicron. I know that Hot Spot's the best up-and-coming search and rescue commander in Crystal city, and Streetwise talked his dad into not killing me when he didn't even know who I was. And you make up your own mind when you're ready. Streetwise and Hot Spot, too. I already know what my vote is." First Aid says firmly.