red_diode_district | Can't Run Away Forever

She takes the bus now, more often than not.

She'd sold her old bike, dragged her dad off for a 'new start'; pretty much vanished off the grid for a while. Mikaela had done as much as she'd been allowed to do, to get away and keep from being found.

Keep from being found by her friends, at least.

A part of her - the bitter part - is sometimes upset that they never did. That they never tried, never suspected. But then again, the way she had broken up with Sam, real and so very angry...

That same bitter part, while upset, isn't surprised she'd been so easily forgotten.

And then Chicago had happened, freedom had come with a price for everyone, and...

Well. Being left alone was more understandable, after that.

So now Mikaela takes the bus, to and from her little backwoods, podunk gas station/convenience store/one-car garage quick-e-mart, the best she can get on just a highschool degree in this economy, expunged record or not. She does register and occasional garage work, and she has a good shot at making manager in the spring. Her dad has his own place, finally, moving in with a woman with little patience and no tolerance for his crap.

She's too good for him, and Mikaela is happy for them.

But being on her own leaves her with too much time to think, and despite no lack of offers, hints, and the same old innuendos, she's had no one since Sam. She's lonely, and alone in a world where no one remembers or cares who she is or what she's given up.

In short, it sucks, and playing at 'normal' isn't at all what it's cracked up to be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"-Sorry."

Mikaela winces in turn, not able to see nearly as much as she'd like, even with the light.

She doesn't like hurting him accidentally, for both his sake and her own. She's not unaware that one wrong flinch or twitch from him could easily sever something of hers. She tries not to think if it like that, but the thought is there, in the back of her mind.

But she reaches the leak readily enough, line split right down the middle and impaled on one of Optimus' own shattered internals.

"...ouch. That looks uncomfortable," she murmurs. Freeing it is quick enough, but aiding the repair work she can already see forming on the line takes a bit more finesse than she easily has in the confined space.

Electrical tape it is. Crimping the line on either side of the tear, Mikaela starts winding it around the line.

"It's called 'deep cover', Optimus. Something you should do if you're being specifically hunted somehow. Even I know that much."

From:

oneshallstand

It's a definitely disturbing feeling; a crawling that's far from pleasant, but the knowledge that she's helping does wonders. So Optimus forces himself to the edge of tension and relaxation, holding himself still and simply holding back from what normally would involve a copious amount of shaking and writhing and trying to get the feeling out.

It's also becoming more and more obvious that if she did want to hurt him, she's could do so easily. Fatally. Trust wars with that tension, and his fingers curl in to low fists. Her banter is, at least, a distraction from that.

"As am I...as shown by my lack of such colors."

From:

illdriveyoushoot

Oblivious to the external tension, Mikaela winds the tape rather quickly, pleased at how the line she's pinched back into shape between two fingers is retaining it's proper shape under it's honestly inadequate 'bandage'.

Ratchet would probably be using some sort of sealant polymer or adhesive mesh more easily absorbed by Optimus' systems, but they were gonna have to make do.

"Exactly. So I'm glad you are. Even if you're not looking like your usual, fabulously flame-deco'd self."

She grins despite her position, carefully snipping off the tape.

"Just try to resist changing back until we figure out what's going on, okay?"

From:

oneshallstand

There's a short 'hnh' that could be a note of humor, but with Optimus, it's only ever so clear. Especially now, when he's hyperaware of the crawling in him. An audial twitches at the sound of scissors, though- perhaps?

No, he won't ask. She may think he's trying to hurry her.

"How bad...?" he asks instead, focusing optics towards the ceiling and trying to divert his attention there.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"Hmm. The line was split right down the middle. Your self repair was trying to close it up, but the angle wasn't good for it."

Biting her lip, Mikaela undoes the crimps holding the flow of Optimus' fluid back from the line. It swells, and a few beads of fluid escape the edge of the tape, but it otherwise seems to be flowing correctly.

She breaths out a sigh of relief.

"...Phew. Got it back into shape and wrapped up, and it looks like it'll be enough to hold it until you've rested enough to repair."

She adds another tight loop of tape around the leak as she speaks, before nodding in satisfaction and wiggling backwards.

"Coming out."

From:

oneshallstand

There's another strange sensation, and his vents stutter at the renewed flow; only steel self-control keeps him in place, but there's no denying his own sound of relief when she mentions her progress. His optics shutter at the knowledge that there's only a few more moments of the odd feelings, and by the time she comes all the way out, he's noticeably sagged.

"...you will forgive me," he quietly drawls, "if I am in no hurry for you to do that again."

Edited Date: 2014-10-06 03:07 am (UTC)

From:

illdriveyoushoot

Mikaela squirms out with a gasp, resting against his plating as she wipes sweat from her brow with the back of a wrist. Her gloves are covered in his vital fluid, but she's managed to avoid getting on her skin.

"It's okay, I get you. Really." She waves a hand, giving him a weak smile. "I wouldn't really enjoy your torso up in my chest cavity myself."

Ignoring size difference, she really doesn't want to think about how the pain might translate over.

"How does it feel now, though? Fluid pressure holding steady?"

From:

oneshallstand

He doesn't quite catch her smile or wave, with his optics dimmed to nothing; still, he may not need to. Optimus makes another sound that could be an attempt at that earlier 'hnh', but it falls flat as he puts his mind to the system scan.

"...the levels have improved. Time will tell, at this point," he allows, sounding...tired. And he is.

Her ability to hurt him if she chose to do so hasn't changed, but without her so much in him, it's far less present- and far easier for his trust of her to rise above that.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"That's a relief."

She grins at that, wide and honest. Climbing down to his more-or-less level thigh, she starts wiping down her gloves and tools, prepping for the next spot.

Because there were, unfortunately, still plenty of wounds left to choose from.

"Now just tell me there aren't any others as bad as that one."

From:

oneshallstand

And that is an understatement.

Optimus' optics flicker back towards the ceiling as he considers her words, and then the readouts. Finally he can admit, "That seems to be the worst. There are other leaks, but none near so serious."

Indeed, with the renewed flow of energon, he can feel his self-repair activating again and tapping in to his energy reserves. Which are running low, all told; recharge is imminent, but he pushes it back for nwo.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"Point me to the next-worst, then? If you can tolerate another."

She frowns, noting his exhaustion. Even the vibrations of his frame, carrying up through her feet feel sluggish. Mikaela silently adjusts her mental note about how much pain he may have actually been in while she leaned inside his metal organs.

"I'd rather get as many of those fixed at once as I can, to keep your fluids where they belong."

From:

oneshallstand

There's the immature urge to put it off to another time, but it only lasts a moment. "My right shoulder," he says after a few more moments of thought. "There may be some shrapnel in the lines." Which doesn't quite make a leak, but still makes a distinct problem.

The more they can do now, the more beneficial rest will be, he tells himself.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"Alright. Getting to that one shouldn't be nearly as, er. Invasive. As the last one." Only working in his helm or near his spark could get any worse, really.

She nods up at him, turning to climb up again- before pausing in place.

"You...wanna try laying down the rest of the way for this one? It should make it easier on your shoulder if you're not leaning in it like that?"

She wouldn't have to climb around on his half-inclined chest, either. But more importantly, it would help him get a little more rest.

From:

oneshallstand

"Hmn." He can do that. It- doesn't seem as though he'll need to get up, quickly, at this point; with a soft puff of his vents, he starts easing himself down all the way, wincing briefly when the motion jolts his shoulder but the promise of relief and rest more than make up for it.

In short order, he's flat upon the floor as he can be in the somewhat awkward location.

"Is this better?"

From:

illdriveyoushoot

Balancing on him as he reclined was easier than it probably should have been- and a little more fun as well. She didn't hop down until he stopped shifting, though.

"Yeah, this should be perfect," she says circling around him to examine the shoulder in question.

"If you can extend your arm out a little more, I should be able to get to that leak really easily."

It would put his arm practically through the doorway, but it would (mostly) fit.

From:

oneshallstand

It probably was a sign of how tired Optimus was getting that he didn't even think about that; instead he simply obeyed, bending his elbow as necessary to keep from pressing too much against the wall or door.

It also gave him something to brace against. It wouldn't be the most comfortable of repairs, but few ever were in the first place. And maybe the weariness would override some of that, anyway.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

"Exactly, thanks."

Mikaela noticed his lack of objection or grumbling, but she wasn't going to risk ruining it by pointing it out. Instead she simply got right back to work, peering inside the largest armor gap Optimus' position created in his shoulder armor.

"Oh yeah, I think I see the source already. Easier to get at - but it looks like some joint-fluid supply lines and smaller energon lines got severed entirely?"

Mikaela winced, easily able to trace the path the large-caliber shell had taken through his shoulder.

"What the hell did they shoot you with...?" Mikaela hissed quietly, biting her lip until it stung. "Gonna have to jury-rig replacement parts for these lines."

Luckily, the garage had no shortage of spare parts.

From:

oneshallstand

It went without saying that Optimus was only so aware of the scope of the damage; he had readouts, yes, but only a medic could fully interpret them, or someone with a direct visual. As it was, it only confirmed what they both already knew;

"I think I will be staying here for some time."

At least he'll have decent company?

From:

illdriveyoushoot

That he would.

"Looks like it."

She didn't even have it in her to be sarcastic. The scope of the repairs needed... It was hitting her hard and it was all she could do to keep her wince hidden when she was facing him.

Sorting through the shop's supplies, Mikaela was able to pick out a selection of tubing of the right gauge, and small pipe clamps to attach them to what was left of Optimus' own fluid lines. A lot of their parts just didn't have even similar replacements among human supplies, so Optimus would be stuck repairing many smaller bits automatically. But the ones that did, like tubes and simple knobs or bolts, or things that could be replicated by bending metal into simple shapes...

That she could do. And he needed fluids to get to the right places if he was going to self-repair at all.

Returning to his open shoulder, she gave him a light tap. "Right. Heading in."

Back to work.

From:

oneshallstand

It may have just now been hitting her- but for him, this was reality simply setting in. And that reality meant he was already starting to lose focus, exhaustion overcoming any lingering wariness. He didn't even flinch as she began to climb back in, but at least the quiet thrum of his engines showed that he hadn't simply fallen in to stasis.

Towards unconsciousness, yes. But not a permanent one.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

It took her a while to notice his unusual silence. Mikaela was too busy working up to her elbows in leaky piping.

Despite the dire situation, the relative ease of the fix allowed her to fall into an efficient rhythm; clamping off dripping lines, measuring and cutting tubing, and fitting in a harder bit of plastic to serve as a coupling under the clamps between old and new tubes.

Drying, deprived fuel lines quickly began to cycle once more, one after another. It would make a lot of fiddly integration for Optimus' repair systems, once he was properly on the mend, but it was better than not being repaired at all.

Mikaela tried to keep up a semi-steady stream of commentary as she went, mentioning when she was clamping or unclamping a line, so Optimus wouldn't be surprised. But the talk was bland and didn't really require any response unless the huge 'bot objected, so she wasn't surprised by any lack of any response. It was only when she pulled out with a grunt, legs cramping from kneeling down for so long, that the silence seemed to linger.

"Optimus? I've finished with your shoulder. I think I got it all?"

She paused, placing an alarmed hand on his armor after the moment stretched; relieved to still feel the vibrations running through him.

"...Optimus?"

From:

oneshallstand

There wasn't any objection at all; hardly a response at all, really, but for minor twitches that were more unconscious response to stimuli than anything else. His systems continued to cycle, if quietly, slowly spiraling down as coherent thought became harder and harder to grasp.

It was just easier to relax, and after going for so long without that luxury, it was an undeniable lure.

Optics shuttered, face perhaps not at ease but certainly relaxed, he gave no response to her query; it was hard to imagine him even still awake at this point.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

The moment of alarm passed quickly enough; it was clear that Optimus had pretty much fallen into recharge. Blowing back her hair with a relieved breath, Mikaela smiled. He really deserved the rest.

Giving Optimus' frame a fond pat, Mikaela circled around the prone Autobot, searching for damaged areas to work on that she could actually access. Determined to continue fixing what she could, she eventually moved on to the obviously leaking spot on a thigh. Optimus was a massive job- she already knew she was going to be fixing as much as she could throughout the night.

Cracking her spine, Mikaela got to work.

From:

oneshallstand

There was a lot to do, but steady and stubborn effort can get her through it; as for Optimus, he seems minimally responsive at best. It's not the first time he's fallen in to an exhausted recharge during a medic's mercies (as Ratchet can vouch), but it's been a long time since he had any sort of such luxury.

It means he feels, at least, for the moment, safe.

Which says quite a lot.

From:

illdriveyoushoot

Mikaela worked for the rest of night. Privately, she ended up being impressed with the amount she was able to accomplish when the need for repairs was so critical. She managed to nudge her way into armor gaps with a surprising ease- Optimus wasn't awake, but he thankfully didn't seem to register her as a threat, either. In the end, it looked like she stopped the serious leaks in two other locations, ending up with a pile of shattered, energon-leaking lines and a small sense of triumph.

But there was still so much more to do…

And it was thirty minutes to opening.

"Optimus? Optimus?" Stepping back with grime on her face and arms, Mikaela stared up at Optimus' slack face, hoping for a reaction when her previous hours of work had done little.