A few hours prior….
After Amelia had called in to let Sharona know that she was going to be late and that Rose was "sick", she left the house immediately afterwards. Leaving Rose to do whatever to calm herself down.
'I hope that by the time I get back, she'll be herself again.' Amelia thought to herself as she sped down the highway to get to work.
When she arrived at work she couldn't help but notice their daily "visitor" swimming back and forth along the waves near the docking station.
'Is it that same shark again?! Is Sharona feeding it or something?' Amelia questioned thoughtfully.
A while back, after Sharona's latest exploration to some unknown location at sea, the Center had gotten a new visitor that seemed to make daily appearances at their shores. Amelia tried to approach the shark by the docks to see what it looked like. But as soon as she got even close to the docks she would get this feeling of impending doom in her soul.
Immediately she went the other way and went back to work. She asked Sharona about the shark, numerous times actually, but all she kept getting was dodgy answers or she would switch the subject.
'Strange….' She thought suspiciously.
But she knew from experience not to question the unexplained if she could help it.
She got out of her car and proceeded to head off to work. Once inside, she headed off to her station at the security office. Where she was in charge of keeping a close eye on the monitors while the others went on patrol. And then afterwards they would switch positions.
Once there, she was greeted by Melody and Winnie. Fellow security guards. Melody was in charge of being "third in command" of the Center. And Winnie was a top notch expert at getting information out of debtors or intruders. Winnie had an interesting personality along with Bonnie, who was currently teaching a new intern about the sea turtles. They both were childhood friends and didn't grow up in the best of conditions. So that could play in some of her quirks that she often showed. And Amelia didn't and couldn't blame her for that. Winnie had a rough childhood and because of that, affected her in a lot of ways that could potentially hurt her or others in the long run. But she had to hand it to her, ever since she and Bonnie showed up, Sharona has had to deal with less and less debtors and assaults to deal with. And for that, she was grateful.
"Hey Winnie. Hey Melody. How's it going?" Amelia asked.
"Nothing much, just making sure nobody is around the gates." Melody signed.
"Yeah, and so far those bozos haven't shown up. Guess I really scared them the last time they tried to break in huh~?" Winnie smirked as she thought of the terrified faces of the last debtor that tried to break in.
"I want to say that violence is not the answer to everything, though those debtors are making it harder and harder for me to prove that…" Melody signed tiredly.
"Melody, let's face it, sometimes humanity can be such a pain in the behind and that there's nothing you can do about it. So sometimes you just have to knock some sense into their pea brains." Winnie replied as she leaned in her roller chair and put her feet on the desk in a relaxed position.
"True. But I still believe that there's some hope for humanity. We just need the right guidance from a higher being. And get your feet off the desk!" Melody chastised Winnie as she swatted her feet off the desk.
Winnie chuckled. "What? So you mean like God or aliens?" Winnie asked intrigued.
"Well, whatever which one it is, I hope they do it soon. Cuz I don't know how much more of my sanity can take it." Amelia said in a huff as she plopped down at her station.
"So what's up with Rosie Posie? She sick or something?" Winnie asked as she wondered why Amelia was late.
"Well first off, make sure not to call her that in front of her or you'll be in a chokehold, again." Amelia smirked as she saw Winnie grimace at the memory.
"Secondly, yeah. She's not feeling too good so she took the day off." She explained.
"Is it really that? Or did something happen to her?" Melody signed suspiciously.
Amelia was a bit caught off guard when she asked this. Even after working with Melody for a few years, she still wasn't used to how sharp she can be. It was a little frightening.
"H-how…?" Amelia stuttered.
"Oh c'mon Ames! Even a blind person can obviously tell what's wrong!" Winnie exclaimed, which caught Amelia off guard.
"She's been acting funny for about a week now, being all jumpy and whatnot! In fact, now that I think about it…" Winnie began to think harder. "Sharona and especially Stella have also been acting weird lately. Not like Rosie, but pretty close. You have any idea Mel?" Winnie asked.
"Not that I can recall." Melody lied through her metaphorical teeth. She, being a highly trained informant, knew why Sharona and Stella had been "unsteady" as of late already. And she of course was seeing, as in dating, the Mercon intel officer. He asked her a few days ago if she would like to court him. And of course, she said yes in her soft voice which gave Soundwave shivers of pleasure every time.
But as Melody thought about that moment she couldn't help the slight smile on her face.
"Ohhh~ what's got you all smiley smiley~? Did someone finally get a boyfriend~?" Winnie asked/teased. And Melody couldn't help the playful glare she sent her way while she blushed.
"*Le Gasp*!!! You did!!! Didn't you?! Tell me his name, what he does, and what he looks like!!! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!!" Winnie excitedly bombarded her.
Amelia, though also intrigued, just shook her head and giggled at the two's antics. But before Melody could respond, the door to their office opened.
A woman of 24 years of age with black mid length hair and a pair of bright green eyes with large nerdy glasses walked in.
"Zhello ladies. I vould like to inform you zhat I am going to go on an undervater rezearch expedition vith Miss Sanchez. And vould like to inform you all zhat, if necezzary, to contact Sharona zhat if zomething happenz, to make zure you all come looking for uz, at theze coordinatez, if I'm not back vithin 48 hourz. Iz zhat understood?" She informed them in her heavy German accent. She slid a piece of paper with precise numbers written on it.
"Sure thing Quin. But, uh, why are you only taking Marisala with ya?" Winnie asked curiously.
The woman, now known as Quin, huffed with indignence.
"I am not going to bring only one perzon. I am alzo bringing azziztants from my lab to help me and keep an eye on zhe boat. But like I zaid, if any of you need to reach me or if Sharona iz looking for me, zhen juzt tell her I'll be gone for a vhile." She explained stoically.
Quin was also an interesting character. She said that before she came to work for them, that she was a highly recognized scientist and doctor of sorts in the medical and scientific community. Amelia, knowing a few things with some of the work that she did in their labs, couldn't remember if her name was mentioned anywhere in both the communities that were concerned. So something must've happened to her in order for both fields to keep it hush hush about it. She tried once to ask what happened with Quin and her former occupations. But all she got was that, "It vazn't a gud fit for me." Or "Occupational hazardz."
"Vell, it vaz gud talking to you ladies, but zcience vaits for no one. Gud day." Quin mock saluted jokingly and continued on her way.
The girls chuckled and continued their previous conversation. Much to Melody's chagrin.
Le Time Skip to after work and Photography lessons
Amelia was on her way from photography lessons and she was puzzled. Her teacher recommended that she find a sort of muse for her to focus her work on. To which, she was going to have a hard time finding it since she was so indecisive on pretty much everything she chose.
But as she drove, she came by a local beach which was close to her home and thought that maybe she would have some luck finding anything muse worthy there.
She pulled over and parked her car in the parking lot and took her camera out and began taking pictures while the sun was still out.
A few hours later, she had over a dozen pictures of marine life and landscape photos. But none of them seemed to click for her. As she walked along the shoreline, she was about to give up and go back home to her cousin.
But then all of sudden, something magnetic pulled at her heartstrings towards an outcropping of large rocks.
She was drawn to the feeling like a moth to a flame. As she walked closer to the rocks, a familiar smell of iron and something else mixed in with it reached her nose.
'Is someone hurt?! If I can smell that much blood from such a distance, then someone or something is in danger!' And of course, being the kind soul that she was, she dashed towards the outcropping.
Breakdown's POV
Darkness…
All he felt was a hollow feeling filled with nothing but darkness, hardly even that.
Slowly, something started to echo through that emptiness, and a thumping noise similar to that of a spark starting to beat after what felt like an eternity of not doing so.
It was such a warm feeling, something he'd never felt before.
The beating slowly started getting louder, and a pulling became apparent to him.
It soon started to become unbearable, and in a small sense, painful.
"Wha-!" He gasped, breathing in air like he'd never felt it in his chest once in his life.
His one good eye darted around finding himself on a beach.
As waves crashed behind him panic filled him, memories of MECH flashing through his head to only be put to the side as he found the legs of a bird standing in front of him.
He looked up to see it and caught it's small black eyes and long orange bill.
"......"
He found himself just staring at the large white bird.
"......."
And it just stared back as if he was the most interesting thing it ever saw.
A long moment ticked by with nothing happening. Him nor the bird moved or even made a noise.
It just stood there and he just laid there, with blank expressions and unblinking eyes.
Until the darned thing tried to take out his only one good eye with a peck of its bill.
Which caused him to yell several profanities and flinch away holding his face in his large scared hands.
Causing the bird to fly away, frightened.
"Hello?! Is someone there?!" A strong but distinctly feminine had called.
'Oh, Primus no! Not a human!!!' he thought terrified, frantically looking around to see who it was and maybe make a break for it to the ocean.
A long dark haired young woman peered over the top of the rocks and gasped at what she saw. Breakdown didn't know whether her brown eyes held fear or confusion in them. Probably both from his previous encounters with humans have told him. The woman was staring at him and especially around his body. He wondered what she was looking at with such horror. That was until he saw how many wounds he had gained from that mine collapse.
And that's when they shared the same look of horror. And when his brain finally told him, 'Yeah, Buddy you're hurt. Very hurt. And you're going to feel it now!' Even though it'd probably been several hours since he had acquired these injuries, pain still shot up and down his body like someone had thrown a swordfish at him and he'd run into a whale at the same time.
He'd never felt so mentally sandwiched before, not that it's an actual term…
But it felt like it…
"Okay…!!! Ummm….!!! Normally I'm the nurse in these situations…" The human trailed off. Then a figurative lightbulb went off in the woman's head.
"Okay if I can find an access point around these rocks, I'll be able to lift you to my car. I'll be right back!"
She started to climb back up the rocks. She turned back briefly to yell down at him.
"Try not to move too much or you'll make the injuries worse! I'll try to hurry!"
She then scurried off to Primus knows where and left Breakdown very confused.
He didn't quite know what to expect from this human, and normally would've been relieved that she left. But just seeing her made him want her back.
Why? Goodness, WHY?
Thoughts and questions swam through his mind like a small fish fleeing from a shark.
And the pain didn't help.
Yup not a bit…
She'd told him not to move. 'Com'on woman, you saw me! Do you think I'd want to move?'
In the distance he could hear a car's engine start and it was getting closer and closer till it sounded like it was nearby. But the giant rocks still covered his line of sight. And from his point of view, the only way you could get out of this area was if you climbed in and out like she did. So how was she going to help?
A couple of moments later she reappeared with a large medical kit strapped at her waist with a weird looking sash like sling around her upper torso.
"Okay! I'm back! And I brought my car along with supplies!" She said cheerfully.
A mixture of relief and weariness washed over him. How could he truly trust her?
And why was she so happy to help him?
Or was she happy she found him this damaged, so he couldn't fight back when she did something?
'Oh, Primus forbid!'
She had already made her way to him, and over to his side and kneeled down the best she could with the big medical kit strapped on her.
Which caused Breakdown to flinch the opposite way of her in fear.
"What's wrong?! Are your wounds getting worse?!" She cried out panic-stricken.
"Too close…" Breakdown muttered low and fearful. He could already feel the pain fading away due to the anxiety that filled him.
He didn't wanna go through that again! 'No. No. No. No. Please no!'
The pain MECH caused was not just physical it had done a number on his psyche as well.
And it clouded his mind with anxiety and rained terror. With the periodic crack of anger like thunder, flashing through him as fast as it'd leave.
Again, again, and again.
Then, out of the storm of emotions, a warm comforting hand took hold of his hand. And then he felt the cold splash of water on his face.
He finally regained his senses and looked everywhere frantically till his eye landed on the woman. He was confused as to why she was holding a half empty water bottle with a panicked face. Then he noticed her soft hand tightly wrapped around his large one.
A strong look of concern lingered there on her face, slowly getting stronger by the second he didn't say anything.
He didn't understand why she was helping him or even what she was doing here.
All he knew from humans was pain.
And nothing more.
"Okay, I don't know if you get those panic attacks a lot, but, whatever happened in the past, it's not going to happen now. I'm the last person that wants to do anything but help you. Just… if not believe in humanity, believe in me." She says with a soft but strong encouraging voice as she removed her hand from his and held it out for him to shake.
"Hi, my name's Amelia. What's yours?"
As she anxiously waited for her hand to be shook, Breakdown only grew more confused but yet encouraged.
"I-" He said quietly.
That was the first time he'd ever heard those words, even from the Merbots.
Which they were the ones to save him from MECH in the first place.
The one's he called his enemies. The one's he fought, and killed.
Had saved him.
And now, a human, someone of a race he thought he'd never see kindness from. Was trying to help him.
He was at a loss for words.
With everything horrible that had happened to him from mankind, he never thought in a million years that he would experience kindness from them. But here came this dark haired woman, who'd said her name was Amelia, offering her help to escape death.
She had just flipped his perception of her race upside-down.
"Breakdown, my name's Breakdown."
"And, why are you helping me?" He muttered in a breathy voice, perplexed. Holding out his hand to take hers, in a firm handshake.
Amelia beamed a shy and sweet smile and shook his hand in a tight but gentle grip.
"Hello Breakdown, I'm happy to meet you, and I guess the reason is that it's… I guess it's kinda my job." She giggled shyly as she scratched her neck awkwardly with her free hand.
Her timidness made Breakdown smile softly, a foreign feeling to his scared and broad face. He'd never seen a human like her before, and he'd wished he had.
"So, it's your job? How in the world are you going to fix me up?" His smile soon became pained and turned into a grimace as he dropped his hand and lowered his head, relaxing his wounded body. And showing his vulnerability to her.
It felt very weak to him, but he had no choice but to put some faith in her to help him out.
He didn't know if he'd ever see Knockout again.
'Knockout…' He wondered.
Would he ever see his bestie again?
Was he even alive? He hoped he'd see him again.
Breakdown wasn't one to pray. No. He honestly thought that Primus had turned his back on everything he made and left them to destroy each other over the smallest of things.
But for once in a very long time, he prayed; it was small. But he pleaded to Him for his best friend's safety.
And hoped He had heard his call, even if he didn't choose to listen.
He hoped He just heard.
Amelia noticed the dazed look in his eyes. She also saw some touch of concern in his features as well. She wanted to ask what was wrong but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries. She then noticed that Breakdown was still holding her hand. And she noticed that he rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand.
She thought it was just his way of thinking, but it still felt intimate to a degree. So she tried to get his attention without him seeing how embarrassed she was.
"Um, in order to p-patch you up, I k-kinda h-have to use both of my h-hands…." She mentally facepalmed herself for stuttering like an idiot.
Lifting his gaze to look at her flustered face and was able to slowly pull himself back to reality.
He normally wouldn't zone out, or for that matter do anything like this.
He was a soldier, someone who had to stay professional and strong at all times.
He wasn't supposed to show weakness.
But that's just what he was doing. He was laying there; wounded with a human, holding her hand…
Holding her hand...
Now he was completely back to his senses and mentally cursed.
Pulling back his hand and watching her much more closely.
"Very well…" He mouthed, waiting for her to do something.
"Well, I have some medical supplies here with me that can hopefully slow the bleeding and prevent infection from your wounds." Amelia informed, now back to her senses.
Breakdown nodded in confirmation.
"May I ask what you're going to do in order to patch me up? I may not look like it, but I am what you call a nurse." Breakdown asked/informed.
Amelia was surprised. She then asked, "You seem more like a soldier than a nurse? But… then again, I guess I'm in the same position of rank as you when it comes to the looks department. Heh." She sheepishly giggled to herself.
Breakdown thought on her words for a minute and smiled. "Yes, I suppose we are." He replied thoughtfully.
As Amelia listed off on what she was going to do, Breakdown gave his input to her and suggested what else she could use to help.
"Annnndddd…. There! That should hold you up till we get to our destination!" Amelia smiled at how well her work on him was holding up.
Breakdown was impressed. He wouldn't expect a human to be so well versed on how to treat one of his kind. Although, with his input also helped things along nicely.
But Breakdown couldn't help but flinch when she said "destination". So he had to ask, "Where EXACTLY are we going?"
Amelia noticed how tense his voice was and carefully replied, "Well I was ORIGINALLY thinking of taking you to the Center where I work, in order to help you out further. But from the way that you're getting tense at what I'm saying, I take it that you don't want to."
"Your assumption is correct. I'm not really comfortable with the concept of going to places that I'm not familiar with."
He replied matter-a-factly to her and trailing off at the end.
Amelia thought hard on this. She thought about it till she had an "A-HA!" moment. She looked at Breakdown with a smile that said that she solved the world's most complicated math problem.
He was nervous.
"Okay, Breakdown. I know you wouldn't like it being surrounded by different people. But since you trust me(?) would you prefer it if you would like to come to my house? Or in your case, a residence where I live. That way we can treat you properly and you won't have a panic attack. Is that alright with you?" She asked brightly.
A crooked smile appeared on his scared face as he replied to her.
"It doesn't look like I have too much of a choice now do I?" His one eye looked towards her yet, still unsure of what to expect from her.
Now the only question that remained in Breakdown's mind was, how was she gonna get him to the truck? So he asked.
And she once again gave him a look that sent worry through his body, but it wasn't completely uneasy.
It was more playful than anything.
That's when she lifted him up gently by the underside of his shoulders and began to drag him aways before hoisting him up bridal style. And had him secured in the sling across her chest.
Which in turn made him cry out like a little girl in surprise shortly at the sudden movement.
Breakdown was definitely not expecting this situation to happen.
'How in the Pits is this human woman so strong?! She lifted me up like I was nothing but, what do humans call it? "A sack of potatoes!" ' Breakdown thought erratically.
"What's the matter~? You got awfully quiet after those "manly" screams?" Amelia teased lightly as she walked towards the rock face.
"What can I say? I'm not used to being carried." He shot back sarcastically.
He'd decided to tease her back since she'd shown she was alright with it, due to the amount of times she'd done so to him in the past few minutes of knowing each other.
Amelia grew sheepish and nervously scratched the back of her neck. "Ahahaha… Yeah… I get called out by that a lot by my coworkers… I'm just naturally strong and big boned… Heh…" she blushed as she grabbed hold of the rope and started to climb.
The descent up made BreakDown hold his breath; he'd never really had anyone carry him before, not to mention CLIMB something before.
It felt odd, almost like his brain and gut was still on the sea floor below even though they were only a few feet from the sea level.
It was still odd and made him very dizzy at the feeling.
Not that he'd even been to dizzy before, the ocean was the ocean.
You can go up and down and nothing really changes other than pressure.
There had been a few times he'd been caught in a small whirlpool and that was nauseating.
This.
This was just strange.
"Hold on tight! I'm almost there!" She yelled as she reached the top of the rock face.
When she finally made it, they could see the rest of the beach and ocean along with her running heavy duty pick up truck.
"Since you're a little big to fit into the backseat, you're going in the bed in the back, is that okay with ya?" She asked out of breath.
"Again with the rhetorical choices."
He replied still a bit dazed at the climb but conscious enough to know that she was tiring with his weight and the climb.
Amelia then grinned mischievously from ear to ear. "You ready for the fun part~?"
His eye went wide with playful worry.
"Oh no," He mouthed halfheartedly, waiting for her to do something nuts.
By this point he was starting to get used to her playfulness, but what she did next put the fear of Primus himself back into his soul.
She then turned around and literally dropped halfway down the small seaside cliff and then stopped abruptly in a military slide drop. To say Breakdown wasn't expecting that would be an understatement.
He once again found himself crying out in terror when she dropped to only stop mid fall the yank on the robe that rocked though both their forms made him yelp and his grip on her became all the tighter.
'NURSE MY AFT!' He thought. As many more profanities flooded his mind when she landed on the side of the tiny cliff with a graceful tump of her boots.
"Alright, we're almost there. Just hang tight Rambo!" She teased as her mischievous smile grew on her face. She then made another drop and slide and made a jump to the ground. Which in hindsight, wasn't that much of a drop for her but a certain Mercon would say differently.
"YOU JUST CLIMBED UP THERE AND JUST CASUALLY JUMPED OFF!!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" Breakdown finally yelled out in his deep voice completely terrified of the girl who was currently holding him.
He wasn't angry at her, he was just plain old, terrified.
As he stared at her for a moment watching her facial expressions closely.
She tried to hold in her laughter, but it was futile. "Hahahaha!!!! S-sorry. If I had known you would've reacted that way, I-I would've… Hooo boy!!!" She kept laughing her cute laugh while Breakdown just stared at her with both a wondrous stare and a pouty face.
"You're crazy…" He gave her a pouting glare, and then huffed and looked away.
He knew it was merling-like to do but hey, he was wounded and the cute human girl was toying with him!
He wasn't trained for this!
"Okay mister grumpy scales~ I'll put you down." she giggled as she walked up to the bed of the truck and gently placed him on some comfy towels as she carefully strapped him in with some secure strappings. "Now I have to put this tarp over you in order to hide you. Is that okay?" She asked as she showed him the blue tarp.
Instead of saying something he just gave her a look that seemed to do most of the talking for him as he rolled his eye and reached for the water proof plastic blue tarp.
For her to hand it to him and then to throw it over himself. The sound wasn't too pleasant to him but it worked and it kept him out of the setting golden sun.
She made sure that the tarp was secured so it wouldn't fly off in the wind when the truck moved. "Alright! Here we go, hang in there! And don't come out unless I tell you to!" She yelled back from the front seat as she closed the truck's door and started to drive out of the beach and onto the road.
*Le Time Skip*
Amelia finally arrived home and parked in the driveway. By the time they arrived, it was already night. She hoped that sneaking in the Mer wouldn't draw attention from any of her neighbors that sometimes comes around every once in a while. Amelia made sure that she backed up the truck to around the front of the porch.
She turned off the truck and hurried to the back of the large pick-up and peeked in the tarp. "Hey there. Hope my driving wasn't too bad. How're you doing so far?" She asked with sheepish concern.
BreakDown had a tight grip on the straps that held him into the back of the large truck.
"Not bad, a bit bumpy and windy at times but I don't think anyone can help with that." He replied in a dark hoarse voice as he regarded the human female and watched her facial expressions closely.
"Heh-heh… sorry about that. Hold on, I'll get you unstrapped and we'll see what my cousin can help us with." She said sheepishly. She then uncovered the tarp and unlatched him. She then picked him up bridal style and yet again earning a squeaky yelp from the buff Mercon soldier. Amelia couldn't help the giggle that slipped from her mouth.
"C'mon oh fearless soldier of mine. Let's see if we can patch you up."
"You tease so much, human." He huffed out, face once again had formed a merling like pout.
He would've crossed his arms in a defensive stance but it was rather hard considering that he had an arm across her shoulders to help steady themselves.
As she started to walk over to her house being careful not to make too much noise as to disturb their neighbors.
Amelia hurried inside and looked around for her cousin. She began to panic a little when she couldn't find her. She finally yelled out her name and went to the only place she hadn't checked yet. The basement. When she finally made it down there, you could imagine the surprise both she and Breakdown had when they saw both her cousin and a red and white, injured Mer in a shallow watered kiddy pool.
BreakDown recognized the red mer immediately.
"Knockout?!" Breakdown exclaimed in surprise and happiness.
"Breakdown?!" Knockout cried in surprise.
"You're alive!" BreakDowns face turned into something of pure joy; eye gleaming and a large smile adorned his lips, as he looked over his friend being pampered by the redhead next to him, and her shocked face as she looked at her cousin.
Rose was speechless as she saw her cousin easily hold up an easily over two hundred pound creature in her arms as if he was a blushing bride from a cheesy Hallmark movie. Rose then decided to add her two cents in the situation. "Um, Ames? How in the deep blue ocean did you….. "acquire" a mer creature?"
Amelia smiled sheepishly but then realized the problem at fin. (Yes that was a pun. Deal with it. XD)
"Um, I know that you're currently busy with another patient but this one is deeply injured and is at risk for infection. Will you be able to help for just a moment?" She politely pleaded with desperate eyes.
Rose smiled gently at her soft hearted cousin. "Of course. Just let me grab and fill an extra pool for him. Then I'll get to work. In the meantime, you can put him on the gurney."
Amelia smiled brightly and gently placed the injured Mercon on the bloodied gurney. No doubt from his friend. Which led to the next big question in her head. What happened to them? It can't be a coincidence that two mer creatures came up injured. It was as if….
They were at battle with someone…
When Rose filled up the second kiddy pool she silently gestured for Amelia to grab the next patient. And once Breakdown was in, Rose got to work on his injuries.
"So….. may I ask what two knuckleheaded mer creatures as yourselves managed to do to get your injuries to the point where you're bleeding at our figurative doorstep?" Rose said in a chastising motherly tone that Ronda often used. Earning Amelia to snicker at her cousin's blunt question.
As both mers looked at each other, sharing an expression of dread.
"Cave in."
"Merbots."
They both echoed each other in a humorous mess of the small amount of words. Which not only confused the femmes taking care of them, but each other as well.
The mess up made them both want to correct themselves, but that was impossible if they didn't want to embarrass themselves any further.
"It's complicated…" Knockout sighed, while covering his face with a finned red hand.
"Not really…" Breakdown dragged on, to then continue. "Well, it is but it isn't…. It's, strange…?" He groaned at his own lack of the ability to explain the seemingly simple part of their lives.
Why was this suddenly so hard to explain?
From what Rose could deduce from their previous answers and the state that they were in, she was able to pull it semi together.
"You mean these "Merbots" were who you were fighting with and somehow they caused a cave in where you were fighting at?" She said as she disinfected Breakdowns' cuts and felt gently around for possible fractures.
Breakdown would flinch every so often, even going so far as to grit his teeth.
Though Knockout was a bit aways from him, he decided to comfort his friend by doing something rather humorous.
He lined his hand up with the top of Breakdowns head from his point of view, and gave it a few pats, as his face held that of comfort in it's features.
Rose and Amelia caught a glimpse at what he was doing and chuckled. Well, more like Rose chuckled while Amelia snorted unceremoniously.
"You didn't answer my deduction. By the way, tell me where it hurts the most internally. And then I'll start administering the pain medicine to help that and numb out the stitching. Okay?" Rose both questions and asked him politely.
"Does everywhere count?" He replies with a sheepish smile, that hinted at his pained state right now.
He once again shot a look towards his friend, which gave him an empathetic wide grimace, which looked like a pained forced smile to an extent.
Rose looked at both of them with suspicion in her eyes. But seeing as how uncomfortable they were, she chose to drop the subject. For now. Right now she had to remain focused as she administered the numbing pain medicine into his buff arm.
The medicine took immediately and Breakdown could finally relax while Rose worked on stitching up his gashes on his body.
Amelia came over to his side and offered a water bottle that she grabbed from the basement fridge. "Figured you were parched." Amelia said as she offered him a kind smile.
"So. What do you two plan on doing after you're recovered? You're not going anywhere anytime soon with those injuries. Do you have family you need to contact and reassure? Or are you not able to do that?" Rose asked inquisitively.
"Yes, yes we can. But no, not other than this idiot." Knockout gestures to his friend beside him in the other kiddy pool.
"You're one to talk smart aft." He gave Knockout a pinched look, something siblings would normally give one another.
Rose snickered at the bickering mers. "Alright, and I'm…. Done! How do you feel so far?" Rose asked Breakdown.
"Much better thank you! I definitely appreciate the assistance." He chuckled, as he fiddled with the water bottle he was given earlier. Not knowing quite how to open it, but fidgeting with it nonetheless.
Amelia chuckled. She grabbed the water bottle and twisted it open then handed it back to him. All he could do was blush a little and nod his helm in thanks.
Rose looked at her watch and groaned. "It's almost two in the morning. And we gotta be up early for our shifts. Do you two need me to get something more comfortable to sleep in? We have a larger inflatable pool that can fit you two." Rose offered with a tired grin.
"No need, I don't think we'd want to keep you two up for much longer. We've heard that humans need more sleep than us." Breakdown said to the two women in front of him before he continued.
"Plus we're both comfortable enough thanks to you two." He continued to smile as he glanced at his friend.
"Right Knockout?"
Knockout had that dumb look of love on his face while he looked at Rose, as he regarded everyone else with little recognition.
"Right Knockout?" He said in a much more demanding tone to get the red Mercons' attention.
Knockout finally snapped out of his trance and replied. "Oh, uh. Yeah, Breakdown's right. You girls go on ahead, we'll be fine. No need to fret." He said with a reassuring smile on his face, and a wave of his hand.
Rose looked unsure but let it go. "Alright but tomorrow we'll get that pool up so that you can rest more easily. Goodnight you two." Rose said as she walked towards and up the stairs. Amelia gave them some more water bottles and showed them how to open them. She wished them goodnight and turned off the basement lights. But even in the dark, the two mers were able to see each other with their night vision. Perks to being a con. While they stayed up late discussing what to do for their next move. The girls talked about their day and what happened when they met the two injured mers.
"Do you think that something bad is going to happen? Because I've been having that nagging feeling all day." Amelia said with worry.
Rose didn't know what to say to that since she's been getting that feeling ever since her patch up work on Knockout.
"I don't Ames. But I know one thing is for certain." She gazed out the window from their room as if she's trying to solve a puzzle. "It's that we've gotten ourselves into one problem that's deeper than the ocean's trenches."
To be continued...