randomplaces | CW 'verse. S Korea and Nellis Airforce base. Shop till you Drop

Unidentified city in South Korea

Dr. Curtis 'Mac' Mckay was in heaven.

Okay, not quite, but for a man whose dearest joy was getting great bargains at garage sales the South Korean market that was spread out before him was the stuff of internal fist pumping.

-Alright, now. Gotta approach this properly...- he admonished himself sternly.

An hour later his backpack was bulging and several impressed or disgruntled vendors were shooting looks toward his retreating back. Oblivious to them, he zeroed in on a small table that looked as though it were garage sale merchandise- an assortment of household goods and bric a brac with no clear relation to one another. As he stopped by the stand a small decorative lamp caught his eye and he examined it with interest, wondering why the softly flickering light within the clear glass dome looked familiar.

Then he remembered the time Ratchet had opened a panel in his chest and explained what made he and other Autobots alive. Mac had already thought that the big robot was amazing beyond words, but that revelation had put him right up there with pi to pi star transitions.

And this light looked just like an Autobot spark. Mac grinned. -Looks like I get to bring back souvenirs for everybody.-

An initial inquiry as to how many batteries the lamp took lead to a stiff haggling session and wails of protest from the vendor as she lamented her impoverished and widowed state, and then he was heading back to the hotel feeling as though he'd just gone on the best vacation of his life.

Nellis Airforce base, Nevada.

Ratchet frowned as the entire building shook and turned his head to see what the twins were up to. Finding them both quietly intent on the internet, he looked further and sighed as he saw the two transports standing nose to nose on the street outside as their drivers yelled at one another. Humans could be so circuit boggling at times.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the tiny dish of culture and microbes that he'd been studying, watching as the DNA of the bacteria changed right before his eyes.

"Hey, Ratchet, miss me?" Mac McKay slipped through the human-sized door set in the base of the big one.

"Like rust," said the Autobot medic without looking up. "How's Denise?"

"It's morning sickness." Mac sounded awed.

"Mmm hmm."

The chemist frowned. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Hmm hmmm."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"And spoil her surprise?" Ratchet gave him a bland look. "Congratulations."

"Robots aren't supposed to be pains in the #$&$&," Mac informed him sternly.

"Tell that to the Decepticons." Ratchet set the dish back in the incubator and took out the next one.

Mac frowned as he went up the metal stairs to the table top. "They're gone."

"We hope." Ratchet grumbled and burned out the fungus that had destroyed this culture, then dropped the dish in the disposal bin.

"Anyway, I'm going to be cheerful today." Mac set his backpack down and pulled it open. "And I got you a souvenir!"

"Souvenir?" That got the medic's interest, and he turned his attention to his friend.

"Yeah... this really neat little nightlight." Mac pulled it out and unwrapped it carefully. "It looks a lot like a Transformer spark..." He looked up questioningly as Ratchet made a small sound of shock. "What?"

"Mac... that... is a Transformer spark," said Ratchet in a choked voice.