randomplaces | Nexus and bwverse, A Shopping Area and the /Axalon/, Accident

Optimus frowned and looked again at the garment in the window of the little shop. "...It looks something like a long skirt sewn up at the bottom except for holes for the feet."

"Yes!" An grinned. "It's perfect! Why didn't we think of this? With this sort of pants the women can be modest and comfortable, and can still use their laps to hold things like they do with the skirts."

"You do know this won't work in leather, right?"

The Fire Tribe leader shrugged. "I've never dressed like everyone else anyway. But this will be good for the others. And Windracer won't have to dress differently from her friends anymore."

Optimus studied the dummy with a frown, noting the high, belted waist on the 'flying squirrel pants', as they were called. "Hmm. I can see the practicality. But are you sure the women would wear them? What if they need to run?"

"I think so. And if they need to run they can unfasten the ankles and pull them up, like they do already with their dresses." An moved to study them from another angle, then looked up as Optimus slapped himself on the chest in response to a comm ping.

"Optimus here, what is it, Rhinox?" The Maximal leader tilted his head slightly to listen, but then stiffened, his optics going wide. "What? But how??" Rhinox's reply made his optics darken and his mouth turn down with grief.

"I'll be right there," he said quietly. "Optimus out."

"What's happened?" demanded An sharply, not liking what she was seeing in his expression and body language.

"There's... there's been... an accident," said Optimus with difficulty. "Cheetor was trying to..." His optics shut off as his shoulders slumped. "Trying to help Elijah get a lamb... that had fallen over the cliff."

An swallowed as she understood, then put an arm around her husband and pressed the green button on the device around his wrist.

Rhinox looked up as they appeared in the command room, his expression slightly blank as one hand rested on the chest of the body laying on the holo-table.

"Isn't there something you can do? Bring his spark back as you did for Thundermoon?" An soothed Optimus as he turned away and wept.

The Science Officer of the Axalon shook his head heavily, then moved his hand to show the hole that punctured and destroyed Cheetor's spark compartment.

"There's nothing for him to come back to," he rumbled heavily. "Something like this would've shattered his spark."

An winced and rested her forehead against Optimus' arm, but then started and reached for her communicator as it beeped. "Windracer, what is it?"

//Mother, Tirzah fell, and she won't wake up. Please, tell Rhinox we need help as soon as he can come away from Cheetor,// came the slightly frightened voice of her daughter.

"Tell her I'll be right there." Rhinox took a deep breath and came over to squeeze Optimus' shoulder, then grabbed the leather bag that he carried his human remedies in and headed for the lift.

"He's coming," said An quietly. "Cheetor... doesn't need him now."

There was stunned silence from Windracer, and then a cry of dismay and grief before the line went dead.

"Optimus..." An gently pushed at him till she got him into the nearest seat, then crouched next to him as he rested his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands. "I'm here."

He nodded, but then shuttered his optics as his shoulders shook again.

* * *

Rhinox was a bit shocked at Windracer's self control as the tall eleven year old stood next to Tirzah's bed with her jaw clenched and her dark eyes dry. The little girl was more like Optimus than he'd realized, putting her own grief aside in order to focus on one of those that she considered her responsibility. She was a born leader.

"What is it?" she asked quietly, one hand going out to take Jared's as that tall young man stood anxiously by his younger sister's feet.

"I can't tell." Rhinox frowned with confusion and checked again. "There aren't any symptoms of disease, and her heart and organs are working fine..." His frown deepened. "I can't find anything wrong."

"But something is wrong, Uncle Rhinox." Windracer absently patted Jared's hand. "Please keep looking."

Rhinox grumbled slightly to himself as he worked the scan again. -God... I need a hand here. Please...-

Then he glanced at Windracer as she took a step toward the bed, her eyes sharp as she reached a hand to touch the chest of Tirzah's brown wool gown.

"...There's something on this. Not something..." She shook her head with confusion. "No, it's not something..." A deep frown of concentration creased her face, and then she crouched down and lay her head on Tirzah's stomach so that she could look at the older girl's chest from another angle. "It's glowing!"

"What?" Rhinox changed his scanners from human to Cybertronian and had another look at the spot.

* * *

"Thiss is Dinobot." The tall warrior tapped his chest without taking his attention from his grieving captain. "What do you want, Rhinox?"

Then his scowl of concern changed to utter surprise. "He'sss what?"

"What is it, Dinobot?" asked Airazor from where she stood between him and Tigatron, absently dancing with little Windsong. Green optics looked up at the tall mech with sad inquiry.

He didn't reply, instead striding over and heaving Optimus up with one hand. "Prrrimal, ssstop thisss! Rhinox needs to bring Tirzah here now!"

"Dinobot, what are youOUCH!" Silverbolt doubled over in the very act of stepping forward as Blackarachnia's elbow found a sensitive place on his torso.

"What?" Optimus stared, his senses too dulled by shock and loss to understand.

Then he shook himself and snapped into leadership mode. "Step back. Dinobot, find out what he needs and have it ready by the time we get back. Airazor, Silverbolt, get the babies out of here. An..."

"I'll help Dinobot." She turned and moved toward the holo-table and the body it held.

"Good." Optimus vanished with a swish and a slight flash.

Cheetor's body had been moved to one side of the table, and assorted bits of electronics had been set out neatly beside it by the time Optimus and Rhinox returned, Tirzah a motionless bundle in the green science officer's arms.

"Good," he said, absently handing the young woman to Dinobot as he stepped toward the table. "Hold this while I rebuild his spark casing."

"Rebuild his spark casing? But you said that his spark..." An frowned.

"Was shattered. And I was right. But most of it's currently lodged in Tirzah's chest, and I need to get it somewhere where I can take care of it." Rhinox grabbed tools and materials and set to work.

"...The stupid kid pick up on Starscream's immortality or something?" asked Blackarachnia, finally breaking the startled silence that followed Rhinox's words.

"I guess it's just hard to leave when your body's otherwise fine and your every thought's wrapped up in something down here." Rhinox didn't look up from his work. "Now stop bugging me so I can get this done before he goes out."

The spider-bot snorted, but even her bad-girl attitude couldn't cover the concern in her optics as she settled by Optimus and An to watch the emergency surgery.

Rhinox worked quickly, knowing that he only needed to make a spark compartment that would work well enough to keep Cheetor online long enough to be put into a CR chamber. This was soon done, and then he grabbed a small device not unlike a shallowly spread out, rectangular funnel. "Alright. Bring her here, Dinobot."

The saurian mech did so, his brow ridges low over his optics with the force of his frown.

They lifted slightly as he watched Rhinox put the device over Tirzah's chest and then swiftly move it to Cheetor's.

And then he growled softly as he caught the faint flicker of Cheetor's optics.

Optimus caught it too, and he gasped and took a step forward. "Cheetor?"

"Move!" Rhinox dropped the device and scooped the young Maximal into his arms, then whirled and quickly stuffed him into the nearest CR chamber before slamming it shut and checking the readouts.

"How long is he going to be in there?" asked An softly.

"I'm not sure." Rhinox sighed. "Probably a few weeks. His spark's in pretty bad shape."

"But he is going to make it?" Optimus barely dared to ask it. After thinking he'd lost his adopted son, he was almost afraid to set his spark on keeping Cheetor now.

"He will if I have anything to say about it." Rhinox scanned Tirzah, his mouth twitching slightly. "An, you want to go put her in Cheetor's room to rest?"

"Cheetor's room?" Optimus blinked. "Wouldn't it be better for her if she were in her house, where it's familiar?"

"Like I say." Rhinox quirked his brow ridges at An, silently asking her again. "Cheetor's spark was shattered. I couldn't extract all the little bits, and I don't want to strain Cheetor by moving the rest of it too far off." Then he cracked a very slight smile. "Besides, you wouldn't make anyone else's sparkmate leave the ship while they were sick."

"Spark... mate?" Optimus' optics widened.

Then he facepalmed. "I'm starting to think I don't have any say in anything that happens to us here."

Rhinox just snorted, and then transformed. "Excuse me. I'm going to go smell some flowers and talk to their Maker. You better take some downtime too."

Optimus watched him go, and then sighed and went to pull a chair near the CR chamber and lean his head in his hands as he prayed.