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“Soundwave and Ravage will pull through.” Ratched dropped heavily into his office chair. “I’ve done what I can for Laserbeak, but I don’t think she’s going to make it.”
“What about the other three?” Jazz tried not to sound worried as he asked, and knew he’d failed when Ratchet’s frown deepened.
“They weren’t in his dock with Ravage, and there was a lot of trauma to the housing that indicated they were pulled out without his consent.”
Jazz nodded slowly. He’d been afraid of that, when Soundwave had been so near death in the safehouse. “I’ll see what I can find out then. Any idea when Soundwave will wake up?”
“Tomorrow, probably. Ravage will probably be awake tonight sometime.” Ratchet rubbed one had over his face wearily. “Yes, you can stay. But you have to tell me why I just spent joors out there, piecing the Decepticon third in command back together.”
“Medical oaths aside you mean?” Jazz knew he wouldn’t be able to obfuscate for long, but hiding their relationship was second nature for both of them at this point. At Ratchet’s glare, he continued, “We’ve been… We’re lovers. It wasn’t supposed to happen and we both knew better but everything just flared up out of control and before we were really conscious of it, we were an item. Or we would have been, if we hadn’t had to keep everything secret.”
Ratchet sighed, weary and annoyed in the same sound. “Somehow, I’m not that surprised. I suppose he’s why you were late for so many check-ins this past vorn?”
“Yeah. Optimus knew, which is why he never disciplined me.” Jazz slumped back in his chair. “And so did Prowl, because I was courting danger along with Soundwave. But we couldn’t let anyone else in on it, for obvious reasons.”
“Yeah. I know.” The medic sighed again. “Were you trying to get him to defect?”
“I wanted to, but you know Soundwave. He’s ride or die for Megatron. That was our cover with Optimus and Prowl, though.”
“Given the injuries I just treated, I think it should be more than a cover. Those were fusion burns, and we both know there’s only a handful of Decepticons armed with fusion cannons.”
“I’ll talk to him when he wakes up. Thanks, Ratch.”
“Do more than thank me, keep him from going right back to Megatron and getting slaughtered.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Not if the recordicons are,” his vents stalled, as he processed what he was about to say, though he had known it had to be true when Soundwave arrived without the other recordicons, “deactivated. There won’t be anything to go back to.”
“And I’m sorry for that, Jazz. I know a deployer and their recordicons are a package deal.”
“I’ll process it, once I know for sure.” Jazz cycled his vents, forcing his cooling system back on after its involuntary pause. “Will it hurt anything, if I go sit with him?”
“Nothing but your reputation. And your audios, because Cliffjumper is out there in the main ward.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Jazz stood up and stretched. He was still stiff, from carrying his larger lover into the medical transport. “I’ll call if anything changes.”
“For the next hour, call Hoist. I’ve got to make some calls.” Ratchet made a shooing gesture in dismissal.
Jazz left Ratchet’s office with a nod at the medic’s instructions. Ratchet looked as exhausted as he felt, and he wanted to give the mech a chance to rest while he could. Because he’d be busy as frag, if Laserbeak survived the night.
He made his way to the isolation room where Soundwave was resting and he snagged a chair on the way in. thankfully, Cliffjumper didn’t notice him–or was smart enough to keep his mouth shut if he did–and he stepped into the room in silence. Soundwave was laying on one medical berth, too still and too quiet, while Ravage and Laserbeak were on another.
Laserbeak almost looked worse now, than she had when Soundwave had tumbled her into his hands in the safehouse.
“We really fragged this one up, didn’t we?” He pulled a chair up between the two berths and sat down. He wrapped one hand around Soundwave’s, and tried not to recoil at how cool it was to the touch. He knew it was because all his systems were focused on healing, but Soundwave wasn’t cold, and it wasn’t right. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you out of there before this could happen.”
Soundwave didn’t answer, and Jazz settled into his vigil with a heavy spark.