Transformers Prime

Plague of Love

"It's only contagious if contact is made with the infected Energon." Ratchet informed.

"What was a plague doing on an Autobot spaceship?" Miko asked.

"It's passengers were infected." Arcee answered, "The virus wiped out millions during the Great War."

"Cybonic Plague was engineered in The Decepticon Biological Warfare Program..." Ratchet paused, "By Megatron himself."

"Is there a cure?" Star asked, clearly not knowing anything about the history of where her new form came from.

Everyone was silent, and Raf repeated the question to raise Star's hope, "You...have a cure, don't you?"

The figure on the bed stirred as Optimus struggled to speak.

"No...cure..." He mumbled.

"Optimus, please." Ratchet ordered gently, "Save your strength."

Stargaze kneeled down next to the bed and grabbed Optimus' hand firmly, no one had the spark to tell her 'no'. Even if Optimus wanted her to let go in fear of accidentally infecting her, he didn't have the strength to do so.

"Would Megatron create a disease without having a cure? I mean, what if he caught it by accident?" Jack stated.

"It's not like we can ask Megatron, Jack." Bulkhead pointed out, "He's pushing up lug nuts."

"You mean daises?" Star asked.

"What?" Bulk looked at her, completely confused.

"But."

Everyone turned to Ratchet as he stood.

"We might be able to access into the Decepticon database. For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location." He says as he points to the screens.

"Bumblebee." Arcee said sternly, "Come with."

Bumblebee leaves Wheeljack's side to join the two-wheeler at the ground bridge. Wheeljack looks over at Stargaze.

Her back faced him, her small figure kneeling next to the Prime laid out on the medic-bed. Her worried blue optics adjusted as she stared down at the drifting Optimus. Her red paint job looked slightly brown in the light and her figure no longer stood tall, but as if her walls were slowly crashing down at the sight of her guardian like this. Wheeljack shows no expression on his face as he stared at her, but in his mind he wanted to scream:

'Come on, Starry. He'll never like you the way I...'

No. He thought too much. He turned away, cursing at himself and transforming into his car mode before leaving the base, not caring what happens next.

"Arcee," Ratchet called over his shoulder. "Quickly."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Star searches through her data banks in her mind, trying to remember if there was a medical record Ratchet had taught her that could buy Optimus some time. She knew Arcee and Bee would find the cure, but maybe not in time to save him. She couldn't remember anything and cursed at herself for being useless.

Stargaze heard Optimus stir again and she turned back to him. He was looking at Ratchet.

"Ratchet..."

Ratchet looked up from the screen and down to his leader.

"Were...you...?" Optimus trailed off.

"Infected? No." Ratchet answered.

Optimus, as always thinking about others before himself, sighs deeply before leaning back down.