Chemical Rebound

My world spun, the colors and shapes of the med bay were blurring into a strange, acid trippy world that seemed to deify all logic. Whatever had been in that vile that Ratchet had dropped was slowly expanding its territory from my back and head to my torso and upper thighs, leaving all the nerves in the skin that it toughed oversensitive and on edge, sending wave after wave of white hot heat and pain to what felt like my very soul. My vision was slowly being consumed by a wave of black, and as my consciousness abed, I turned and saw the looks of pain and confusion on Raf and Miko's faces. The strange silvery-blue substance of Ratchet's spattered on their clothing hair. Oh, it hurt. The waves of heat had intensified tenfold, and as I lost the last of my consciousness, I barely registered that the claw marks on my upper arms seemed to hurt more than the rest of my chemical covered body. The last thought to cross my mind as I blacked out was 'I hope Arcee won't be too worried when she gets back.'

Six hours previous

The excitement in the air was intoxicating as the small caravan of people/auotbots made their way to the zoo in the next town over. Arcee and Bulkhead were both scouting for energeon, and Ratchet was back at base, working on the confiscated acidic venom samples that he had purloined from the crash site of Airacnid's interstellar vehicle.

Miko had opted to ride in Bumblebee with Raf, while Jack preferred to have a quieter ride in Optimus. All members of team Prime had been surprised to say the least, when the autobot leader had requested to accompany 'Bee and the kids on the fieldtrip like outing to "better observe the other indigenous life forms of Earth.' Being that he finished all of his pilling paper work, and would have several hours of rare free time, he preferred to spend his time learning. Opposed to napping (as Ratchet would prefer), or pounding on holoforms of Vehicons(as preferred by Arcee or Bulkhead) in the training room.

"This is gonna be epic!" Miko exclaimed as she head banged to the imaginary beat in her head. "The zoo stadium is having a feeding show! We get to feed the animals OURSELVES! That's awesome!"

Raf just chuckled "I'm just glad it will be only be us going. You would think having such a large family would make outings like this more fun, but we usually wind up having to rush through the best parts, because the stress gets to the parents so soon. I might be able to enjoy myself a little more this time since we aren't in such a large group."

Bumblebee gave a few sympathetic and agreeing chirps and beeps as his holoform fizzled to life beside the young boy. It had shortly cropped bleach blond hair with brunette, almost black tips on the forefront of his head. His clothes were casual. A bright yellow short sleeved t-shirt with black detailing along the shoulders and down his back, and a red autobot insignia on his left sleeve. His worn jeans were a dark wash that were faded to almost white in some places. He looked to be around 14 or 15 years old with bright almost electric blue colored eyes. 'Bee's human shape raised his hand to ruffle the young male's wild, spiky hair in a comforting gesture.

In Optimus's cab, Jack sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window at the dry, expansive, desert scenery. The powerful rumble of the autobot leader's engine emitted gentle vibrations that helped to relieve some of the ever present tension in the teen's body. A faint smile graced his features as he took in the peaceful setting. It wasn't too often that Jack really let himself relax. His childhood had integrated this into him. Having lost his father at the tender age of six, he had to learn to take on more responsibility in order to help his mother in retaining the home that they had worked so hard in obtaining. He took on all of the house work. This helped him to build and refine the durable and patient demeanor that helped him through the tough years after losing a parent. Friends became something he simply could not have for a while. Having no time to socialize with others his age, he dedicated all of his free time searching and striving for ways to earn more money that could be used to help pay the bills. Even after things settled down a bit, he was reluctant to spend any more time than necessary with his school peers. On top of them just simply being too immature, he had become wary of others. Being on a maturity level so much higher than the other children had left him open for ridicule, and he was often bullied by them, developing a deep distrust early on for anyone and everyone, apart from his mother, for fear of being hurt again. That only changed when he met the autobots. Though, it did take some time for that trust to form, and was still very fragile.

As Optimus followed Bumblebee across the barren stretch of road to the next town over, he activated his holoform. His human form had chessnut hair that curled ever so slightly around his ears, and he looked to be in his mid thirties, early forties. He wore a light weight, dull silver jacket with red and blue flame detailing along the cuffs and bottom hem, and light wash jeans that gave him a rough and tough look, but still holding an air of dignity and authority.

His perception split from his original view of the road to the form that now sat in his driver's seat. He spared a glance at Jack, and the peaceful and contented expression on his current passenger's face. Over the past several months since the children had come into contact with the autobots, Jack had proved his maturity and determination to the protection of not only himself, but that of his young peers. The teen would always put another's comfort and needs above his one, even going so far as to risk his own safety to ensure, or at least give a chance to provide the opportunity of safety to another. His courage when he detonated Airachnid's ship was proof of that. The autobot leader also felt more at ease when in young Jack's presence. He felt he could trust Jack with more than that he could entrust to even some of his fellow troops. It just gave him a poignant feeling to see that he would not relax more often. Optimus felt he deserved it.

The town of Hare Springs was slowly coming onto view, and the small convoy made its way through the narrow streets until they reached the nature park that held the zoo. They moved into the parking lot, and made their way to a pair of parking spots that the autobots' alt modes would stay in for the next few hours. Exiting the vehicles in disguise, the small group(hohlforms included of course) moved to the main entrance of the zoo.

"So where will we be headed to first? I kinda wanted to see the nocturnal creatures." Bumblebee stated as they passed the main gate. (since 'Bee is in his holoform, he can use his 'human' vocal cords)

Jack grabbed a map from the information kiosk, scanning it. "I think that can be arranged. Miko's feeding show isn't until four, and that is one of the closest exhibits to the main gate. We can work our way from the front to the back. The zoo stadium is towards the rear of the park, so we'll be able to see a lot of the exhibits before we reach there." Jack said.

As the small group made their way to the nocturnal exhibit, they came to a small, walled off grotto with a sign out front that stated 'desert specialists.'

Raf's face split into a thin smile as he turned to his companions with a pleading expression. "Would it be ok to check out this exhibit before we see the nocturnal one? I never got to with my family, and I want to know what animals they have to see."

Optimus gave him an understanding smile. "I have no qualms with doing so. Anyone else?" He enquired to the rest of the group. They all shook their heads, and Raf giggled as he made his way down the path that lead to the bottom of the bowl-like area.

There were a series of cages along the perimeter of the grotto; all filled with various desert climate dwellers. His eyes scanned over the many cages and landed on one that held a fairly large fox (about the size of a medium sized dog) with rust colored legs and grizzled gray back fur. A female zookeeper in what looked like safari attire was crouched next to the fence of the cage, feeding small craps of raw chicken to the canine. (I know foxes aren't canines, but I don't know what else to call them) Glancing up at Raf's slow approach, her face lit up with a warm smile. "Would you care to pet him, young man? He's friendly, if a bit shy, and not wild born, so he is more comfortable around humans."

Raf's smile widened as he nodded eagerly. "Can I? That would be so cool!" he exclaimed, looking down at the fluffy animal that stared back at him enquiringly.

The woman's face held a gentle smile as she nodded and undid the lock. The small creature moved forward hesitantly, smelling the air around the boy before nuzzling its head to his upper leg. He knelt down until he was at eye level with the timid, furry animal, and run his hand from its head, down the spine, and over the thick, fluffy tail. The canine-like creature sniffed at Raf's torso and up under his chin.

It was at this point that all present were startled from the adorable, endearing scene by a surprised shriek.

Miko had soon lost interest in the fox, and opted to further explore the rest of the cages in the grotto. She had wandered over to an open terrarium that held around a dozen or so lizards. As it turned out, they were frilled-neck lizards, and as she was lowering her hand into the terrarium, they had simultaneously flared their signature collars with a loud hiss, thus, resulting in her sudden vocal outburst.

The fox, completely terrified by the loud call, and reacting on instinct, opened its jaws in a 'yip!' and sank its sharp teeth into the closest living thing, which just so happened to be Raf's arm. In response to the sudden pain that now fared in his appendage, he let loose a surprised squeak of his own.

The next thing anyone knew, Bumblebee had Raf curled protectively in his arms while Jack had the fox pinned to the ground, muzzle clamped in one hand, front paws restrained in the other, body straddled by his legs, all in the space of a seconds.

Optimus did a quick assessment of the situation, and decided that he would be most useful with Miko. He made his way over to the, now skittish girl, and made sure there was no injury. Discovering none, he guided her back to the rest of their group.

Coming out of her slight shock, the zookeeper skittered over to Jack and promptly removed him from the small animal. A quiet whimper escaped the fox's now unclamped jaw. "I'm so sorry! He is startled by loud noises and gets skittish and jumpy. He honestly meant no harm."

Jack gave a nod of understanding. "Lots of animals are."

The fox, after the heavy pressure was relieved form its body, rose to its paws, and trotted over to circle the keeper's legs. Its ears lay close to its skull and tail tucked tightly between its legs, and looked to the small group with big eyes and bowed head.

Raf, once 'Bee deemed him ok, walked over to kneel by the timid animal. Presenting his palm once again to it, he made soft comfort noises. "Shhhh, its ok, I'm not mad." Looking between the hand and his face, the fox moved forward to nuzzle the presented hand, and with a bright smile, Raf scratched behind its ears.

"I believe that all has been settled. Let us move on to our next destination." Optimus stated as he glanced at the fidgeting Miko. Raf looked back at the autobot leader with a wide grin and brisk nod, and slowly got up so as to not further scare the timid fox. They made their way through the rest of the exhibit before exiting the grotto.

"Now that we got that experience under our belts, lets head on over to the nocturnal exhibit! I heard that they have a panther!" 'Bee exclaimed as they made their way to said exhibit.

The 'Nocturnal Nightmare' (as the sign stated) was in a large enclosed dome. As they made their way through, Optimus was enthralled at the differences in features that the night creatures possessed in comparison to the animals that were alert in the day time hours.

They worked their way through the dark and shadowy corridors, peering into the black light lit terrariums. They saw many different creatures, from large snakes and spiders (Miko absolutely freaked) to bats, raccoons and owls. "There it is! The panther cage! I wonder if we'll get to see it." Raf exclaimed as they neared the end of the section. The cage consisted of a large pane of glass separating the viewers from the jungle-like setting, glowing faintly in a shade of purple from the black light overhead. Pacing down a fallen tree trunk, the large feline gracefully descended onto the lowest part of the exhibit. Seeming not to notice the approaching and observing spectators. Jack watched the linth form leap from the base of the tree trunk to a patch of clear floor near the glass pane, utterly fascinated by its confident movements.

As the rest of the group stood fixated on the beautiful form of the large panther, Raf made his way to the information display. "This says that this panther was born wild and raised for around a year with its mother before she was shot by poachers, and he was taken to be sold on the black market. Apparently PETA had busted that branch and he was injured in the process. The wounds were too bad for him to be released into the wild again, so here he is. It says that if it weren't for the injuries, he wound have been able to go back. He is pretty old for a panther. They usually only live around ten to twenty years, but this one is twenty-six. I feel kind of sorry for him. Not being able to go back to the place you grew up in, and all that, must have been tough."

Jack got a sad look on his face. He knew how hard it was to lose a parent. He may not have had to give up his home, but he still understood part of the pain that it must have felt. He placed his hand on the glass, and sent an apologetic look in the large animal's direction. Almost as if it felt his stare, the panther glanced directly at him and laid its ears down close to its skull before it padded over to a place in front if the young ebon haired boy. The two sets of eyes met and held each other's gaze.

The others stared on in astonishment and awe at the sight of the two figures. Now that the large was closer to the small group, they see haw large this animal really was. The elegant feline's head came up to Jack's shoulder, easily inclining its head to confidently hold the young boy's gaze.

With a powerful rumble of a purr, the cat's ears came to an upright, alert position, giving the ebon feline a regal and noble pose before bowing its head and retreating into the dense foliage.

A small pleased smile graced Jack's features before it dissolved into a sad frown. He had seen the pain in the feline's features, but had also seen the healed scars. It was happy here, but it held a distant hope for… Something. He didn't know what, he couldn't name it. He knew the oldest pain in the powerful cat's scars. This brought Jack's thoughts to his own past. There was a slight pain that he had been unable to heal at his own pace, but was proud of his accomplishments that he was able achieve due to his own mental strength. A more determined smile surfaced as he turned to his friends.

"Dude! You just had, like, a connection with that cat! That's totally wicked!" Miko exclaimed, the faces around the group mirroring Miko's own to different degrees.

"It just gave off a vibe. Something I felt I could connect to. Nothing special."Jack explained as he went to examine the information display.

"Jack, you should take pride in the connection you made. You may never know how much something you find you can do will affect not only you, but others around you. Now, let us move on. I personally wish to view a few more of the other exhibits before the zoo stadium show." Optimus stated before moving to continue through the rest of the building.

They exited the nocturnal exhibit and continued on to the next set of animal exhibits. The time passed quickly, and they had made their way to the zoo stadium. When they got to the designated area for the show, there were only about two dozen people sitting in the stands. Bumblebee looked around in speculation "uh… This has got to be the smallest 'stadium' I have ever laid optics on."

Jack had to agree. The stadium floor was only about thirty feet in diameter. Not exactly stadium worthy, but more like an outdoor stage. The stands only went four rows up, but he guessed that being such a small town, it didn't need much more.

They made their way to a set of available seats towards the front as zoo keepers brought out the variety of animals that the guests would get the opportunity to feed. The first of the animals was a large grizzly bear, its burly shape hobbling after its keeper. It was soon followed by a raccoon, lynx, boa constrictor, a very small alligator, parrot, and finally, the very same panther that the small group had seen earlier that day.

"Dude! That's your panther! You should totally go try and feed it when they start the show!" Miko exclaimed excitedly.

"My panther? I hardly think that sharing a moment with it makes it mine, but I think I will. I mean, how many people can say they helped feed a full grown panther?" Jack replied as he looked with interest at the large ebon feline.

The zoo keepers worked their way from the smallest of the assorted animals to the largest, asking anyone in the audience if they wanted to come and pet the animal that was being shown at the time.

They had worked their way methodically up until they got to the two largest animals, the grizzly bear and the panther. When they called to see who wanted to come and try to feed the large bear, Jack was mildly surprised that no one in the audience volunteered. No one, except Miko. She waved her hand excitedly and bounced slightly in her seat. With a kind smile, the zoo keeper gestured for the young Japanese girl to come to the stadium floor.

She quickly made her way down to the bear's handler who handed her a slice of raw beef. She got a wide grin on her face as she turned to present the food to the enormous creature. The burly bear snorted loudly before lunging for the piece of meat, lightly snagging on the tip of Miko's finger before she could pull away. She yelped and popped her index finger into her mouth to sooth the slight pain that sprung from the digit. The zoo keeper was by her in an instant. "Are you OK?"

He pulled the finger out and he examined the deep slit down the pad of her finger. It spanned from tip to first knuckle joint, a stream of blood leaking from the wound.

A wide grin split her face. "It's totally cool! I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me, it was just an accident." She exclaimed good naturedly as she scratched the large bear behind one of its found, fluffy ears. The keeper nodded with a smile before removing a small first aid kit from his pocket to dress her tiny wound. She stood slowly before turning to head back to her seat.

Optimus had checked her minute injury himself before allowing her to return to her seat. The zoo keeper had moved onto the final animal, the large ebony panther. A small smile graced Jack's features as he rose to his hand once the keeper called for volunteers to feed the enormous feline.

He worked his way over to the center of the floor. He turned to look at the black cat, and out of the corner of his eye he noticed a young boy move nervously towards the huge feline. Jack turned with as calming a smile he could produce, and offered his hand to him. With a grateful smile, the boy accepted the out stretched hand as the older male guided him to the ebon panther's side. A small hesitant hand reached up to stroke down the broad and rippling muscles that were packed under the taught, fur-clad skin. The huge span of skin marred by four claw marks that stretched from its shoulder blades down to the bend in its forelegs.

The panther slowly turned its massive head to lock gazes once again with Jack. The ebon feline's other shoulder was marked with similar scars as its twin, and He had to wonder where they came from…

Optimus was not familiar with animal expressions, but he was very sure that the main emotion he could define on the feline's face was… Respect. He made a mental note to look into the intelligence levels of the other of earth's indigenous life forms.

The young boy backed off a bit as the ebon feline turned until it was face to face with Jack. It began a the low rumble deep in its chest again as it reared up on its hinged legs, and placed its large paws on the ebon haired teen's shoulders.

He looked mildly startled for a moment, but it soon disappeared into as brave a face he could muster, staring intently into the black panther's eyes.

No one moved. All was silent as the ebon cat seemed to peer into Jack's very soul.

The boy didn't know how or why, but it was almost as if he knew that it was testing him, measuring him, judging him. He could almost feel it probing his inner-most thoughts and emotions, seeing if he was… What? If he was strong enough, pure enough… For what? He didn't know, and he didn't have much time to contemplate this as the enormous cat closed its slitted eyes and nodded. It then reopened them and inclined its head in the slightest as if it were asking permission. He didn't know what for, but he had a feeling in the center of his chest, a reassuring pressure, pushing him to except whatever it was that this being had to offer.

Coming to his final decision, Jack nodded in the affirmative before straitening his back and trying to prepare himself for what he instinctually knew would hurt, and closed his eyes as the panther nodded once more in confirmation.

The ebon feline then threw its head back, and with a heart-wrenching roar, it raked its claws down Jack's arms, easily ripping through the thin fabric, deep into the soft skin and muscle tissues. Its long sharp claws tearing deep grooves from his shoulders to his elbows, leaving scars similar to its own.

A pained grunt was the only indication that Jack even felt the tear of his flesh. His face remaining in its stony expression, eyes closed, mouth set in a firm line of determination, his stance still as powerful and dignified as before, he opened his eyes to see the cat.

Backing up about four feet, the panther locked gazes once again with the teen before dipping its head low to the ground in what looked to be a bow. Jack bent at the hip and returned the respectful gesture as he murmured a quiet "Thank you" and returned to his previous position. The panther, bringing its head back up, nodded before turning and heading out the side entrance to the stadium that it entered in.

No one moved, or even breathed through the spectacle, too entranced at the intense aura that hung in the air.

And then the moment ended, and everything bursting into a tame sort of chaos. Optimus and 'Bee along with one of the zoo keepers rushed forward to Jack as two others took off after the recently departed panther. All Jack could do as they dressed his new wounds, was stare at the exit that the panther had used, wondering what had truly transpired between him and the animal. Jack heard nothing, didn't feel the hands as they cleaned the blood from his arms and wrapped them in gauze, nor did he hear the multiple times that Optimus tried to gain his attention.

"…ck!... ack!... Jack... Jackson! Look at me!" Optimus exclaimed as he tried to turn the teen's head to face him.

Jack blinked a few times as he seemed to regain his senses. "What? I… I'm sorry. I … I guess I spaced out there for a moment. What were you saying?"

Optimus's features held more than a little concern as Jack finally seemed to acknowledge his presence. "Jackson, are you alright?"

The teen's gaze flitted back to the exit for a second before returning to Optimus.

"I think so…" It surprised the ebon haired boy at how strong his voice was, even though he felt like collapsing were he stood. He wasn't physically tired, though he just supported the weight of a full grown panther for who knows how long, but was mentally so.

Optimus had narrowed his eyes speculatively, then nodded before wrapping his arm around the teen's shoulders and guiding him to the group of friends that had at some point gathered at the main entrance.

They made their way back through the park and stopped at the food court to pick up some lunch for the three teens. Miko and Raf had picked up some hotdogs and a couple bags of chips, while Jack was perfectly fine with a salad and a bag of sunflower seeds. He had had enough of junk food working at the KO Drive thru, thank you very much. The small anchorage sat at a round table near a fountain surrounded by a flock of crows and other black birds.

As they were eating, a few got up the nerve to approach the group. They had finished off the main parts of their meals, and were snacking on the sides that each had chosen.

Raf got up and slowly went to sit on the side of the fountain, and was practically swarmed by the flock of birds. Most staying at his feet, while a few landed on his arms and shoulders. With a giggle, Miko took out her phone and got a pic of him to show 'Bulk back at Base. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, she rushed over to sit next to the young genius, disturbing the flock temporarily before settling back on both their shoulders.

"Jack, why don't you go join them?" Optimus suggested.

A small smile lit his face as Jack nodded and casually strolled over to take a place next to Raf, his appearance not nearly as startling to the birds as Miko's was, and a few of then settled themselves on his shoulders as well, one even going so far as to take up residence on top of his head. The other two giggled as the girl took another picture.

Jack still had around half a bag of his seeds left, and decided to reward to birds for being so entertaining. Hand delving deep into the bag, he brought out a generous fist full before tossing it into the small sea black feathered bodies. They all went nuts, the few of the children excitedly flying into the fray, leaving a few small scratches on the children in their outburst. Jack continued to toss fist-fulls of seeds into the flock of birds until his bag was empty, and gathered back onto the teens (the same one reclaiming its previous post on Jack's head). The others laughed again, and the ebon haired tee showed off a playful pout as he gave the two younger teens a half-hearted glare.

They played with the birds for a while more before departing the zoo and making the trip back to Base. Apart from Jack's scars, they had a very pleasant day in Optimus's opinion, and was not surprised in the least when the oldest teen, which he carried in his cab, had fallen asleep not five minutes into the ride.

Autobot Base

Ratchet was astounded with the samples of Airachnid's venom that he had obtained. It wasn't that the cocktail of chemicals dissolved what it touched; it absorbed it, and then mutated it into a different cocktail completely. Discovering this interesting fact, he divided the sample into smaller vials that he could test different substances in to see if he could find one that would counteract the venom's deadly sting, or even better, neutralize it.

He had added several different substances to each new vial, and saw that it didn't stop mutating, even after it had changed into a new cocktail. Apparently there were strange nanites in the acidic venom that converted some substances into the best combinations of the provided materials.

Then a random thought hit him. What if the nanites could be removed from the harmful chemicals that it was administered in… Then put into a different substance combination to help neutralize the original chemical cocktail? A smile flew across his face as he set to work on the self appointed task.

-three hour later-

The medibot's surprises simply would not stop that day. It had taken some work, but he managed to filter out the nanites into a large vial. It was amazing. The microscopic machines had produced their own substance that allowed them to become more mobile. He placed a cap on the vial to prevent them from escaping. HE didn't need the little bots flying around the base. There was no telling what they would do. While so generated liquid for movement, others used gasses. He had to admit, Airachnid was one clever bot… err, con… Whatever.

He was brought out of his musings by the proximity alarm. HE placed the large vial of nanites on the examination berth while he checked the scanners.

"Special agent Fowler, what honor do I owe this pleasure?" asked the medibot with a hint of good-natured sarcasm.

"Well, looky here, the doc bot is finally gaining a sense of humor. Anyway, where's Prime? The higher ups need some paper work done on the cover-up of the spider-bot's crash site." The Native American asked as he made his way down the steps to the ground floor.

"I'm sorry Agent Fowler, but Optimus, along with Bumblebee and the children have gone out to observe the other native species of your planet at a 'zoo'." The medibot informed him as he went to the main terminal. "In fact, it looks as though you are in luck. They are just now arriving back."

The Autobot leader and scout pulled into the base a few moments later. The minute Jack stepped out of Optimus, Ratchet was on him. "Jack! What in the name of the Allspark happened?"He exclaimed as he gripped one of the onyx haired teen's arms to further examine it.

"It's nothing, Ratch. Really! It doesn't even hurt any more. It stopped bleeding on the way back!" the oldest teen tried (and failed) to console to frantic medic.

The red and white bot sputtered. "Get into med bay! I need to check the other two!"

Raf and Miko Flashed looks of nervous apprehension to each other before the girl took off in a random direction. Raf, not as spontaneous as the exchange student, looked at Ratchet with a wary smile. "It's Ok Ratch. I've been taken care of. Optimus an 'Bee did all that was needed." All through the reassurance, the medibot was inspecting the small bite on the young genius's arm, muttering missing something in the dressing of the wound.

"Even so, it would be wise to follow Jack so I can properly inspect it. Now, where is Miko? I saw the bandage on her hand."

Said girl was nowhere to be seen. That is until Optimus spotted movement behind the main console, and silently pointed out as such to the medic. With a grateful nod, the red and white bot quietly made his way to said console before unceremoniously plucking the girl from behind, and proceeding to the med bay to examine her as well.

"If this is how you all come back from this kind of outing, I don't think it would be wise to go back unless absolutely necessary. Why would humans go to view such dangerous creatures? They could have done far worse!" The red and white medibot ranted as he stepped into his area of the base.

"It's not that bad Ratch! Really! We're fine! Scratches and bites happen, and we are more than capable of healing over time. " Jack tried to reassure the medibot that was now scooping all three of the children into his arms to deposit them onto the large berth.

Not seeming to hear the statement, the CMO set to inspecting and redressing all of the children's wounds. As Ratchet worked, Raf turned to see the large vial of half silver-blue liquid and half white fog. He glanced up at the large bot attending to his friends to see if he was paying attention before he walked over to the vial. It was about as big as his torso. He knelt down to further inspect the container and its contents.

"Hay, Ratch! What's in this Vial?" The boy genius enquired.

The red/white bot glanced over as he was rewrapping on of Jack's arms. "That is a high concentration of nanobots that I extracted from the venom we retrieved from Airachnid's crash site."

"Hmmm… Why is it both a liquid and a gas? Shouldn't it be a powder?" The young genius inquired as he continued to examine the container.

"It has to do with the substances they secrete naturally, if you would be so kind as to bring it to me please?"

"Sure Ratch." As the boy did as such, Miko came up to the vial that was now at the red/white bot's side."It looks so cool! What does it actually do? I mean, shouldn't it dissolving the glass and polymer compound cap? " The inquisitive girl looked around when there was no answer, all of them looking at her with different levels of curiosity and disbelief. "What? I may be a silly fan girl, but that doesn't mean I don't listen or am stupid. I saw what that stuff did to Arcee."

The looks of confution cleared a bit, and Ratchet explained. "The chemicals that were given to the nanites were what did the destruction. The nanites themselves take the microscopic bases of each provided substance and takes the most useful of each, then combines them to get all affects that are needed."

"Oh," Was her brilliant response. "Well that makes more sense."

Ratchet finished up his examinations and took the children in one hand and the vial in to the other. He began to bend down to deposit the kids on the ground, and then everything seemed to go into slow motion. Ratchet's hand was still several yards from the ground, and Miko, having lost her balance in the shift, grabed for Jack and Raf. Then to try to regain his own balance Raf grabbed for one of the giant curled digits. Jack, going on instinct, tried to keep Miko and Jack from hitting the ground first and flipped so he was under her. Ratchet tried to do three things at once. He had to keep hold of Raf and the vial, and stop Miko and Jack from what could be an injury inflicting collision with the ground. HE could only do two as it seemed. He dropped the vial and caught the falling teens and gad them on the ground with Raf in a split second. The Vial fell and smashed onto the floor not three feet from the children, splashing them with the silvery-blue liquid, and the nanites infused fog filling their lungs.

The only thing the kids could do was look to each other in confusion before falling unconscious.

Jack's POV

My world spun, the colors and shapes of the med bay were blurring into a strange, acid trippy world that seemed to deify all logic. Whatever had been in that vile that Ratchet had dropped was slowly expanding its territory from my back and head to my torso and upper thighs, leaving all the nerves in the skin that it toughed oversensitive and on edge, sending wave after wave of white hot heat and pain to what felt like my very soul. My vision was slowly being consumed by a wave of black, and as my consciousness abed, I turned and saw the looks of pain and confusion on Raf and Miko's faces. The strange silvery-blue substance of Ratchet's spattered on their clothing hair. Oh, it hurt. The waves of heat had intensified tenfold, and as I lost the last of my consciousness, I barely registered that the claw marks on my upper arms seemed to hurt more than the rest of my chemical covered body. The last thought to cross my mind as I blacked out was 'I hope Arcee won't be too worried when she gets back.'