The Lab

The next few days went by quickly. Ratchet came by a few times to ask about Kicker's height, weight, and a few other metrics, but otherwise it was relatively quiet. The quiet was what bothered Kicker, he was use to the loud sounds of human life. Highways, birds, the baseball park that had been behind his house when living on Earth. He missed hearing the constant sounds of life.

This was another reason why Kicker hated living on Cybertron. There was nothing alive here. Nothing organic naturally survived on Cybertron. There were space bridges that transported supplies for the humans living on Cybertron, but they only ever brought supplies nothing alive. Except for the odd scientist that had been brought through, Kicker couldn't name a single time a human had actually left the planet through a space bridge. At least, no one had ever left that he could see.

The day Optimus messaged Dr. Jones that the lab they had been reconstructing to suite Kicker's human physiology was completed, Kicker's hands became clammy in a nervous sweat. His family loaded up in one of the cars that had been brought to Cybertron for humans to use, it took them 20 minutes to get to the medical bay. Kicker's parents kept their promise, and they were with him as the meet Ratchet and Optimus in the modified lab.

Kicker's heart palpitated in anticipation as they slowly drove the enormous hallway to Ratchet's lab. When the Jones' arrived the bay labeled MED 5 Optimus was waiting to greet them. Kicker grimaced when he saw the Autobot leader.

'Doesn't he have better things to do?' Kicker thought to himself.

Kicker unbuckled himself from his seat and hopped out of the driver's side of the car. His dad stepped out of the driver's seat and Kicker moved to stand beside him while they waited for his mom to get Sally out of the passenger side. Once the family was ready, Optimus guided them to the room where they would complete their testing.

The walk was long since the structure was meant for the colossal size of the cybertronian frame and the loud "thums" of Optimus's steps only worsened the effect. It gave Kicker time to imagine the worst of what he would have to go through. His fear was getting worse the closer they got to the examination room and his mother picked up on the hesitation in his steps. She reached down and grasped his hand, rubbing her thumb softly over the backside of his hand. He looked up at her and she gave him an encouraging smile. It was going to be ok, his parents weren't going to let anything bad happen to him.

Kicker took a deep breath to relax a little, or tried to at least. When they entered the staging area where his exam was to take place Ratchet was entering values into the console that each medical room was equipped with. The console was a large super computed built into the wall of the room, but it could project hard light holo-grams so bots who worked there could easily input information or pull up patient values.

The room itself was relatively simple. There were usually bot sized chairs that could recline to assist in diagnostic scans, repairs, and replacements of damaged parts. It looked similar to a human doctor's office except for the apparatus that hung from the ceiling. It contained the basic medical tools needed to repair injured Cybertronins. The cords that powered the tools were extendable and linked to the main power line of the building. In the room Ratchet had prepared there was a large structure that reminded Kicker of the X-ray machines he would see in a dentist's office. The kind where the machine could move in a circular motion to take a picture from all sides all at once.

Once Ratchet noticed the entrance of Optimus then looked down to see the Jones family in tow, he clapped his hands together.

"Ah! Good, you're here. I just finished calibrating the HAR for Kicker's scan." Ratchet's tone was light, but he always sounded like he was tired of dealing with people. At least, that's what he sounded like to Kicker.

"HAR?" Dr. Jones touched the stubble on his chin.

"Human Anatomical Reader. It's going to take about ten of your earth minutes to complete." Ratchet explained briefly.

There was a lift to the side of the room where the Jones family could make their way to an eye level platform, which held the HAR in place. Ratchet had built the HAR close to the console so that he could be in arms reach if the machine were to malfunction.

"Kicker all you will need to do is lay on the divan and lie still. The machine will do all of the work." Ratchet told him as his family approached.

Kicker's father gave the machine a hard look, and he touched a few of the components arranged throughout the machine. He began asking Ratchet about all of the various aspects of the workings of the HAR. His father was relentless in his interrogation. Did the machine give off radiation? Were they calibrated to acceptable levels for a human child? The questions went on for a good amount of time. Ratchet's patience was wearing thin, eventually he just pulled up the schematics he had used to build the damn thing and had Dr. Jones read over them.

Dr. Jones carefully went through every holo-page and made sure he knew exactly what was going to happen will Kicker was in the machine. It was over-kill, but Kicker didn't mind. It gave him time to contain his fears.

After an eternity of waiting Mrs. Jones tapped her husband's shoulder, "Honey I think Ratchet understands how careful he needs to be. From the looks of it he used earth science to build the HAR. I think Kicker is going to be ok."

Her voice was soothing, and Dr. Jones glanced back at her before sighing. "Alright, Let's get started then."

Kicker's parents turned to him, his mom picked Sally back up and his dad called him over. The sounds of the Autobot's optics whirring as he walked made him want to squirm. As Kicker lay on the divan and made himself comfortable Ratchet began the start up process for the machine.

"Alright Kicker, you may feel the rotors create a little wind as they rotate, but other than that you will be fine." Ratchet spoke with a little more life in his voice this time.

Kicker mumbled is acknowledgement and the machine began spinning slowly around him, then it increased in speed. Ratchet was right, he could feel the machine creating wind as it spun, but something else too. Energy. Kicker could feel the machine being powered by energon. Suddenly Kicker's thoughts turned to Earth, his home. Flashes of the landscape passing him as he seemed to fly by trees, lakes, and cities. He suddenly stopped in front of a half-submerged sign that simply read OCEAN CITY.