if you pray to god for rain, don't you complain about the lightning

[asafepairofhands]

Who: Ratchet and YOU and also whoever else wants to set up threads in here
What: Ratchet's limping around on crutches, feel free to put yourself in the line of fire
Where: Red Alert's clinic
When: A little while after Drift is conscious
Warnings: YELLING? yelling probably


Well, it had been a few days and nobody had nearly died again so Ratchet starts to let himself relax a little.

Not much, mind--Drift and Nautica are still bedridden, if not critical, and there are people in and out all the time. This is completely ignoring the fact that Pharma and Tarn are wandering around out there somewhere, probably terrorizing the general populace or maiming things or doing whatever else psychotic killers do in their clearly abundant free time. Ratchet has no such luxury, and he works, maintaining the patients he already has on top of trying to handle anyone else who comes in the door. He's just not necessarily pleasant about it.

Comments

[milkruns]

After her conversation with Megatron, June's taken to exploring the clinic a bit more, hoping to learn something she might be able to use -- or occupy her time, at least, until she hears from Megatron again. The other Megatron. The one who's supposed to be taking care of Tarn.

She knows that Ratchet's working here, figures he must be in charge -- but June doesn't imagine it's the Ratchet she knows. She really hasn't encountered any different versions of people she knows here except for Optimus and Megatron -- and while Megatron is radically different from what she's used to, and Optimus has his differences too, but he's strangely familiar. June has no idea what to expect of whichever Ratchet this is.

June looks up and sees a one-legged Autobot limping her away, and although it's far from the same face, there's something distantly familiar about it, and June recognizes the medic's red and white, and while he might be missing a leg, he definitely works here.

"I'm sorry -- are you Ratchet?"

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet stops, his optics narrowing.

"I am," he says, looking curious as he clunks over to the counter she's standing on, a respectful distance away. The organics stuck here probably felt dwarfed enough--no need to loom. "Have we met?"

[milkruns]

"Not strictly speaking, no. But Megatron mentioned he's been working with you."

June was sort of surprised to hear that Megatron's interested in medicine at all -- she just wouldn't have guessed -- but it's sort of reassuring that he's putting time into that instead of...whatever turned Megatron into a war-mongering tyrant in the future.

"My name's June," she introduces herself matter-of-factly. She'd hold out a hand, but she figures Ratchet needs to be holding onto those crutches. (The size difference isn't a concern, Shockwave had shaken her hand no problem.) "I knew some Autobots back home, although talking to everyone else here I've come to understand that was a...different universe, I guess."

She eyes the space where Ratchet's missing leg ought to be with a concerned frown, and her expression darkens slightly. "Was that Tarn's doing?"

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet's mouth thins. "He certainly seems to be making the rounds," he says dryly. "Yes. He dropped by to solicit my services and I told him no, not very politely. He didn't like that much."

His optics stray to Drift's berth and all traces of irony bleed slowly from his face.

"I got off light. I can still work. Can't really complain."

[milkruns]

June sighs slowly, her face grave but sympathetic. Okay, so this bot definitely isn't quite the same as the Ratchet she knows...he's got that old, gruff air to him, but there's something markedly different about it. It's edged, wryly sarcastic in a way she's never really known Ratchet to be.

Her gaze follows Ratchet's and settles on Drift's sleeping form on the berth, the fresh welds and slowly healing damage evident even from a distance. Her face softens, lips pursed slightly.

"I'm glad to hear that. They need you." June folds her arms across her chest, tilting her head to the side. "Is that...Drift?"

[asafepairofhands]

"Yeah," Ratchet says, and he shifts, almost... settling into himself, as though pressed by a great weight. "I know." He drags his optics away from Drift's still, prone form, his lips thin.

"Yeah, it is. Did you know him, too?"

[milkruns]

"No, not personally. Rodimus told me what happened. I got the impression they're very close." She looks at Drift almost wistfully before looking back at Ratchet, huffing out a breath. "I don't know much about Cybertronian medicine, but I can tell you've...got your work cut out for you. I'm glad you're not doing all this alone."

[asafepairofhands]

"Close in terms of their similarly rudimentary grasp on cause and effect and their poor general decision-making skills, maybe," Ratchet mutters, looking pointedly away from Drift now. "It's been a hell of a week, I guess, and I don't bank on it getting better, but we'll get by."

[milkruns]

June raises an eyebrow on that, and while she can't vouch for Drift she can...kind of see where he's coming from, for Rodimus. June glances back at Drift again, only briefly, before she looks back up.

"Even if Megatron -- well, other Megatron, the Autobot one -- even if he does take care of Tarn, that still leaves you to pick up the pieces. I get it." She sighs heavily, shaking her head. "It's bad enough that you have so little staff, but I couldn't even imagine trying to run an emergency clinic with just scavenged equipment and supplies."

[asafepairofhands]

"We're not that badly staffed," Ratchet says thoughtfully. "I've run places witih worse. Not with so many potential patients and so few supplies, though, not without relief coming."

He pauses, looking down at her curiously. "You have a lot of experience running emergency clinics, then?"

[milkruns]

"I'm a nurse myself," June says with a faint smile. This Ratchet is...hm. He's direct and to the point, and he doesn't waste time, but he doesn't seem like he has the tendency toward all the complaining she's grown used to with the Ratchet she knows. She likes that Ratchet just fine, but this is also sort of refreshing.

"Head nurse of the emergency department, actually. I mean, I work out of a hospital, so I've got the benefit of infrastructure support, but -- well, I'm sure you know."

[asafepairofhands]

Ratchet actually laughs, a low, black sound, but his optics are glinting.

"Oh, I know," he says, shaking his helm. "Being CMO means I wasn't shoved anywhere the supply lines were too bad, usually, not by my own choice, but it happened. I'm glad we have someone who knows organic medicine around, though. It doesn't seem to exactly be Valeria's specialty, on top of her being three, and it's certainly not mine."

[milkruns]

Oh, and he laughs. That's almost a novelty to June. She grins a little, wryly, looking up to study his face.

"Yeah, I've met a few humans, and none of them doctors, but I guess there are even more about. I'm even shorter on supplies, though, so I'll have to do some looking around..." June stops, her brow furrowing.

"I'm sorry, three what?"

[asafepairofhands]

"Three years old. That's young for you lot, isn't it? She seems young, anyway."

He pauses, catching the look on June's face.

"You all right?"

[milkruns]

"Young?" June repeats, staring agape at Ratchet. "Young? She's a toddler! You're telling me you've been letting a three year old run around unsupervised? Around a bunch of giant robots who can barely watch where they step with adult humans?"