//------------------------------// // Savior // Story: We Need A Medic // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Savior “W-what do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” Fluttershy asked as she looked up at Ratchet. Optimus had been kind enough to bring her and Pinkie next to the operating table so that they could see what was going on. But what was going on wasn’t good. “I’ve stemmed the loss of energon and patched up most of his chest, but thanks to the fact that Soundwave uses explosive rounds some shrapnel was lodges into Curbcheck’s spark,” Ratchet informed Fluttershy as he stared down at the floor. “And extracting shrapnel so close to the spark is an incredible delicate operation. But thanks to the damage done to my hands, it will be weeks before I can perform such an operation. And Curbcheck has maybe half an hour at best.” “T-then why don’t you have the other medic, Redheart, do it?” Pinkie asked, but Redheart shook her head and backed away. “I’ve only been a medic for a year and a half. I do not have the experience nor the skill to pull an operation like this off,” she said somberly while hanging her head. “If only I could do more…” “You are doing all that you can. That is all we can ask of you,” Optimus stepped in and said kindly to the medic, before turning back to the girls. “An operation by a Transformers spark is the most delicate of all operations. One wrong move, one bad cut and it can end a Transformers life in an instant.” “And even if you know how to perform one the chances of survival are slim,” Ratchet bitterly seethed. “I’ve performed ten in my life and only one patient made it out alive. So even if I could do it, I-“ “Do not leave out important details, old friend. The one you saved was in an operating room. The others you tried to save on the battlefield while under fire. No one could have done any better given that kind of environment,” Optimus reminded Ratchet, but Ratchet didn’t raise his head. “So the problem is that the shrapnel is too close to the spark?” Fluttershy asked, trying to get a full understanding of the situation. “Correct. It takes a steady hand to perform such an operation and after the damage done to me by Soundwave I can’t even hold a rifle straight, let alone a scalpel,” Ratchet cursed, hating himself for his weakness. “To complicate matters further, there is shrapnel actually in his spark and that’s an even more delicate operation. To remove that would take the skill and precision of Bloodstream, the only bot known to extract material from a spark. And he was a Con.” “So there’s no chance of saving Curbcheck?” Pinkie asked, covering her mouth with her hands when Ratchet shook his head. “No…there has to be something, anything we can do.” “I’m sorry, Pinkie. But I can’t save him,” Ratchet said with a shake of his head. Fluttershy had been lost in thought as Ratchet had spoken, going over the details in her mind and listening closely to how everything needed to be done. It required precision and the most minute details to perform this operation successfully. But that would only be incredible hard for a massive robot. What about someone of her size? “I can do it.” All optics and eyes turned to Fluttershy, certain that they had heard her wrong. “I can get close to Curbchecks spark and extract the shrapnel myself. With my size it will be easy for me to make those delicate movements.” “Fluttershy, think about what you are saying,” Ratchet said to her with a shake of his head. “You’ve never operated on another bot before. You’ve never even seen the inside of a Transformers spark before! You’d have no idea what you’d be doing.” “Maybe I haven’t, but you have. Meaning you can relay instructions to me and I can carry out what needs to be done,” Fluttershy replied in a voice so strong that Ratchet almost didn’t recognize it as Fluttershy’s. “I can tell you what I see through the communicator and you can tell me what to do. I also have the only training in medical work, so I know a bit of what I’m doing. But we can do this as a team.” “Fluttershy, take a moment and think-“ “I have thought about this,” Fluttershy said as she closed her eyes, instantly seeing the cold, dead eyes of Stickshift and how she could do nothing to help. “It’s not about what we could do, it’s what we can do. We could have this argument until Curbcheck’s spark gives out. Or I can get in there and do what I can to save him. Isn’t that right, Ratchet?” “Ratchet, Fluttershy is right in saying that we do not have time to argue this. Every moment we waste is another moment Curbcheck gets closer to joining the all-spark,” Prime advised Ratchet. “Using my own words against me…very well, seeing as I have no better…or any other alternatives at the moment,” Ratchet finally caved. He stood up and began to use some tools on Curbchecks chest, eventually opening it up to reveal his glowing spark within. Around the spark was a ton of metal and machinery, most of which was covered in shrapnel. Ratchet extended his hand for Fluttershy and, after taking a deep breath, she stepped onto it. Ratchet then slowly lowered her onto the top of Curbcheck’s spark, where she felt a strange energy wash over her. She only noticed it for a second, for she then spied the first piece of shrapnel sticking out of the metal. “Alright Fluttershy, you’re going to need to pull that piece out at exactly a thirty-degree angle,” Ratchet instructed. Fluttershy nodded and placed her hands upon the shard, moving them until Ratchet told her to stop. She then took in another deep breath before she swiftly pulled the piece out. The piece was about the length of her forearm and she quickly understood why a giant robot like Ratchet would have so much trouble getting it out. “Well done, that was perfect,” Ratchet complimented her. Ratchet placed his hand next to her and she placed the piece of shrapnel onto his hand. He then placed the piece in a dish on the table while Fluttershy moved onto the next piece. The procedure was just like before, with Ratchet telling Fluttershy the angle at which the extract the shrapnel and Fluttershy executing his orders perfectly. She had to be careful not to cut her hands, but after the fifth piece she had started to figure out how to work the shrapnel so not to cut herself. But like she had predicted, her smaller size and ability to get right next to the shrapnel allowed her to perfectly pull the pieces out with no shaking or twitching that Ratchet may have had. Finally, after ten minutes of slow and delicate work, Fluttershy pulled the last piece out of the exterior of the spark. “Excellent job, Fluttershy. Very well done,” Ratchet praised Shy as he placed the last piece in the tray. “But now comes the true most of truth. The last piece is imbedded deep underneath of the metal you’re standing on, right next to Curbcheck’s spark. You will have to be extremely cautious in removing this piece. There’s a place you can squeeze down into on your right. Be careful.” Fluttershy nodded before she found the spot Ratchet had told her about. She could just barely squeeze inside, but once she had done so she found she had a bit more room to move around. “The metal layer that you just squeezed through is normally supposed to protect a Transformers spark, similar to your human ribcages. So there are small gaps that allow beings of your size to move around.” Fluttershy did say anything in reply, for at that moment she was standing next to Curbcheck’s spark. It glowed blue with the light of the energon that coursed through it, but it seemed dim to Fluttershy. The sphere was slightly taller than her, but not by much, giving her a bit of room to move around in the spark’s chamber. She quickly glanced around before laying eyes on the final piece. It was slightly larger than the others and was impaling itself both through the metal casing and through the metal behind the spark. Fluttershy also noticed that it had punctured a small, metal tube and that energon was leaking into the spark chamber. “That is not good, not good at all,” Ratchet muttered when Fluttershy had relayed this to him. “Fluttershy, you need to remove that shrapnel and then, if you can, find a way to seal back up that tube. If it keeps leaking then Curbcheck’s spark may drown in energon.” “I had no idea your bodies are so complex,” Fluttershy muttered to herself as she grabbed hold of the piece of shrapnel. It was larger than the others, meaning she had an easier time finding somewhere to grip. Unfortunately, since it was impaled at both ends, she found that even after exerting all of her strength she could barely budge the piece. “It’s in too tight. I can’t even budge it.” “We could try cutting it in half and then pulling the pieces out separately…argh, but you have nothing to cut with and even the smallest transformer scalpel would be like a broadsword to you! Curses! I refuse to have you come so far only to fail here! Think Ratchet, think!” While Ratchet yelled at himself, Fluttershy focused all of her efforts on the problem at hand. She wasn’t strong enough to move the piece, she couldn’t use one of Ratchet’s tools and she was fairly certain a blast from her magic would cause more harm than good. But then she thought about that magic for a second and an idea came to her. She reached up and tied her hair back into a ponytail so that it wouldn’t get in her way, before she began to focus. She took in a breath and summoned her harmonic power, covering her body in magic and causing her wings to appear. The light of her magic seemed to cause Curbcheck’s spark to glow brighter, but she couldn’t focus on that at the moment. What she was focusing on was her hand and the mental image she had in her mind. ‘It’s just like Ratchet said,’ she thought to herself. ‘Steady and precise.’ The magic around her arm began to shift and change according to her will, transforming from an aura of magic that covered her to more solid and precise. Slowly, a blade of magic formed around her hand, a very thin but strong blade. Fluttershy then tightened her concentration to keep that blade there, before she placed a hand on the piece once more. She pressed the magical blade upon the metal and the blade sliced into it like it was air. Fluttershy then slowly pressed the blade clean through the metal until she had completely sliced the shrapnel in half. She sighed in relief before gingerly pulling the two pieces out of where they were imbedded, sighing once more when they slid out without any difficulty. She then turned her attention to the cut that was still leaking energon, now losing more at a faster pace due to the removal of the shrapnel. Fluttershy reached up with her magic covered hand and placed the dull part, which was her palm, onto the laceration. Slowly, like she was cauterizing the wound, Fluttershy slowly burned the metal pipe shut, until the point where it was no longer bleeding energon. Then to her amazement, the burn slowly faded away until all that was left was a fully repaired tube. “Ratchet, this is Fluttershy. I removed the shrapnel and sealed the leak. We’re good,” she said with a sigh of relief. “Affirmative, Fluttershy. Come on out. I need you to see something.” Fluttershy left the way she came, squeezing between a gap in the metal covering to get out of the main chamber. Once she was standing on the outer layer once more, she looked up to see the Autobot’s all smiling down at her. “Is he going lives?” Fluttershy asked in a worried tone. “He’s going to do more than that. Look behind you.” Fluttershy did as she was asked and let out a gasp when she turned to see Curbcheck looking down at her with a smile on his face. “So you’re the one rattling around in my spark and saving my life?” he asked her with a smirk, before it turned into a genuine smile. “Thanks…Fluttershy.” “Whatever you did in there did more than save his life. He’s going to make a full recovery,” Ratchet told Fluttershy with a proud smile. “You did good today, Fluttershy. You did good.” Fluttershy smiled softly and tried to hide behind her hair, realizing a moment later that she couldn’t because she tied it up. Deciding that if she couldn’t hide from the praise, she would face it. So she looked up at each and every bot that was congratulating her, allowing herself to beam with pride. Then, the full weight of what she just did and how it could have all gone horribly wrong caught up with her, and she passed out on the spot.