The Unity Of Two

17: Needles

Luckily it was just processor scans, however, Optimus felt the need to make sure I stayed seated and stayed. Then Ratchet moved onto my optics, he noticed the purple tint.

He blinked and did a double-take. "He has traces of dark energon in his optics." He said.

"Ah scrap." Unicron muttered, that's what I was thinking. "Stay cool."

"Care to explain?" Ratchet asked me.

"Explain what?" I asked, Optimus glared at me in warning.

"You had a dark energon crystal, and now traces in your optics and possibly in your systems." Ratchet explained, rather patiently.

"Well..." I tried to make up a believable lie fast. "Maybe I massaged my optics with it."

"You're a disappointment." Unicron hissed.

"You rubbed it in your optics?" Optimus asked.

"Yup."

"Why?" Ratchet asked.

"I... Felt like it." I was purely awkward now, hopefully they would believe my lies.

They stared at me in disbelief. "You just-"

"Yup." I cut him off.

"Well then..." Ratchet started, "I'll take an energon sample." And that set off red lights, I made a dash for the ceiling and made it this time.

"Bumpy." Primus muttered.

I squawked in understanding as I gripped to the ceiling, the splint had fallen off as I transformed and the trip up here was painful. Everyone looked up, Wheeljack somewhat confused.

"You're not supposed to transform!" Ratchet yelled up at me.

"You got a pet?" He asked Bulkhead, who was half awake and laying in a berth, he quietly explained. Wheeljack looked flabbergasted.

"That's Augury?"

"Yup." Miko tuned in from atop of Bulkhead, "Could you give me a ride later?" She shouted up to me. I nodded, "Sweet!"

"It's just one tiny needle!" Ratchet shouted as he held up a little thing. I stuck out my glossa. Optimus was glaring at me again.

"You should just let them." Primus started, "It'll just prick." Aware that we were out of audio shot.

"Yea, and then they'll find dark energon in him, that'll look real good!" Unicron explained.

"Yea, but they'll think it was because he 'massaged his optics' with a piece." Primus whisper shouted.

"Then they'll try to get it out of him." Unicron added.

"Do they know how to do that?" Primus asked.

Unicron did not have an answer for it, "Perhaps they'll wait it out?"

"He'll always have dark energon in him." Primus said.

"Get down here!" Ratchet shouted. I felt like he was yammering for a bit but I just wasn't listening. I held up a claw, as if to say, 'one moment'. He looked furious.

"We'll then they'll see that it doesn't hurt him." Unicron. "Fine! We'll take a gamble! They get some of your energon, leave it or try and drain it. Or just kick you out because you're a toxic mess!" Unicron gave in dramatically.

Leaving would be too good.

"It doesn't hurt!" Ratchet shouted, I narrowed my optics and clumsily flew down. "About time." He grumbled as Optimus collected a few of the splint pieces. I transformed and shrunk under his glare.

Ratchet put the sling and splint back on swiftly and got me to sit next to Optimus as he got the vampire-poker thing ready. I guess Optimus was here for comfort.

"You're a ruddy coward." Unicron stated, he can't stay quiet for long, can he?

"Go frag yourself." I hissed at him as Ratchet turned.

"I can get a bigger needle if you keep that up." Ratchet said, thinking I was talking to him.

"I was talking to Sire." I said hastily.

They gave me disbelieving glances, "I'm such a great scrape goat." Unicron giggled.

"Either way, you should not use such language." Optimus said.

"But he's allowed to say pedophile?" Unicron asked.

"What's that?" I asked him.

Ratchet rolled his optics. "What's what?"

"A pedophile?" I asked.

Ratchet looked to Optimus in question, he seemed to have had enough. "I said, I'll tell you when you are older." He said.

"This came up before?" Ratchet asked.

I nodded, "Yea, Sire said that-"

"That's enough, sit still." Optimus interrupted and Ratchet approached with the needle. I huffed and let him search for a cable on my left as my right shoulder was still sore.

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked.

"Scan it for dark energon traces." He grumbled. Wheeljack, Bulk and Miko were watching with interest.

Then he stuck the needle in, and I happened to be watching, yuck. "How much deeper are you going to put that in?" I asked as I felt it enter my cable. It looked more painful that in was.

He huffed and pulled it out. "You might not have to scan it." Optimus noted.

The energon in the vampire-thing was a lavender color. Ratchet glared at it and went to scan it, he put it under a micro thingy and examined it. "Thirty percent." He muttered under his venting.

"Huh?" I asked.

"You energon, in your systems, is thirty percent dark energon." Ratchet huffed and turned. Optimus looked at me in worry but shuffled away slightly.

"I'm not contagious." I shot up at him.

"Is it damaging him?" Optimus asked.

"Nope." Unicron added.

Ratchet looked at me, as if waiting for me to faint. I didn't, "Seems not." He narrowed his optics, "How much did you rub in your optics?" He asked, he knew this couldn't have just come from just massaging my optics.

"I may have nibbled on it," I paused as their expressions changed. "For taste." I added.

"I can't fragging believe this." Ratchet threw his servos in the air dramatically.

"Language." Unicron and I said at the same time. Ratchet had enough and stormed out, leaving me with Optimus.

"Am I going to offline?" I asked, for entertainment, as Sire cracked up.

He looked at me, "You seem healthy." He said, "How long have you had dark energon in your systems?"

"The longer you say, the better." Unicron added.

"A month?" I suggested, "I don't see why Ratchet is being so dramatic." He nodded, "But what's a pedophile?" I asked, his shoulders sagged.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"I am older." I pointed out.