The Cure

It's been rather quiet in the base lately, no noise, no sudden problems, nothing but peace and quiet-"Ahh!" Saber shouts, running down the hall, only to be tackled by the insecticon. Turning around, she quickly stabs it with her forearm blades.

"Guys!" She shouts into the comms, but only gets static. Growling, she kicks the insecticon off of her. The lights are flickering red, no one else is around for a while either. It's like they have all disappeared. Just as Saber tries to stand up, the insecticon transforms.

"Hello little Prime." His voice is deep and sends chills down her back, he holds her down on her stomach to the floor. Keeping her servos on her back where he has her pinned down.

"Where is he?!" Saber screams, anger and sadness in her optics. The insecticon mech brushes his digits along her cheek where her helm is turned to the side so she doesn't hurt her little face.

"Shush now, little femme. He's getting what he deserves. Death." He says that last part quietly in her audio receptor.

***

A while before...

Saber sits in her chair, bored out of her processor. Her pedes just spin her around in the chair, watching as the world goes by without a care in the world. Until some grabs the back of the chair and holds her still. Looking up, her optics meet Racers. His servos hold gently but firmly around the chair, each on either side of her. A small smile forms on her derma.

"Look who finally woke up." A smirk forms on her faceplates, he just rolls his optics. Feeling this strange dizziness for a few seconds before it goes away randomly. "You okay?" Slight worry plays on her faceplates, he just smiles and chuckles lightly.

"Didn't know you cared so much Prime." That shocks her slightly, but quickly she shakes it off.

"Oh really now? And why is that so hard to believe?" A small smirk forms on her derma, however before he manages to respond the comms go off. Saber sighs, then reaches up and touches the side of her helm. "Yeah?" She asks into the comm.

:Prime we found something, hurry on over!

Saber sighs, looking up at Racer for a moment. "Can I come this time?" She sits there and thinks, he seems to be a lot better. The bags under his optics seemed to have gone away. It must have helped to talk about what had happened with Nova, it sure helped Saber. Speaking of which, she sighs and nods her helm.

"Fine, but be careful please." He nods his helm with a snicker.

"I'm the one who needs to be careful?" Saber stands up and punches him in the shoulder, hard.

***

Saber transforms with Racer at her side, they both walk into the ship they had found. Two others stand near the entrance. Ratchet, and Bumblebee. Bumblebee had found it while scouting, even though he isn't exactly a scout anymore, he still does it. He called Ratchet in case there is anything here. Or maybe someone who could need help.

"Come on." Saber walks in first, already knowing everything, because Bumblebee had explained it on the way here. She reaches back and pulls out her sword, letting it rest at her side, but ready to battle if necessary. Her walk is slow, but observative.

The ship appears to be very destroyed, this strange liquid leaks from nearby. Which Ratchet starts to analyze. He quickly looks up at them after reading what it is. "Wait! Don't let it touch you!" He shouts, for a second Saber lets her guard down, only to be knocked to the ground.

Looking up, she notices Racer had knocked her out of the way. A dead bot had fallen from the ceiling and fell on Racer. It would have fallen on her if he hadn't moved her in time. "Racer!" She shouts, running towards him. But Ratchet grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"Wait! Don't touch him, you could get infected. We don't know what this is exactly!" He shouts, Saber looks at her friend and uses all her strength to not run to him right now. With a slight nod, Ratchet lets go. The femme walks closer to Racer, his optics online once more. The liquid covers his entire chassis and faceplates.

"What is this stuff?" He asks, trying to wipe it off. Only to start coughing and getting dizzy again. His footing falters and he falls over. Instinctively, Saber runs forwards and helps him up.

"Saber!" Ratchet shouts, the liquid is on her servos now, but that doesn't seem to bother her whatsoever. Lifting Racer up, she glares at the medic.

"Well who's gonna help him get back? No one can touch him remember?" She growls at him, when he seems to not have a response, she continues helping Racer out of the ship. Barely hearing Ratchet mutter something.

"You are gonna be the end of me Prime." There is sadness and slightly anger in his tone, but also caring. Saber sighs, knowing how much the medic wants to keep her safe. But as a leader, it's her job to help those who follow her. Even if it means getting this strange sickness with Racer. He's never left her side, there's no way in the pits of Kaon she's leaving him now.

***

Racer lays gently on the berth, with Saber standing next to him. Ratchet is scanning the femme, while Knockout types at the computer, trying to figure out what this liquid is. "Er, does it make you feel sick at all?" Ratchet asks, his optics practically glaring at the liquid.

Saber sighs quietly, "Not really, but I never really got sick. Not even as a sparkling." That confuses Ratchet a bit, but thinking about it, he just sighs.

"Do you feel weaker?" She shakes her helm, "Then why is it only effecting Racer?" He asks to himself, he puts the scanner down on the table nearby and walks towards Knockout. "Find anything?" Knockout keeps typing, his optics not leaving the screen.

"Not much, just that it's a sickness created by Megatron." Ratchet's optics go wide at seeing the coding of the liquid.

"By the Allspark." Ratchet mutters, he quickly grabs a crate lid and pushes it off. His servos reach inside the crate and he pulls out an old dusty datapad. It turns on as the screen comes to life, seems like it hasn't been on in a long time.

"Ratchet, what is it?" Saber asks, her optics not leaving Racer's. The medic walks over, scrolling down on the datapad.

"It's a formula, a long time ago Megatron created this sickness. There were two different kinds, on Earth Optimus had been exposed to the first one. Luckily we managed to find a cure for it. But the other one, this is it.

"But, we don't have a cure for it." Knockout says quietly, pausing his typing for a moment.

"Then find one," The medics both look up at Saber, the look of determination in her optics. "It obviously isn't working on me, so find out why. Maybe that could help find the cure." Hope fills Ratchet's optics, he quickly turns to Knockout and gives him many orders.

"Saber, you go wash all that off." The femme goes to protest about leaving Racer, but Ratchet glares at her. She just sighs, then nods her helm. Walking out of the room, just before the door shuts, her optics look at the recharging mech on the berth.

"I'm going to help you Racer, just like you helped me."

***

A few hours have passed now, Ratchet and Knockout have been working on finding this cure nonstop. However, everything they have tried has done nothing. A mumbled groan escapes Racer's derma, his optics onlining. "Calm down Racer, it's okay." The bright blue optics trail over to Saber's crystal ones.

"Wha...." His voice box ends up trailing off because of the sudden pain in his helm. Shaking his helm, he tries again. "What happened?" Feeling floods through his body, only slightly being able to move from the sickness though.

"Some old virus got on you, but you're going to be just fine. I promise." Her servo holds tightly around his, he just sighs. His optics stare at the ceiling above him.

"Saber, you'll get sick." He mutters, the femme just rolls her optics.

"Don't worry about me, for once, let me protect you." He looks over at the femme, seeing as she isn't exactly asking for permission. A soft and quiet sigh escapes his derma, then he looks up at the ceiling once more. Ratchet walks over with a scanner again. "I thought you already did that?" Ratchet looks up at Saber, with a soft sigh he scans both of them.

"Hmm." A different expression shows on his faceplates this time, which makes Saber more curious. "I found it!" Ratchet's optics go wide as he shouts the words, a small smile forming on each of their faceplates. "Scrap." That smile goes away quickly.

"What?" Saber asks, obviously impatient right now, the medic grabs the scanner and shows it to her. Her optics going wide immediately. "No." She says strictly, anger and stubbornness in her voice. The medic softens slightly towards the femme. After a few minutes, she finally gives in. "Fine. But I'm going with." Ratchet glares at her.

"Saber-" The femme glares at him much more terrifyingly. Which he sighs to, "Fine. But you better be careful!" He shouts, smacking her on the top of the helm with the scanner. Both of the medics get back to work quickly on what else they would need.

"Don't worry Racer, I'm gonna come back." He coughs, with a small smile on his faceplates. His servo closing around hers more tightly. When she turns to leave, he pulls her back by her servo. "What?" She asks quickly, staring into his bright blue optics.

"Saber, don't worry about me. Just worry about staying safe." Her optics go wide realizing what he meant, he knew. The whole reason Nova really died. The promise. She quickly shakes her helm, tears threatening to fill her optics.

"No, Racer, I'm not losing you too." She says with anger and sadness in her optics, the mech starts coughing again. Barely able to keep his optics online.

"I'm alright Saber...I'm alright..." With that, his optics offline into recharge. Saber gently pulls her servo free and walks out of the room. Hurt in her optics, but most of all, anger. This is his fault, maybe if he hadn't killed Nova then Saber would have been ready for it. Then Racer would have never had to be in this situation.

The femme growls at herself, anger boiling inside her energon. "I swear Slade, I'm gonna kill you." She mutters.

***

Decepticon Base

"Sir, we got word that Racer has the sickness from the old war. The Autobots have left to retrieve the cure. What should we do?" Hunter explains, then asks what to do. Slade stands in front of him, watching from the camera that is placed on Saber's armor. Anger filling his optics from watching at how much she cares for the sick mech.

"Wait till they leave, then strike covertly. The only people who need to live, are Racer and Saber." His voice is demanding and full of anger, his bright blood red optics furrow in rage. "I want Racer dead!" He shouts, in an instant, everyone leaves the room. Seeing how angry he is, they don't want to be in his path like this. "I don't care if I have to drag you here myself Saber, I will have you back." His dangerous blood red optics glare at the image of Saber in front of him. "Then I'm ending this pitiful war."

***

Saber, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Jazz all came to retrieve the cure for what ills Racer. This pain erupts in Sabers spark for a moment, quickly turning back to face the Institute, she glares at the building in curiosity. A servo gently lands on her shoulderblade.

Her optics move to meet Bumblebees, both of them standing at the edge of the Iacon city. Being able to see the tall institute from a far away distance. "He's going to be fine Saber." The pain in her spark doesn't go away, only fades slightly.

***

"Bring me his helm!" Saber loses her footing and falls forwards, hearing his voice echo in her spark painfully. Her servo quickly moving to her spark, "You can't run forever Saber!" A mech helps Saber to stand again, seeing this painful look in her optics.

"Saber!?" Ironhide shouts, trying to hold the femme up. Seeing that Ratchet, Jazz, and Bumblebee are returning from collecting the cure. "Ratchet!" Ironhide shouts, gaining the medic's attention.

"By the Allspark! What happened?!" He shouts, crouching down to Saber, only for her to push them all away.

"No!" She shouts, tears ready to form in her optics, "Racer!" She screams, this pain spreading throughout her entire spark. Anger and sadness flood through their, surprisingly, still intact spark bond. In return, she gets an unfamiliar feeling in her spark. One that she can't decipher.

She quickly stands up and transforms, everyone following her shortly after. It only takes a few minutes before she manages to get back to the base. "Saber wait!" Bumblebee shouts, the mechs only just entering the base. Saber is already transformed and inside by now, running down the hall she makes her way to the med bay.

"No, no, no, no!" She shouts, her servos on her helm as a way to calm herself down. "Please, not you too Racer..." Tears begin to form in her optics, the sound of blasting echoes down the hall from her. So she leaves the room and begins to run down the hallway.

Before her stands three Insecticons, with a growl she pulls out her blade. "Where. Is. Racer?!" She shouts, feeling the amusement in her spark coming from the bond. The Insecticons just laugh and run at her. Because of her anger, she isn't as skilled as she normally would be. But it is enough to cut off their helms and rip out their sparks. Only one remains, but this one seems tougher, more powerful.

"Little femme," Shock stands on her faceplates for a moment, did it just...talk? "Yes, I talk. But the point is, Lord Slade really would like to have a chat with a certain unbehaving femme." His helm tilts to the side as he speaks, gripping the blade tighter, she thinks for a moment.

"I have to find Racer...." She mutters, "He doesn't matter." With that said, she turns and starts running down the hall.

(NOW...HERE WE ARE.....)

The insecticon blasts her in the back, causing her to stumble forwards. Saber shouts from the pain in her back, running down the hall, only to be tackled by the insecticon. Turning around, she quickly stabs it with her forearm blades.

"Guys!" She shouts into the comms, but only gets static. Growling, she kicks the insecticon off of her. The lights are flickering red, no one else is around for a while either. It's like they have all disappeared. Just as Saber tries to stand up, the insecticon transforms.

"Hello little Prime." His voice is deep and sends chills down her back, he holds her down on her stomach to the floor. Keeping her servos on her back where he has her pinned down.

"Where is he?!" Saber screams, anger and sadness in her optics. The insecticon mech brushes his digits along her cheek where her helm is turned to the side so she doesn't hurt her little face.

"Shush now, little femme. He's getting what he deserves. Death." He says that last part quietly in her audio receptor. Saber tries everything she can think of to get free from his grip, but because of how big and strong he is, she can't even move a muscle.

"No!" She shouts, tears forming in her optics.

"Don't worry little femme, you'll be back where you belong soon enough." He grabs something from his side, scrap! "Now hold still." He grabs her helm and holds it down, holding a smaller syringe in his servo. Saber attempts to kick him, but she can't reach. "It won't hurt...that much." After a few seconds, her vision begins to go blurry. "Such a pretty little femme." He says quietly. "Pity you have to watch him die." He whispers the next part in her audio receptors. Then the black takes over.