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Dreadnought's footsteps echoed as he made his way down the hallway in the quonset that served as quarters for his team, a scowl on his face. He'd been out training when he'd gotten the call, and then hadn't been able to come right away because his first teleport- despite being coordinated properly- had landed him in a nexus. But he was here now and cursing the delay as he failed to hear Ratchet's voice anywhere in the building.
Slingshot, Skydive, and Air Raid looked up as he reached the door, their faces pensive and frightened.
"How's she doing?" he asked gently. "And what happened?"
"She flew into a mountain side." Slingshot's voice shook.
"...And?"
"And Ratchet's not sure she's going to make it." Air Raid leaned against her brother, shoulders shaking slightly.
"So where the slag is he?" Dreadnought peered past them to see Silverbolt leaning over the spare berth in the impromptu infirmary. Blackarachnia watched him with concerned red optics from where she lay on her own.
"He went to get some more stuff, to help her. Are you gonna go see her?" Skydive looked up, her usually cheerful optics dull with pain.
"Yeah." He slipped past them, nodding to Silverbolt as his young lieutenant stood up and moved out of his way. "Fireflight... what did you do, girl? Jazz is going to have my aft."
He hadn't expected a reply, but her head turned blindly. "...Dread?"
"Shhh." He dropped to a knee and put a hand to her helm. "Just be still and rest."
"Birds..." she said softly, her voice a thread amongst the beepings of the life support and monitors. "I... forgot to watch...." A little sigh. "Pretty birds."
"I bet they were." He gently stroked her brow, his own lowering as he looked at the twisted and broken, half-transformed mess of her shell. "You were flying with 'em, huh?"
Her mouth twitched in a smile, and he smiled back, though he knew she couldn't see it.
"So long as it wasn't 'Jack's bio diesel."
She sputtered softly. "...Not... Slingshot."
"Shhhh. No. You've got a processor." He leaned down and kissed her carefully on the forehead, and she stilled with a sigh. "Get some rest. Ratchet'll be back soon. I'm gonna go get him."
"No..." She wibbled, and he remembered when he'd come across Slingshot teasing her about a crush on him.
"Alright. Shhh. I'm not going anywhere. Just rest." He scowled and settled down to wait, his optics going to Silverbolt even as he commed Ratchet and then programmed a PINpoint to go to the CMO's coordinates. //Silverbolt?//
//Yes, sir.// The younger mech straightened and reached for it and then vanished swiftly.
Dreadnought grumbled softly, but then turned back to soothing Fireflight and keeping her quiet.
* * *
It was a couple hours before Ratchet sought him out where he lay on the floor of the living room with Bumblebee sitting on his chest.
"How is she?" He didn't look away from the tiny chibi, who was contentedly gnawing on an energon rich blue rock that she'd gotten somewhere.
"Alive," said the medic heavily. "Barely. I'll be taking her spark home with me and putting it in the better stasis pod. It's going to take awhile to get her new shell and all its connectors made. And someone will need to keep an eye on her siblings while she's out."
"I'm on it, Doc. Don't sweat it." Dreadnought gently put a finger toward Bumblebee and was ignored.
"Strange human idiom." Ratchet harrumphed, but then sighed and rubbed at his faceplate. "Do you want me to check on Jazz while I'm here?"
"No. The old man'll wonder why you're here, and he don't need the worry."
"True. Alright then." The CMO turned toward the door. "I'll be seeing you."
"Yeah." Dreadnought nibbled obediently on the rock as Bumblebee crawled over and held it to his mouth, absently noting that it didn't taste half bad.
Then he shuttered his optics and resumed listening to the hushed voices of the other Arielbots as they huddled in their room and spoke to one another unhappily, feeling helplessness drag at his spark as he realized that he couldn't fix this, no matter how much those kids looked up to him. Finally, he just picked Bumblebee up and brought her in there so he could watch everybody at once.
"She's going to be alright," said Silverbolt from where he was going to check on Blackarachnia again. "Ratchet can fix anything."
"He couldn't fix Pacer," said Air Raid listlessly.
"He just didn't get to her in time." Silverbolt stopped and frowned at his usually brash and cheerful sister. "He got to Fireflight in plenty of time."
"Here." Dreadnought handed Bumblebee over to the nearest bot. "I'll bring Blackie in here."
He did so, laying the frail young femme on Silverbolt's berth and gently making sure the pillow wasn't bending her neck at a strange angle. He was a little gladdened to see that she wasn't afraid of him anymore, and even managed to crack a smile as Silverbolt lay beside her and then dropped off after he'd cuddled close.
"The rest of you get some rest too." He checked on Jazz via Mini-Constructicon and was glad to see that his creator was recharging deeply and safely. Then he looked down as Air Raid and Skydive curled against his side. Slingshot gave him a faintly defiant look as he joined his sisters, Bumblebee cuddled in his arms.
Dreadnought made no protest. He knew what a twin bond felt like, and could guess what it must feel like to have one feel broken by one member of the group being in deep stasis. They needed contact, and lacking the sister to make the bond complete, or a mate like Silverbolt had, they were settling for snuggling him.
He rumbled, then started to play a soft song on his radio as he watched them all drop into troubled recharge, ready to watch over them till Superion was complete again.
Slingshot, Skydive, and Air Raid looked up as he reached the door, their faces pensive and frightened.
"How's she doing?" he asked gently. "And what happened?"
"She flew into a mountain side." Slingshot's voice shook.
"...And?"
"And Ratchet's not sure she's going to make it." Air Raid leaned against her brother, shoulders shaking slightly.
"So where the slag is he?" Dreadnought peered past them to see Silverbolt leaning over the spare berth in the impromptu infirmary. Blackarachnia watched him with concerned red optics from where she lay on her own.
"He went to get some more stuff, to help her. Are you gonna go see her?" Skydive looked up, her usually cheerful optics dull with pain.
"Yeah." He slipped past them, nodding to Silverbolt as his young lieutenant stood up and moved out of his way. "Fireflight... what did you do, girl? Jazz is going to have my aft."
He hadn't expected a reply, but her head turned blindly. "...Dread?"
"Shhh." He dropped to a knee and put a hand to her helm. "Just be still and rest."
"Birds..." she said softly, her voice a thread amongst the beepings of the life support and monitors. "I... forgot to watch...." A little sigh. "Pretty birds."
"I bet they were." He gently stroked her brow, his own lowering as he looked at the twisted and broken, half-transformed mess of her shell. "You were flying with 'em, huh?"
Her mouth twitched in a smile, and he smiled back, though he knew she couldn't see it.
"So long as it wasn't 'Jack's bio diesel."
She sputtered softly. "...Not... Slingshot."
"Shhhh. No. You've got a processor." He leaned down and kissed her carefully on the forehead, and she stilled with a sigh. "Get some rest. Ratchet'll be back soon. I'm gonna go get him."
"No..." She wibbled, and he remembered when he'd come across Slingshot teasing her about a crush on him.
"Alright. Shhh. I'm not going anywhere. Just rest." He scowled and settled down to wait, his optics going to Silverbolt even as he commed Ratchet and then programmed a PINpoint to go to the CMO's coordinates. //Silverbolt?//
//Yes, sir.// The younger mech straightened and reached for it and then vanished swiftly.
Dreadnought grumbled softly, but then turned back to soothing Fireflight and keeping her quiet.
* * *
It was a couple hours before Ratchet sought him out where he lay on the floor of the living room with Bumblebee sitting on his chest.
"How is she?" He didn't look away from the tiny chibi, who was contentedly gnawing on an energon rich blue rock that she'd gotten somewhere.
"Alive," said the medic heavily. "Barely. I'll be taking her spark home with me and putting it in the better stasis pod. It's going to take awhile to get her new shell and all its connectors made. And someone will need to keep an eye on her siblings while she's out."
"I'm on it, Doc. Don't sweat it." Dreadnought gently put a finger toward Bumblebee and was ignored.
"Strange human idiom." Ratchet harrumphed, but then sighed and rubbed at his faceplate. "Do you want me to check on Jazz while I'm here?"
"No. The old man'll wonder why you're here, and he don't need the worry."
"True. Alright then." The CMO turned toward the door. "I'll be seeing you."
"Yeah." Dreadnought nibbled obediently on the rock as Bumblebee crawled over and held it to his mouth, absently noting that it didn't taste half bad.
Then he shuttered his optics and resumed listening to the hushed voices of the other Arielbots as they huddled in their room and spoke to one another unhappily, feeling helplessness drag at his spark as he realized that he couldn't fix this, no matter how much those kids looked up to him. Finally, he just picked Bumblebee up and brought her in there so he could watch everybody at once.
"She's going to be alright," said Silverbolt from where he was going to check on Blackarachnia again. "Ratchet can fix anything."
"He couldn't fix Pacer," said Air Raid listlessly.
"He just didn't get to her in time." Silverbolt stopped and frowned at his usually brash and cheerful sister. "He got to Fireflight in plenty of time."
"Here." Dreadnought handed Bumblebee over to the nearest bot. "I'll bring Blackie in here."
He did so, laying the frail young femme on Silverbolt's berth and gently making sure the pillow wasn't bending her neck at a strange angle. He was a little gladdened to see that she wasn't afraid of him anymore, and even managed to crack a smile as Silverbolt lay beside her and then dropped off after he'd cuddled close.
"The rest of you get some rest too." He checked on Jazz via Mini-Constructicon and was glad to see that his creator was recharging deeply and safely. Then he looked down as Air Raid and Skydive curled against his side. Slingshot gave him a faintly defiant look as he joined his sisters, Bumblebee cuddled in his arms.
Dreadnought made no protest. He knew what a twin bond felt like, and could guess what it must feel like to have one feel broken by one member of the group being in deep stasis. They needed contact, and lacking the sister to make the bond complete, or a mate like Silverbolt had, they were settling for snuggling him.
He rumbled, then started to play a soft song on his radio as he watched them all drop into troubled recharge, ready to watch over them till Superion was complete again.