TransWarped (An Animated/Prime Crossover)

Chapter 16: Predacon Bone Heist

The long gashes in Wheeljack's chassis were the ghastly reminders of their last mission. As much as Wheeljack grated his nerves, Ultra Magnus didn't enjoy seeing Wheeljack lying in a pool of his own lifeblood that night. He also didn't enjoy seeing Wheeljack lay unconscious on a medical berth without a chest plate. Ultra Magnus was so used to Wheeljack's sly smirks, optic rolls, and general looks of disdain that his blank expression was completely alien.

'At least he is much more tolerable this way...' The errant thought floated through Ultra Magnus' processor as he stared down at the Wrecker in the berth.

His gaze continuously flickered to Wheeljack's concealed spark chamber. Laser core damage was a serious injury. If they weren't careful, Wheeljack's spark would burn through its spark chamber and blip out of existence. Unlike the bots of the other world, they didn't have Allspark fragments or an Allspark-powered key to resurrect Wheeljack if something did go wrong.

Rafael called out to him, "Ratchet says he might bring Wheeljack out of stasis tomorrow." The small human gave Ultra Magnus an optimistic smile. He was perched on Arcee's berth, keeping her company for the day while most of the group was busy. He typed away at his laptop while Arcee flipped through files on a datapad.

"Good. It's too quiet around here," Arcee squirmed. She looked at the space where her leg should be. Since Arcee's leg had been crushed from the mid-thigh down, Ratchet removed the entire limb. All that remained was her hip joint.

Ultra Magnus followed her gaze and then looked over to Ratchet, who was bent over a trailer of scrap metal in the center of the room. Now that Wheeljack was stable, Ratchet focused on replacing Arcee's leg. Wheeljack could go without a chassis for now, but Arcee was liable to start hobbling around the base with one leg if Ratchet didn't get her a replacement soon. The fembot was growing restless by the day.

Ultra Magnus gave a small show of support. "Hang in there, soldier," he said.

"Thanks," Arcee mumbled and continued scanning through the datapad files. "The sooner I can get back to normal, the better. If Sari, Ratchet, and Bulkhead are right about this 'Lugnut', then I want to be back on my feet as soon as possible. Who knows what other bots we'll meet?" Arcee's optics burned with determination and fury.

Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement but doubted their temporary medic could build Arcee a fully functioning leg from Earth materials. "You may be out of commission for longer than you desire. Focus on your recovery rather than returning to the field so quickly."

"You could stay here with me, Ratchet, and Bulkhead! Maybe you could help us out with the dimension travel stuff!" The teen exclaimed.

Arcee balked at the suggestion. "None of that is my forte. Also, Bulkhead is replacing me on missions if I stay under house arrest for much longer."

The blue mech bristled at Arcee's flippant words. "That is ill-advised-"

"Magnus, be serious," Arcee cut him off with a glare. "That would leave us with four functioning Autobots. That's ill advised."

"I agree," a fourth voice said from below. Agent Fowler was on the ground by Arcee's bed. Ultra Magnus bent down and offered his hand. Agent Fowler stepped into his palm and continued, "Megatron's army has grown into quite the zoo. Vehicons and Insecticons and a dragon-"

"Oh my," Arcee quipped.

A wry smile pulled at Agent Fowler's lips, "Funny."

Ultra Magnus didn't understand the reference so he ignored the joke. His frustration made it hard to keep his tone even. "Is no one else concerned we may be trusting them too soon? They've been here for less than a week."