Iacon MedCenter Repair Room
Contents: Cyclonus, Firestar, Sidearm
Obvious exits:
 Waiting Room <S> leads to Iacon MedCenter Waiting Room.

Ramhorn comes in from the Waiting Room.
Ramhorn stops short, instinctively defensive upon seeing Cyclonus.
Cyclonus looks up and meets Sidearm's gaze briefly and says in a low 
tone, "Please see to Firestar's wounds first... She ... is the more 
injured."
Rodimus undertones, "It's okay, Ramhorn, he came back with us."
Firestar takes a seat next to Cyclonus, "I doubt that..." She whispers 
softly.
Ramhorn snorts to Rodimus. "Yeah, I know, ya mentioned it ta me...I just 
ain't used ta it yet..."
Rodimus smiles wryly. "Like they're not used to you?"
Nightshift comes in from the Waiting Room.
Nightshift has arrived.
Cyclonus tilts his head a bit, looking towards Rodimus and the cassette, 
expression unchanged. "Greetings, Rodimus..." he intones.
Nightshift walks in.
Firestar gives Rodimus a faintly pained expression.
Firestar says, "It was a trap, Commander."
Ramhorn glares angrily at Rodimus. "Taunt me, Rodimus...go ahead, taunt 
me." He snorts.
Nightshift says, "Uh, yo, did I come at a bad time, yo?"
You say, "I thought it might be.. whoa, I wasn't taunting you, Ramhorn. 
Just pointing out the similarity."
Something in Ramhorn's inflection catches Cyclonus attention and he 
snaps out of his dark thoughts long enough to give him a long measuring 
look.
Sidearm scans over Cyclonus. "This is hardly a serious wound. Firestar, 
you are in far worse condition."
Nightshift cautiously backs up from Cyclonus.
Ramhorn turns back towards Firestar, still talking to Rodimus. "Told ya 
that traitor was up ta no good...and I ain't gonna recognize the 
similarity in that...I think mine's worse..."
Ramhorn says, "'Sides...ya had 8 million years...I had 3 days."
Ramhorn grunts angrily.
Rodimus says gently, "Eight million years teaching us to be wary around 
Primitives. It goes both ways."
Ramhorn snorts. "It ain't gettin' any better fer me, y'know...so, 
when're they gonna all-out start shootin' at me?"
You say, "They're not."
Nightshift grabs a chair.
Ramhorn glares. "Oh really?"
Rodimus says quietly, "Not if I have anything to do with it. They may be 
jumpy but they won't shoot except in self-defense."
Sidearm looks at Ramhorn curiously and then Cyclonus. "Not sure, it'll 
be a rough patchwork. HIS kind of frame is a bit, oh...unique. I'll see 
what I can do." She runs an intensive scan over Cyclonus' systems in the 
meantime. "The slash is nasty, that is for certain."
Cyclonus dismisses the behavior and drops his head forward again, going 
back to staring at his hands.
Nightshift eyes Cyclonus cautiously.
Firestar places a hand on Cyclonus' shoulder, quietly offering support.
Ramhorn stomps a hoof. "Ya tell that ta the others...hard enough tryin' 
ta be an Autobot when yer bein' suspect'd of bein' a traitor..."
Rodimus tries to be soothing. "I know. It'll be worth it when its over, 
though."
Whiz comes in from the Waiting Room.
Whiz moves silently into the room, her eyes watching every detail.
Nightshift nods to Whiz. "Yo, w'sup, Whiz?"
Firestar moves away her arm, pulling a spike out of her shoulder.
Whiz says coolly, "That is exactly what I came to investigate."
Firestar looks at Whiz and intones, "Cyclonus and I ran into a Primmie 
trap, Whiz."
Ramhorn snarls, grunting. "We'll see, Rodimus..."
Cyclonus glances briefly at Whiz as she speaks, nodding to her silently.
Ramhorn turns away from everyone else, listening.
Whiz says, "Unfortunate, but not surprising."
Sidearm walks off to gather materials. "Anyone who isn't damaged, please 
leave. I'm not really in a good mood and therefore, I need to 
concentrate," she requests, sliding over a cart with a few supplies to 
Cyclonus. "I've been doing a lot of repairs lately as well."
Nightshift says, "Uh, yeah, aw'ight... <mumbles> all uppity... didn't 
have t'ask..."
Ramhorn nods. "Yeah, whatever. I'm outta here."
Ramhorn grunts, and leaves...
Ramhorn heads back into the Waiting Room.
Firestar says, "We would of had them if Galvatron hadn't of been 
mindwarped by that damn Caterwaul."
Whiz looks around the room. "I can assist, though the technology is a 
bit less than I am accustomed to."
Nightshift waves after Ramhorn. "Later, homie."
Nightshift heads back into the Waiting Room.
Rodimus cracks a faint smile. "There's a difference from when he's NOT 
mentally impaired?"
Sidearm says, "Please work on Firestar, then."
Whiz nods noncommittally. "Of course."
Whiz studies the rack of tools on the wall with a faint frown.
Transmission from Ramhorn: Ya comin' out?
You transmit a message to Ramhorn: In a minute.
Firestar watches Whiz quietly, refusing to touch the tools herself.
Whiz collects a few tools, looks them over skeptically, and then heads 
over to Firestar. "This might hurt."
You say, "No reason you should have to stick with this tech, is there, 
Whiz?"
Whiz glances over at Sidearm. "Yes, actually, there is."
You say, "I mean, it's not like you have to.. oh, well, yeah, I 
suppose."
Firestar smirks at Whiz. "With this ancient stuff, I'll deal."
Whiz takes hold of one of the metal spikes and yanks it out, then goes 
to work, efficiently and silently repairing the wound.
Firestar winces, biting back a grunt as Whiz goes to work.
Rodimus chuckles softly. "Kill for a quick regen, wouldn't you?"
Firestar grunts, "Would I ever..."
Whiz seems to force herself to slow down, not accustomed to having the 
time to proceed carefully.
Sidearm turns Cyclonus' pain systems down. "It's not easy you all have 
advanced technology inside of you. It's like learning all over again 
half the time." She starts removing spike things from Cyclonus's armor 
carefully.
Cyclonus turns to watch Whiz work, lifting himself up and laying down on 
the table next over so Sidearm can work on his back.
Cyclonus intones, "Rodimus... What support will you need for the seige 
of Vilnacron?"
Whiz begins work on Firestar's superficial damage, bringing her back up 
to full strength.
You say, "Everything we can muster, really, Cyclonus. Seekers for aerial 
support.. the Constructicons would be invaluable."
Whiz works away, occasionally looking at her tools in disgust.
Cyclonus says, "Menasor will not come unless Galvatron forces him..."
Firestar says, "Haven't seen you in a few cycles, Whiz. Adjusted?"
You say, "We'll do without him, then. What about Bruticus?"
Cyclonus says quietly, "He should be available... I have not seen enough 
of the constructicons to know where they are."
Whiz says, "Not an easy thing to accomplish when everyone is continually 
staring at me."
Sidearm starts plugging up holes now, using a welder and some armor cut 
outs. "What did you do to your hands, Cyclonus?" she asks casually, 
running another intensive scan over his systems for analysis.
Cyclonus stops, looking blanking at them again for a moment. "I... 
clenched them."
Firestar smirks, "I know that feeling, Whiz. All of us do, I belive."
Rodimus smiles. "Well, you could be a little more sociable."
Sidearm says, "Typical..."
You say, "I know it's hard to believe, but these people still think of 
you as a friend, even if you've driven that image off in our time."
Rodimus speaks a bit more sharply than he intended and lowers his tone 
quietly.
Whiz says, "Being sociable will just start contacts that I will lose 
again as soon as the mission is accomplished."
Firestar says, "What about among your own team, Whiz."
Whiz shrugs slightly as she works and doesn't reply.
Sidearm finishes with the holes and jumps over to the hands. Staring at 
them for a moment. "They can wait, lets get that nasty slash delt with 
first. Shall we?" She grabs a few tools and looks around the wound. 
"Ouch, what caused this? Looks nasty, that is for certain.." she works 
around inside the area, repairing the wounds as best as she can.
Cyclonus nods in silent agreement with Whiz and lays back down, not 
joining the conversation, still busy reliving what Galvatron just said 
to him over and over again in his mind.
Cyclonus informs evenly, "Legend's tail."
Whiz says, "I suppose that those on my own team know me well enough to 
know what I am really like, so making an effort to be different is an 
exercise in futility."
Firestar says, "Not asking you to be different, Whiz."
Rodimus says quietly, "We know what you're really like, and that's why 
we're trying to find her."
You say, "Being back.. just drove home how much we'd all changed."
Whiz withdraws the laser scapel and tightens her grip on it. "I am who I 
am. You can't ask anything more of me."
You say, "I can ask you not to be so hard on yourself."
Sidearm presses the slash together and starts welding it in place. 
"Firestar hasn't changed that much," she mutters, focusing on the 
damage.
Firestar says, "I was lucky. And I changed more than you can imagine."
Whiz puts the scalpel down with slow, deliberate care, and turns to 
glare at Rodimus. "I can ask *you* to mind your own *business*."
Rodimus blinks, looks hurt for a moment, and backs down. "I'm only 
trying to help, Whiz."
Whiz says, "I'm trying to do my job, and if you have complaints about 
how I live my life, you can share them with me when I am not trying to 
do the one thing I still seem to be good at."
Sidearm smiles. "I don't really care to know." She turns and continues 
welding Cyclonus's slash together, focusing on the wound again.
Whiz picks up the scalpel and turns back to the injury, her body rigid 
with tension.
Firestar looks at her sister for a moment, not saying a word, just 
offers a silent nod.
Rodimus says gravely, "I'll consider that an invitation, then."
Whiz grinds her jaw. "That wasn't what I meant."
Cyclonus finally offers, "There is nothing you can do to recover the 
last 8 million years in the time we have. I cannot be what I was then... 
How can any of us?"
Rodimus smiles quietly. "Too late to change your mind now."
Firestar says, "None of us can.."
Sidearm finishes with the slash and puts the welder away. She consider 
something and nods to herself, taking a look at the hand. "Some people 
wonder if you all are just Quintesson constructs and not really from the 
future."
Cyclonus finishes to himself. "...and what is the point?"
Whiz growls under her breath and begins work on the exo-structural 
damage.
Firestar looks up at Sidearm. "Want to date my armor as proof?"
Whiz says, "The Quintessons wouldn't have assembled a group like this. 
They would have made us believable and given us a better story."
Sidearm says, "No, not really. I don't care anymore. This has already 
gotten out of hand as it is."
Rodimus takes the comment in stride. "Yes, if they have doubts I've 
already conceded to a full medical examination. And I think enough 
people close to us believe us, so it shouldn't be so much in question."
Firestar frowns a bit, wincing as Whiz works, but bites her lip, "Guys, 
can we save this for after Whiz is done?"
Whiz says, "I apologize, Firestar."
Whiz says, "I shouldn't have lost control that way."
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Sidearm begins work on Cyclonus's superficial damage, bringing him back 
up to full strength.
Cyclonus tests his back briefly, bending up a bit, feeling the repairs 
as they hold, not pushing them to the point of breaking.
Whiz looks up suddenly. "I just got a radio message from Syke. Swiftwind 
is in the Scrap Yards."
Whiz transmits a message via radio.
Sidearm says, "Hopefully Syke will avoid her with great haste."
Sidearm completes repairs on Cyclonus' hands and then cleans her tools.
Whiz transmits a message via radio.
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Whiz receives a radio transmission from Syke.
Sidearm says, "It's unsettling when people come to me to solve their 
problems."
Cyclonus opens and closes his fists experimentally and says quietly, 
"Thank you, Sidearm."
Whiz says, "Well, if we haven't managed to solve them ourselves in this 
long, perhaps it is time to ask for new input."
Rodimus looks at Whiz hard. "Yes, maybe it is."
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Whiz shifts uneasily, then is distracted by her radio. "Syke has locked 
down the city to keep out Swiftwind."
Sidearm looks at Cyclonus. "Just doing my job around here. At least the 
only offical one."
Sidearm says, "Get some rest."
Cyclonus nods absently and moves himself to a chair nearby, leaving the 
table open.
Whiz puts her tools aside. "How does that feel, Firestar?"
Sidearm shakes her head. "I suppose you want people to go down and get 
Swiftwind?"
You say, "There would be no point."
Whiz shrugs slightly. "As long as she is not making any hostile moves, 
there is no cause."
Sidearm says, "Fine, does anyone else need me here?"
Rodimus shakes his head. "I don't think so. Thank you, Sidearm."
Whiz sees Cyclonus nodding off and Firestar on her way, realizes she 
will be stuck alone with Rodimus, and tries to think of ways to keep 
Sidearm around.
Sidearm nods slowly. "Sure sure, I'll be ...around, I guess." She turns 
and heads out, footsteps softly clanking on the ground.
Whiz heads over to the wall and begins hanging up her tools very 
deliberately.
Sidearm heads back into the Waiting Room.
Rodimus inquires quietly, "So how are you holding up? Really."
Whiz says, "I have had no problems."
Whiz says, "Aside from incessant curiosity."
You say, "Really? Even I've been shaken by.. well, everything. Going 
through the old pictures in my room. My old collection of worthless 
junk. I thought I'd forgotten it all."
Whiz shrugs. "Artifacts from the past. I have tried to disturb as little 
as possible."
You say, "Artifacts? These are our lives you're talking about."
Whiz says, "Not my life. Hers."
Whiz says, "Fortunately, when we are finished here, hers will be 
different."
You say, "What about yours?"
Whiz sighs. "Well, that depends on what happens when we jump out of 
here."
Whiz says, "Odds seem to favor oblivion."
You say, "So in your last few days of life you're going to keep treating 
yourself like half a person?"
Whiz says, "Why is it that everyone is treating me as if there is some 
part of me *missing*?"
Rodimus says quietly, "Because there is, Whiz."
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Whiz insists, "I have matured. If anything, there is more to me now than 
there was before. I'm not some little, easily amused kid anymore."
Whiz transmits a message via radio to Knightmare.
You say, "You also don't have fun anymore."
Whiz says, "There has hardly been opportunity. I'm too busy doing what I 
can to make sure we succeed."
Rodimus leans backward to eye the storage rack on the opposite side of 
one of the beds.
You say, "Well, you've got the opportunity now. Can't you loosen up?"
Whiz says flatly, "No."
Rodimus succeeds in grasping Whiz, throwing her off-balance.
Rodimus catches what he was looking for and suddenly dives behind the 
bed, popping up with an old cached can of sillystring, plastering Whiz 
in the face.
You say, "Too bad."
Whiz reacts by immediately dropping to the ground and pulling out her 
chaingun.
Whiz ughs. "By Primus, what was that for, I could have killed you."
Rodimus throws himself back behind the storage rack. "Gah! Geeze, take 
it easy!"
Whiz wipes the string off of her face angrily.
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Rodimus pokes his head up, grinning cautiously. "I was *trying* to get 
you to lighten up."
Whiz snaps off an answer into her radio.
You say, "C'mon, how many times did you nail me with that stuff?"
Whiz transmits a message via radio.
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Whiz gets to a standing position again. "I should have known better."
You say, "Oh, come off it. You used to have fun."
You say, "If I can still have a sense of humor after all this time, so 
can you."
Whiz sighs. "It's *gone*. That was eight million years ago. If 
everything else changed, why shouldn't I have done the same?"
Rodimus tosses Whiz the remainder of the can casually, climbing up to 
sit on the edge of the bed. "No, it's still there. I see it every now 
and then. However much you try to hide it."
Whiz says, "I don't have to *try* to hide it. It has evaded me long 
enough for me to know that."
Rodimus presses gently, "So how come every now and then I catch you with 
actual sympathy on your face before you block it off? Every now and then 
I see you about to smile. But you stop yourself."
Whiz sighs in frustration. "Why don't you make this easier for us both, 
Rodimus, and just tell me what you want. I wasn't good enough then, and 
I'm not good enough now, so why don't you just draw up a little 
blueprint and get back to me."
Rodimus blinks in surprise. "Not GOOD enough? For what? Whiz, you were 
my best friend! I never asked to break that off; you did it on your 
own."
Whiz says, "Maybe I was tired of being *your* best friend and not having 
one of my own."
Rodimus looks hurt. "That was below the belt. I was never anything less 
than a friend to you."
Whiz receives a radio transmission.
Whiz glares over into the medbay cabinet. "Maybe we can just paint me 
pink and slap a vacant smile on my face, and then you'd just *love* to 
have me around."
Rodimus snaps, "You leave her out of it! She's just as much a person as 
you are!"
Whiz shouts,"She was more of a person to you even while she was dead!"
Rodimus blinks.
Whiz grips the side of the table in a death grip.
Rodimus stammers, "She was not... I missed her.. I never stopped caring 
about anyone else.."
Whiz draws all of the emotions off of her surface and submerges them 
inside her like a black hole.
Whiz says coldly, "Of course not. I overstepped myself."
Rodimus slides off the table and grips Whiz sharply by the shoulders. 
"No no no, you're not getting out of it that easily. You don't make an 
accusation like that and then try to forget about it."
Whiz says, "I apologize. I'm leaving."
Whiz snarls, "I never asked to talk to you about this!"
Rodimus gives a little shake. "Well, you are."
Whiz folds her arms and looks somewhere past Rodimus' shoulder.
Rodimus lets go and sighs, looking up briefly at the ceiling. "What's 
your problem with Arcee? Or is it me? Don't tell me you did this to 
yourself just because you thought I took her death too hard."
Rodimus says dryly, "Oh wait, this has nothing to do with me. I 
remember."
Whiz growls, "This is entirely pointless."
You say, "It is if you won't talk."
Whiz says, "Like I said, this is entirely pointless."
Whiz stares at Rodimus challengingly.
Rodimus looks back with little but quiet sorrow in his optics. "I just 
want to know what's wrong," he says quietly. "Whether you still do or 
not, I still care about you and I worry. Why do you DO this to 
yourself?"
You say, "And don't go calling me a liar like you do every other time 
I've said that. Answer the question."
Whiz says, "I am not *doing* anything to myself. I am not suffering."
You say, "And my name is Unicron."
Whiz says, "Then you're delusional."
You say, "No, I just still have feelings."
Whiz says, "Well, we can all rest easier with that knowledge."
You say, "I can't. Because I'm still worrying about you."
Whiz clasps her hands to her chest and says mockingly, "Oh, well then, 
everything is just coming up roses *now*. Sorry I can't help you absolve 
your little guilt complex."
Rodimus growls, "Dammit, Whiz, it's not always about me. I'm worried 
about YOU, all right? And what do I have to feel guilty about?"
Whiz mocks, "Whiz, what did I do? Whiz, what happened to you?"
You say, "I can't stand seeing the person who used to be my best friend 
beating herself over the head with some shell of what used to be her 
life. And don't you tell me you're fine. I've seen you crack enough 
times I know it's not true."
Whiz says angrily, "Dammit, I don't crack! There is nothing to crack! 
This is not a shell, this goes down all the way to the core!"
Transmission from Syke: Oh, lovely. Swift ain't budging from where she's 
at. Putting on a big crying act and whatnot else trying to be let in. 
Can you get someone to the Scrap Yard to run her off, byu any chance? 
She ain't budging for Dee-Plane, she apparently needs a bit more 
persuasion to get lost.
Rodimus goes quiet again, asking softly, "Then why did I see sympathy in 
your optics when we reached Iacon and I told you about the Matrix? I 
know you still care.. some part of you, anyway."
Transmission from Syke: I'm radioing you cause Whiz stopped answering, 
by the way.
Whiz sighs. "I can still care about others."
You transmit a message to Syke: *sounds strained* Yeah, she's... kind of 
busy. You can contact Knightmare or Broadside for an assist.
Rodimus snaps into his radio and shuts it off.
Rodimus switches off his radio.
You say, "But not yourself?"
Whiz shrugs slightly and turns away. "I'm sure that was an important 
radio. Go answer it."
You say, "I turned off my radio, Whiz. You're important too."
Whiz's voice is very strained, as if from between clenched teeth, as she 
says, "I'm *finished* talking."
Rodimus says quietly, "You still look upset to me."
Whiz snaps, "Maybe because you won't leave me alone!"
Rodimus smiles persistently. "Not until you give me some real answers. 
I've been letting you push me around for a long time, Whiz, but after 
being.. home.." he shakes his head. "No. No more games. I have to know."
You say, "And I don't think you'd be so upset if there was nothing to 
tell."
Whiz braces her arms against the table. Her voice cracks as she says, 
"There is nothing to tell beyond what has happened to all of us. I lost 
too many friends and saw too many others turn against me."
Rodimus says gently, "I never turned against you. Talk to me."
Whiz hisses angrily, "Don't you understand? I don't *want* to talk. I 
don't *want* answers! I want things to be the way they *are*! It's 
*easier* that way!"
You say, "I lost a lot of friends too, but I didn't.. I'm not doing to 
myself what you're doing to you. So it's not just that."
You say, "Easier, maybe, but the easy route is rarely the best."
Whiz says, "How much does it matter? There's no time left anyway."
You say, "Then don't carry it to your grave."
Whiz says, "At least then it will all be over."
Whiz chokes slightly. "Just leave me alone."
You say, "What will be all over? And I'm not leaving, Whiz. Not this 
time. I conceded to that way too many times already."
Whiz gestures irritably. "Okay, fine, you're right. I hate living this 
way. But I don't remember any other way to be, anymore. At least when we 
make the change, it will all be over, one way or the other. And she 
won't have to get perverted into this... *thing*. Are you happy *yet*?"
You say, "Who won't be perverted?"
Whiz says, "This Whiz! The one unconscious in AHQ! The one who still 
looks forward to living another day!"
Whiz spins to face Rodimus, agony clearly written on her face. "The real 
one!"
Rodimus nods slowly. "No.. hopefully she won't," he says carefully. "But 
then you're admitting that there's still some part of her inside you 
that hates this.. why do you live this way? You don't have to."
Whiz makes an angry motion with her hand. "It may be horrible, but it's 
better than the alternatives."
You say, "The alternatives being?"
Whiz says dryly, "I'm sure Death wouldn't do much for my sense of 
humor."
Whiz begins to recover herself, putting the pieces of her mask back into 
place.
You say, "Okay, so the only way you can stand whatever it is that's 
bugging you is to either live like this or die."
Whiz says in irritation, "Living like this is my problem. Hurrah, the 
secret is out."
Rodimus says frustratedly, "Dammit, Whiz, will you just talk to me 
straight for ONCE and quit running around in circles?"
You say, "Where do you get off thinking I'm that stupid?"
Whiz says, "Maybe I would be more amenable if you would start taking my 
straight answers seriously instead of playing psychology professor."
Whiz's fists are still rolled into tight balls, and the tenor of her 
voice wavers slightly.
You say, "Okay, I'm taking you seriously. But saying that living like 
this is the reason you're living like this isn't terribly informative."
Whiz unintentionally snaps as she says, "You are the *last* person I 
want to be talking about this with."
Rodimus looks hurt. "Why?"
You say, "Unless it is about me."
Whiz falters, struggling to regain control.
Whiz hisses, "For Primus' sake, stop looking at me like that."
You say, "Like what?"
Whiz snaps, "Like I just killed your best friend!"
You say, "I feel like you did."
Whiz says achingly, "I had to! You don't understand, I couldn't live 
with it anymore!"
You say, "Live with WHAT?"
Whiz says, "With YOU!"
Whiz chokes on her words, as if that could draw them back into her 
mouth, and whirls to turn her back on Rodimus.
Rodimus says quietly, "Then it is me."
You say, "You were lying to me all this time."
Whiz grates, "It's you, but it's not your fault."
You say, "What did I do to you, Whiz?"
Rodimus blinks baffledly. "Not my fault?"
Whiz cries, "You did nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing! For millions of 
years, you did nothing!"
You say, "What.. what did you want me to do?"
Whiz says, "Stop being so busy trying to see ghosts that you looked 
right through me..."
Rodimus shakes his head. "I don't understand.."
Whiz says painfully, "I know, and it's better that way, just leave 
me..."
Rodimus catches Whiz by the arm again. "No," he says fiercely. "You 
can't tell me that then expect me to leave. You know better."
Whiz laughs hollowly. "You're full of surprises, actually. I could 
always expect you to leave before."
Rodimus says soberly, "I always let you push me around before."
Whiz pulls on her arm, trying to reclaim it.
Rodimus tightens his grip slightly, just enough to signal he doesn't 
*have* to let go, then releases it.
Whiz says bitterly, "Are you waiting for me to bleed energon for you? 
What will it take for you to be satisfied?"
You say, "The truth?"
Whiz chuckles harshly. "The truth? The *truth* is that I was *always* 
there for you . And the *truth* is that it was never enough. Because the 
*truth* is that you were so busy wishing Arcee had never died that you 
didn't notice me dying right in front of you."
Whiz says sarcastically, "You're right, I feel so much better again, 
let's be best *pals*."
You say, "Whiz... I always appreciated that you were there... I always 
considered you a good friend... when was it never enough?"
You say, "And What does Arcee have to do with anything?"
Whiz snaps, "Since Krystal..."
Whiz chokes off her own words.
Rodimus repeats, "Since Krystal...?"
Whiz says miserably, "Since Krystal died."
Rodimus picks up on the mood shift, reaching up to put his hands gently 
on Whiz's shoulders. "We all missed her," he says quietly.
Whiz shrugs off the hands irritably. "Yes, didn't we."
Whiz says, "Fortunately, she left me a little present to tide me over."
Whiz says bitterly, "She told me to take care of *you*."
Rodimus lets himself be shrugged off and just stands here with his hands 
rather awkwardly at his sides. "Me?"
Whiz says, "You. Actually, the exact words are engraved on my neural net 
with an arc-welder. "Take care of Rodimus," she said, "I know you love 
him," she said."
Whiz practically spits the words out of her mouth.
Rodimus frowns puzzledly. "So what's wrong with that?" he asks, sounding 
genuinely confused. "She was dying.... she was a good friend. To both of 
us.."
Whiz says, "Because... she knew... what neither of us knew..."
Rodimus says guardedly, "She knew a lot.."
Whiz chokes out, "Because... when I saw you there, after the Primitives 
had torn you apart, when I saw what they had done to you, I was so 
afraid that you would die in front of me, before I had realized... 
before I could tell you..."
Whiz says, "Primus help me, Rodimus, but she was right."
Rodimus just stands there, his mouth half-open, shaking his head 
slightly. "I don't..."
Whiz says, almost hysterically, "I know that! I know you don't! That's 
why it was so hopeless..."
Rodimus explodes, "Why WHAT was so hopeless?"
Whiz laughs, because it's better than crying. "Me loving you, Rodimus."
Rodimus shuts his mouth abruptly.
Rodimus whispers, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Whiz says, "And I was always your best friend. Because that was what you 
needed."
Whiz says, "What was I supposed to say? Ruin everything I *did* have for 
that?"
You say, "Hiding things is rarely better than getting them out in the 
open... look at what happened.."
Whiz says, "Would it have *mattered*? Could you have put aside your 
perfect pink vision for long enough to listen?"
Rodimus tightens his jaw bitterly. "You know I love her. That doesn't 
mean to the preclusion of anything else. I never had a chance to say 
goodbye, Whiz. And I never had any reason to." His voice turns pained as 
he repeats, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Whiz shakes her head and asks painfully, "Don't you think I tried?"
You say, "I never heard you say it."
You say, "Look what it took... this shouting match, we may die within a 
few days regardless of anything that happens.. what's it TAKE?"
Whiz says quietly, "It took too long for you to heal. I couldn't be 
responsible for adding to your other burdens. But there was a time... 
when I felt close to you again, when we were best friends, and we had 
talked all night about Cybertron...
Whiz continues, wincing slightly at the outburst, "And I decided that if 
there was ever going to be a right time, that was the one."
You say, "I think I remember.."
Whiz says, "But as I looked up at you, even as I opened my mouth, you 
looked right through me. you looked right past me, out of the room, and 
you said, 'I wish Arcee were here."
Whiz's voice breaks. "I was right there."
Whiz says, "But it didn't matter. It never mattered."
Rodimus' face falls. "Oh, Primus, Whiz, I'm sorry... I didn't know..."
Whiz says, "So tell me, what in the inferno would you have done?"
Whiz says, "I put it all away. I buried it so deep that it wouldn't 
bother me again. And it took everything that was good about me right 
along with it."
Whiz straightens up again, her arms folding across her chest. "And I 
haven't had to look back. Not until now."
Rodimus insists, "Of course it matters. YOU matter." A pause. "I don't 
know what I would have done, but... Whiz, I wish I'd KNOWN! How could 
you do that to yourself because of me?"
Whiz shakes her head slightly. "It's not your fault. It was my choice."
Rodimus says bitterly, "Not much of one."
Whiz stammers out, "I'm just... I'm glad you're happy here."
You say, "Here, on extended time?" He shakes his head, looking up with 
pain-filled optics, "Whiz, I want YOU to be happy, too.."
Whiz says, "I'm used to this."
You say, "That only makes it worse."
Whiz says, "That's why I never wanted to tell you about this..."
Whiz says miserably, "I didn't want to drag you down behind me.
Rodimus says sourly, "Protecting me."
Whiz says hesitantly, "Someone had to."
You say, "At the expense of your own life?"
You say, "Because you couldn't tell me how you felt?"
Rodimus sounds angry now, "I never got over Arcee? I never had a reason 
to!"
Whiz folds her arms over her chest and withdraws a little.
Whiz is struggling against the instinct to ice herself off. "I... I 
never thought that you wanted to..."
Rodimus says desperately, "Whiz, I love her. I will always love her. But 
she was dead! Can't you understand that? I never had a chance to say 
goodbye, never had a reason to stop grieving.."
You say, "If you'd just TOLD me."
Whiz says numbly, "I couldn't. Not after what happened."
Rodimus whispers, "I'm so sorry."
You say, "I had no idea."
Whiz looks down at the floor. "So am I."
Whiz actually has a rueful attempt at a smile on her face as she looks 
up again. "Guess I wasted... a lot of time. Having no idea, I mean."
Whiz's face fades into slight confusion.
Rodimus studies her face sadly. "Too long."
Whiz stammers, "I'm not... this is difficult..."
Rodimus says quietly, "You're not what?"
Whiz says, "I'm not used to... trying... to talk. To care."
Whiz spreads her hands helplessly.
Rodimus reaches up and touches Whiz's shoulder gently, then drops his 
hand, arm still extended, and turns it over, spreading his fingers 
invitingly. "Let me show you?" He smiles weakly. "We still have a few 
days."
Whiz looks up at him in surprise. "But... there's so much to do. We have 
to make sure that it doesn't all happen again."
Whiz says, "There were too many mistakes."
Rodimus doesn't move, stating simply, "We'll take care of it."
Whiz protests, "But what about..."
You say, "No buts. I have my own mistakes to fix."
Whiz rubs her hands along her upper arms, like a person trying to thaw 
herself out.
Whiz says, "You've waited too long to see her, Rodimus. Don't waste your 
time with me. I'll be fine."
You say, "There you go protecting me again."
Whiz gestures to herself. "I don't *care* what happens to me."
Rodimus says quietly, "I do."
Whiz chokes a little and looks down quickly.
You say, "Now are you going to take my hand or," he grins a bit, "do I 
have to stand here looking like an idiot all night?"
Whiz looks up with half a smile. "Do I have to choose one or the other?"
You say, "I think I'm afraid to give you that call."
Whiz steels herself slightly and deliberately places her hand in 
Rodimus'.
Whiz says weakly, "If you use that to throw me across the room to 
practice judo, I'm going to be upset."
Rodimus grins. "Damn, well, there goes my whole plan." He closes his 
hand carefully over hers and steps closer, sliding his other arm around 
her shoulders in a gentle hug. "All you had to do was tell me..."
Whiz laughs, sounding genuine for once. "All you had to do, he says."
Rodimus rumbles amusedly, "He does. I'm not that hard to figure out."
Whiz relaxes a bit, tentatively. "I was... I was afraid to say anything. 
And then I was afraid to feel anything. And by then, none of it seemed 
to matter anymore."
Rodimus sighs. "I should've been paying more attention."
Whiz says, "Well, we've wasted a lot of time already. To start abusing 
ourselves over the circumstances would be a fu... er. Would be kinda 
dumb."
Whiz catches herself overanalyzing again and corrects the problem.
Rodimus laughs. "I knew you were still in there."
Whiz laughs a little. "Well, we're both in here now."
You say, "So the mission wasn't a complete failure?"
Whiz sighs. "Not yet."
Whiz says, "Though I still have to have a talk with Krystal."
Whiz sounds a lot less bloodthirsty than she used to.
Rodimus squeezes slightly. "I'll help, if you want me there."
You say, "She's worried about you."
Whiz nods pensively. "I was... not..." She stops in frustration. "She 
didn't deserve what I did to her."
Whiz says, "But I have to make sure that she doesn't say it again. Not 
in this world, not for any reason."
Rodimus sighs. "It's that important?"
Whiz says haltingly, "Not as important as it was. But... this world is 
different. Things will happen here that didn't happen for us. People 
won't die."
Whiz says, "and besides, I need to apologize."
Rodimus considers that quietly. "No.. you're right. But if it's how you 
really feel.."
You say, "I mean, will it even matter if she says it?"
Whiz says, "If I... If I have to know, it's better to know when I'm 
ready."
Rodimus considers, then suddenly laughs out loud. "Or maybe she can just 
write it off.. as indigestion."
Whiz looks puzzled. "Indigestion?"
You say, "When we were human. And you always thought you were hungry... 
oh, Primus..."
Whiz looks at him blankly, then casts her mind back further. "The 
feeling... in my stomach..."
Rodimus just grins.
Whiz begins to chuckle. "And she told me it was *nerves*!"
You say, "See, she was protecting you."
Whiz mock-grumbles, "That's the trouble with having telepaths as 
friends."
Whiz says, "Maybe I should go find her. To apologize."
Whiz wavers on the edge of reluctance and someone whose mind is made up.
You say, "It has its advantages... yeah. You should. I think she's 
afraid to go talk to you herself.."
Whiz says, "All right. I... Thank you. For making sure I didn't waste 
any more time."
You say, "I certainly couldn't have waited much longer."
Whiz chuckles hollowly. "No... guess not."
Rodimus squeezes Whiz tighter for a brief moment, long enough to press 
his cheek against hers and whisper, "Talk to Krystal. Make sure you 
never have to go through that again. It would kill me to imagine."
Whiz leaves
Whiz heads back into the Waiting Room.