Explanations 3

A Transformers Prime Fanfiction

"Okay, so Miso soup with tofu and daikon radishes, hot nettle tea with honey, big pink fluffy fleece blanket, Nausicaa cartoons, and ice cold lemon water. Oh, that's okay Mrs. Nakadi. Miko's a friend. I'm sure she'd do the same for me. Thanks for everything, goodbye." Jack nodded to Ratchet who cut the connection. The boy held a list of ingredients and odds and ends.

"So, Mom says the most important part of fighting a cold is to keep the spirits up. According to Miko's mom, thanks for the translation program by-the-way Ratchet; this is how she treats Miko during a cold." Jack flourished the list and beckoned Raf to come join them. "Now I can bring over my old camp stove to cook the soup on. Raf, can you get these anime episodes to play on the TV for Miko?" The smaller boy nodded. "If Ratchet can help me rout my Netflux subscription through the main system." The Autobot nodded and scooped up the human to go begin.

"Well Jack, I guess that leaves you and me with currier duty." Arcee said.

"Yep," Jack replied, "and we're going to need to do some searching to find some of these ingredients. We'd better stop at my house first and make sure my old camp stove still works." From the humans area a series of sneezes exploded followed by a low groan. Arcee glanced down at Jack. "Let's take the ground bridge."

A bright green flash faded from the windows of a nondescript garage. Inside Jack immediately began digging through a pile of camping gear in the far corner of the garage.

"Ah! Here it is," he said triumphantly. "Oh, but it has a new dent." Arcee examined the battered metal curiously.

"Hmm," she said, "That must have been what made that crunching sound last week." Jack gave a little snort.

"What?" The Autobot shrugged, "Your garage is small."

"Well, if it's broken Ratchet can fix it." Jack concluded, "But we're out of Propane and will have to pick some more up."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Arcee asked.

"Of course, we need the gas to work the camp stove," Jack replied.

"No, I mean letting Ratchet fix the stove. Can't you just cook the food here and bridge it to Miko?"

"Nah, Miko's mom said the smell of the cooking soup was as important as the soup itself. Besides what's wrong with letting Ratchet fix the stove?"

"Two words Jack, science project." Jack let out a shudder at the memory. His shop teacher still wouldn't let him near the power tools.

"You've got a point Arcee, but I get the feeling that Ratchet really wants to do something to help Miko. This seems to have disturbed him." The Autobot nodded in response.

"You're right there Jack. Ratchet watched a lot of good bots die because of viruses during the war. On Cybertron there was no such thing as a naturally occurring virus. If a bot came down with one it was meant to kill. Leaving it to nature meant letting a friend die"

"Then he'll enjoy doing this to help Miko," Jack said. Arcee nodded reluctantly and called for a return ground bridge. Four hours and five ground bridges later the human and Autobot pulled into the missile silo with saddlebags bulging. Miko was curled up shivering in the same chair they'd left her in, wrapped in a rough brown blanket. Arcee transformed and gently placed the bags on a makeshift table. Jack started up the stairs toward the table but stopped and smacked a hand to his forehead.

"We forgot Propane!"

"Not to worry! I have improved your cooking device!" Ratchet's voice vibrated with pride from across the silo. Arcee cast a quick, 'I told you so", look at Jack before turning her attention to a contraption in a corner of the humans living area. Near the top she thought she saw the camp stove but it was pierced and contorted with various tubes and wires. Jack looked at it nervously and backed away a few steps.

"Well, aren't you going to try it out?" Ratchet asked eagerly as he came over. Jack glanced at Arcee then took a deep breath.

"Sure, I'll just put a pot of water on to heat up." He approached the device wearily. There were two knobs on the front, one for each burner. Both explicitly marked by F0 in Raf's carefull handwriting. Jack filled a pot with bottled water and placed it on a burner, then carefully turned it on medium. A clear blue flame leapt obediently to the bottom of the pot. Jack let out a long breath and placed the lid on the pot. He smiled in triumph at Arcee who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"So if it doesn't run on Propane what does it run on?" Arcee asked curiously. Ratchet pointed to a small box at the base of the structure.

"Energon!"

"But aren't you guys like, chronically low on Energon?" Jack asked with concern. "There's no need to waste it on us." Ratchet frowned.

"I would not call helping Miko recover from a virus a waste," the medic said firmly, "Now what about the rest of the treatment?" Jack pulled a bright pink fleece blanket out of the saddlebags.

"Here Miko, lean forward." The young man gently wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and the exhausted girl snuggled down into the comfortable fabric. Jack placed a new box of tissues next to her and slipped a soft cap onto her head. While Raf squeezed a few lemons into a pitcher of ice-water, Jack began chopping the ingredients for the miso soup.

Ratchet watched the proceedings from a slight distance. Arcee came over and laid a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her and gave a tired smile, then turned his attention back to the humans.

"Ratchet?" Arcee asked quietly, "Is it just me or does Miko seem worse that she did when we left?" The old bot nodded and replied,

"Yes, but not to worry. I managed to scan the genetic profile for the virus that is causing all this. According to my research, it is following a fairly standard set of symptoms for someone of Miko's age. She should be fine." Ratchet hesitated, "I would like to keep her here for further observation though." Arcee nodded and walked over to the children.

"Miko, how would you like to spend the night here?" But the girl was fast asleep, snoring loudly and drooling out one side of her mouth. Raf came over to look at her, and grinned.

"Jack, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jack smiled as he pulled out his phone.

"Pictures for posterity!"

Twenty minutes later the soup was done and several gallons of nettle tea brewed. Miko had woken up just enough to call and inform her host parents that she was staying the night at a friend's house, and then promptly dropped back off to sleep. Jack turned off the modified camp stove and closed the lid.

"Well, I better head home…" Just then there was an odd sound from the stove. Jack turned curiously and reached out to make sure it was off. Ratchet suddenly let out a shout and lunged for the device. But before he could reach it a stream of blue flame shot out and wrapped around Jack's arm.

"Jack!" Arcee gasped. Ratchet grabbed the stove and wrenched the energon fuel cell off of it. The blue flames sputtered and died. Jack's shirt had vaporized on direct contact with the energon flame and caught fire along the edges. Raf grabbed a gallon bottle of water and poured it over the flames. Jack crouched against the wall gasping in pain. The two Autobots and Raf stared in silence at him for a stunned moment, Miko was still sound asleep.

""Well," Ratchet finally broke the silence, "I know for sure he needs human medical attention now." Arcee shot him a venomous glare and transformed.

"Jack, can you ride?"

"I. Think. So." He gasped. Raf came up with a wet towel and gently wrapped it around Jack's arm.

"Here this should help." Ratchet was curiously examining the broken stove and muttering something about faulty human tech.

"Bridge us to Jack's house," Arcee barked, "his mom is home and should know what to do." Raf looked up worriedly at Jack.

"What are you going to tell your mom?"

"So you were cooking soup for a sick friend, on our camp-stove, when it malfunctioned and scorched your arm?" June Darby stared at her son and let out a little laugh. Jack looked a bit offended. It was just so very much like him, she thought. He was always the kind to fall out of a tree rescuing a kitten. As they walked into the hospital June smiled at the young man and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Well I'm proud of you for trying to help your friend out anyway." Neither of them saw the blue motorcycle that pulled up into the emergency room parking lot and angled itself for the best view into the hospital.