His processor ache quickly progressed into a processor migraine. Optimus rolled to his side, trying to find a position that wouldn't cause him anymore pain. He fell into a restless recharge, waking six hours later feeling like he had not slept at all. Optimus stood and had to sit back down to ride out the dizzy spell that erupted around him. Once the dizziness passed, he headed out to the main area. Arcee was up at the monitor, talking to Altima, who looked singed and blackened in places. Ratchet stood nearby, not looking too happy about the fact Arcee was out of sick bay. Altima had worried about her aunt.

"The fire is finally under control. There were moments when I thought Griffin Rock was going to be a lost cause." Altima was saying, "It's a good thing that storm came when it did. It was the first time in my life that I was happy to see a storm come in."

"That's good. I am feeling much better, Altima. Have you had those burns of yours treated yet?" Arcee asked.

"That was the first thing Heatwave did when we got back to Fire Station Prime." Altima said, "I see my dad standing behind you."

Optimus came over, "You got hurt?"

"Calm down, its nothing serious." Altima said, "I got hit in the side by a burning branch." She lifted her arm and turned slightly to reveal the brownish welts just above her hip. Ratchet came over for a closer look.

"That's a second degree burn. It's healing well." Ratchet said.

"Besides that one," Altima opened her right hand which had a brownish streak across it, "This is my other burn. I had to save Kage and Cody when a burning tree fell over and trapped them."

"That's just a first degree burn." Ratchet said, "It is healing up nicely."

"Any other burns?" Optimus asked.

"No, no other burns, just those two. Heatwave has me stuck inside Fire Station Prime until I heal. I'm fine. Dad, when are you going to tell Ratchet about your migraine?" Altima asked.

"Migraine?" Ratchet and Arcee both turned to Optimus.

"I'm fine." Optimus replied at once.

"No you are not." Altima said, "I know you too well, Dad."

"How long have you had this migraine, Optimus?" Ratchet asked.

"It's been there since I woke up ten minutes ago." Optimus answered, "I'm fine. I get migraines all the time."

"Keep an optic on my dad." Altima said, not voicing what else was now on Ratchet and Arcee's minds.

"You don't think?" Arcee turned to Ratchet.

"I'll keep an optic on him." Ratchet nodded, "You need to get back to my sick bay to rest. You are still recovering from Cyberflu, and I don't need you to get dehydrated again."

"Should I be there?" Altima asked.

"Stay there, sweetspark. We don't want you to catch Cyberflu." Arcee was beginning to feel tired.

"Time to say good bye." Ratchet said.

"Bye, Altima." Arcee said, "I'll talk to you later. Ratchet wants me to sleep some more."

"Okay, bye, Arcee." Altima watched as Optimus took Arcee's place in front of the monitor.

"You were injured." Optimus started.

"I'm fine, dad." Altima interrupted, "My side stings but my hand is okay."

"Will you reconsider going to Alpha Q's school?" Optimus asked, "You will be safer there."

"I'm safe here. Will you please calm down? I couldn't let Cody or Kage die!" Altima's voice rose.

"Altima, I worry about you." Optimus kept his tone calm, "If you insist on putting yourself in danger-"

"I had to save Cody and Kage!" Altima interrupted, "Human lives were at stake!"

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad that you got hurt." Optimus reached up to rub his temples again, "I still say the school would be a better place for you."

"I want to stay here on Griffin Rock. I'm learning here. The Rescue Bots are teaching me how to be a team player which is something I need to learn in order to be a good Prime someday." Altima replied, "I'm also learning how to direct a team on the ground and provide backup. I won't get this at any school. You know that any ship entering and leaving Earth would draw Megatron's attention like a terrorcon to an energon deposit. Dad, will you please see Ratchet about your migraine?"

"I know that, Altima." Optimus said, "I've had migraines before. I know how to deal with it. It will pass."

"You really don't look good, Dad." Altima turned her head, "I'm being called by Dani. I have to go. I'll talk to you again tonight." Altima shut off the monitor and sighed.

Ratchet focused on the paperwork that had piled up while he had been sick. He also kept an optic on the sleeping Arcee. Jack was on the berth next to her, his head buried in a book. Arcee was doing well, and Ratchet planned to discharge her from his sick bay tomorrow morning. He was worried about Optimus and he knew he couldn't force Optimus into his sick bay. Ratchet recalled the Cybonic Plague incident. He remembered how helpless he had felt, watching Optimus fade and knowing there was nothing he could do for him. That had hurt a lot. Bumblebee came in then.

Ratchet, I'm worried about Optimus. Bumblebee admitted, pulling a chair over so he could sit by Arcee, He does not look well at all.

"You know how stubborn Optimus can be." Ratchet replied, "Hopefully this will be nothing and we will have worried for no reason."

"Ratchet, why don't you drag him in here and check him over?" Jack looked up, "If I looked like he does, my mother would march me back to bed."

You do outrank him when it comes to medical emergencies. Bumblebee added.

"Therein lies the problem." Ratchet said, "We are not in a medical emergency."

"What can you do?" Jack asked.

"Nothing." Ratchet sounded disgusted.

It has started with a vehicon getting sick. Then it spread to the Insecticons. When Soundwave became sick, Megatron locked himself into his quarters. Knockout kept him updated at all times. Starscream caught Cyberflu from Soundwave after he was forced to take care of his fellow flyer. Breakdown came down with it next. On his next update, Knockout was wearing thick rubber gloves and a mask. Megatron found himself with a front row seat to Starscream spectacularly purging his tanks projectile style.

"I think I may have to issue a Red Truce to Ratchet for help." Knockout was saying before the interruption from Starscream, "If somebody else gets sick, I'm going to eject myself from the airlock. I have not had any recharge in days."

"I'm not going to help you." Megatron had looked away and forced himself to breathe evenly when Starscream had purged his tanks.

"We all know you are Emetophobic. I wasn't asking, although an extra set of hands would be nice." Behind Knockout, Soundwave used a tentacle to reach for a bucket. Moments later, his drone, Lazerbeak, purged, "And I didn't know drones could get sick. The energon stores are getting dangerously low, and unless you want to starve, somebody better do something about it."

"I'll handle it!" Megatron saw his chance for escape from the ship. Knockout was left staring in amazement at the after image of Megatron as it faded away.

It felt like Solus was forging something behind his optics. The lights felt too bright. His dizziness had returned with a vengeance. Optimus had retreated to his quarters, hoping to get some rest. Recharge refused to come. His body felt like lead. Optimus gave up on trying to rest. He was beginning to feel like he was overheated. Still, he dragged his aching body out to the main room.

"You look terrible." Optimus turned to see June, "One of you go find Ratchet."

Optimus sighed. Bulkhead appeared at his side as Ratchet came out of his sick bay, following Bumblebee. He went straight to Optimus, his scanner out and humming.

"You do know it wouldn't kill you to have actually come to me." Ratchet said, "You've got Cyberflu. I'm admitting you to my sick bay." Optimus opened his mouth to protest, but Ratchet pressed on, "You know how dangerous it is for someone with your condition to get sick like this. I know you think it is nothing more than a small bug, but because of your condition, you can die from a small bug. Cyberflu is no small bug ether."

"What condition?" Bulkhead asked.

"Patient doctor confidentiality." Ratchet retorted, guiding Optimus toward his sick bay. Once inside, he guided his newest patient to a berth. He took Optimus's vitals, and did not like what he was seeing. Optimus's core temperature was high, and his optics was dim. "What symptoms have you had beside the processor migraine?"

"I've been feeling dizzy and tired." Optimus answered.

"Is that all of your symptoms?"

Optimus nodded, and instantly regretted it. His vision swam and he had to close his optics and wait for his equilibrium to come under control. Opening his optics, Optimus settled down onto the berth. He felt Ratchet insert a needle into his arm and inject something. The pounding in his head subsided to a more tolerable level. He felt nausea grip his body.

"Ratchet, bucket!"

Ratchet grabbed a bucket and got it to Optimus, who purged his tanks violently. This did nothing for his processor ache, which in turn did nothing for his nausea. Optimus could not seem to stop purging. Ratchet sat next to him and rubbed his back, the same thing Optimus had done for him. Optimus finally stopped purging after what felt like hours. He had the sensation of Ratchet helping him lay down.

Ratchet took the bucket away to clean it. He was worried. Most of what Optimus had brought up was blood energon. Ratchet collected a sample and returned the bucket to Optimus's side. He prepared his sample and focused on his left optic. There was a soft click and a whir as the optic lens extended out. Ratchet shut his right optic off so he could focus on his sample.

It's Cyberflu, right?" Bumblebee asked, coming in behind Ratchet, Bulkhead is taking Raf and Miko home. June took Jack home.

"Yes, it is Cyberflu." Ratchet reverted his optics to normal, "Optimus is going to get a lot worse before he gets better. Someone will have to be inside Sick bay at all times to keep an optic on him. Bee, go wait for Bulkhead. There is something you need to know."

Bumblebee nodded and left to wait for Bulkhead. Arcee was dozing, but she woke up as Ratchet came to her side. Bumblebee rejoined them with Bulkhead in tow.

"Optimus got it too?" Arcee asked.

"He has it too." Ratchet looked away to gather his thoughts. He cycled his vents softly before speaking again, "What I am about to tell you will not be easy to hear. Remember back when Optimus had Cybonic Plague?"

"How can we forget? Optimus very nearly became one with the Allspark." Bulkhead said.

"Cybonic Plague is a virus belonging in the hooked virus family. Do you know about hook viruses?" Ratchet asked.

Seeing the blank looks on Arcee and Bumblebees faces, Bulkhead explained, "It's a virus that looks like a rope and it has a hook on one side. Cybonic Plague viruses have hooks on both sides. Ratchet showed me the images."

"What is the point?" Arcee asked.

"Hook viruses damage the antivirus system." Ratchet continued, "While the cure stopped the plague virus, it could not repair the damage done."

Ratchet, what are you saying? Bumblebee's optics went wide.

"Optimus lost his ability to fight off viruses to the plague virus. While his body can still mount a defense thanks to the Cyberflu vaccine I dosed us with months ago, his antivirus system is missing a vital component, one that you need to be able to fight off viruses. All I can really do is treat each symptom as it comes." Ratchet explained.

"Can't you fix Optimus's antivirus system?" Arcee asked.

"It's not that simple. I would need to find a donor with the same energon type as Optimus first and that is pretty much impossible, unless Altima is a match. I would have to destroy what is left of Optimus's antivirus system which would leave him very vulnerable to virus attack. Then I would have to do a transplant, using Altima's antivirus system. The transplant itself is a very painful process. Altima may not be a match." Ratchet explained.

"What about one of us?" Bulkhead asked.

"Optimus is a Dynasty Prime. The Dynasty Energon type is very rare. Altima is our best bet. If she is not a match, there is nothing I can do." Ratchet explained.

"Actually, there is someone else." Arcee spoke up, "Optimus is a twin. His twin is Ultra Magnus. Wouldn't Ultra have the same energon type?"

"While Ultra is Optimus's twin, they do not share the same energon type. Ultra does not have the Dynasty energon type." Ratchet answered.

"Ratchet…"

"I'm coming." Ratchet grabbed a bucket and rushed over to Optimus's side. Optimus purged his tanks violently again and again. He groaned as he sat back from the bucket, only to lean forward and go through another round of purging. It seemed like he couldn't stop. He was tired, so tired. He didn't have the energy to keep himself up. Ratchet helped him lay down again. Ratchet went to his counter and prepared another syringe, "Here, this will help." He went to Optimus and injected the contents of the syringe into him. Within moments, Optimus felt the effects of the sedative and entered recharge.

He is so sick. He wasn't this bad when he had Cybonic Plague. Bumblebee pulled a chair over and sat beside Optimus, I'll take the first shift. I can watch Arcee and Optimus. You two need to go get some recharge. I'll wake Bulkhead for the next shift. Ratchet, I'll come get you if there is an emergency.

"That's fine by me. I am going to start a line so I can get fluids into him. We don't need a repeat of what Arcee went through." Ratchet set up the IV as he talked. He and Bulkhead left for their quarters. Bumblebee kept watch over Optimus and Arcee. Arcee was almost completely back to her normal colors. Her pink highlights were still faded. They would darken as she recovered. Bumblebee had hated to see her look so pale and lifeless over the last three days. He turned from Arcee to watch Optimus. It looked like breathing was painful for Optimus. His colors had faded quite a bit. His once bright red was now a dull orangey pink. His once bright blue was now a dull bluish white. Bumblebee sighed. He hated seeing any of his team mates suffering, and Optimus looked like he was in agony. You must hold on, Optimus. Fight hard for Altima.

Bumblebee's mind wandered. Altima was the closest thing he had to a sibling. She was like his little sister. Bee knew Altima would have to be told about her father, but he suspected she already knew. He knew that Altima was connected to the Matrix and could sometimes feel what her father was going through. Back when Optimus and Ratchet had gone to that plague ship where Optimus had gotten Cybonic Plague, Altima had been the first one to realize something was wrong. She had grabbed at her chest and said it felt like she had swallowed fire. As quickly as it had come, the pain had faded. Altima had explained that Optimus was blocking her from sharing in his pain. Bee wondered if Altima was sharing Optimus's pain now, or if Optimus was blocking her from feeling his pain.

Bumblebee rose and stretched. A tone sounded behind him as he turned. Optimus was fighting hard for each breath he took. Bee quickly found and pressed the red button Ratchet had told him to press to alert him to trouble. Arcee woke up and sat up.

"What is wrong, Bee?" she asked.

Optimus is having a lot of trouble breathing. I've called Ratchet. Bumblebee explained.

Ratchet arrived moments later and went to Optimus's side.

"Scrap!" Ratchet swore, "It's in his vents! He can't breathe!" Ratchet rushed to his counter and dug through several drawers, "Where is it?" He muttered, opening up a cabinet and rummaging through it. He found what he was looking for a moment later and filled a syringe, "This will open up his vents and make it easier to breathe. Optimus has the bad version of Cyberflu, the one responsible for nearly 70% of Cyberflu deaths. It's difficult to treat. The usual antivirus does not always help." As he explained, he injected the contents of the syringe into Optimus's IV, "Easy, Optimus. It will take effect in a minute. Breathe as deeply as you can."

"Ratchet, shouldn't Altima be here?" Arcee asked.

"No, it's too dangerous for her to be around Optimus. I will personally update her in the morning. Good, Optimus, that's it, breathe." Optimus's breathing evened out as the medicine took effect, "Feeling better?"

Optimus nodded as he slipped back into recharge. Ratchet sent Bumblebee off to bed and took the next shift. Bulkhead would not be happy about losing his shift. He would understand as it was a medical emergency. Ratchet decided to send Arcee to her quarters to rest. He checked his internal clock. Griffin Rock was three hours ahead and it was only 4:00 in the morning. That made it seven o'clock at Griffin Rock. It would be early, but Altima needed to be informed of her father's condition. Ratchet walked over to the computer inside his sick bay and made the call.

"Good morning, Ratchet!" It was Chase who answered.

"Is Altima around?" Ratchet cut to the chase.

"I'm here, Ratchet." Altima joined Chase at the monitor.

"Altima, I'm calling about your father." Ratchet began.

"I know, Ratchet. He is sick, isn't he?" Altima tensed, waiting for the news she dreaded.

"Optimus is very sick right now. He has Pneumatic Cyberflu. It has gotten into his vents and he has been having trouble breathing. I need your decision. I may have to put him on a ventilator. Do I have your okay for that?"

"You have my okay. Ratchet, how bad is my father?" Altima asked.

"He is dangerously ill." Ratchet hated himself for what he would have to do, "There is something else you need to know. Optimus can't fight off viruses like we can. The Cybonic Plague virus took his ability to fight off viruses away. I'm so very sorry, Altima, but there is a chance that Optimus won't survive."

"I should be there!" Altima cried out, "I should be by his side!"

"Altima, it's too dangerous." Chase said.

"I don't care! Dad needs me! I should be there!" Altima cried.

"Altima, Chase is right. Cyberflu is very contagious. I've already had it as has Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee. The vaccine helped to lessen the severity of the flu, but it did not protect us from getting it. I can't risk you getting sick because I need you healthy. I need you because I need what you have. I need your antivirus system!" Ratchet reasoned, "I can give Optimus back the ability to fight off viruses, by giving him your antivirus system."

"How?" Altima asked.

"I am going to perform an antivirus transfusion. To do this, I will insert a large bore needle into your hip to collect some of your antiviral fluid. I will have to destroy what is left of your father's antivirus system and inject your antiviral fluid into his body. If all goes well, Optimus will develop a new antivirus system. Chase, I need you to have Heatwave run an energon profile on Altima. If she is not a match, this will not work." Ratchet said.

"My father is a Dynasty Prime and the Dynasty energon type is the rarest of all the energon types. It is a recessive trait which is why it is very rare." Altima nodded, "I still think I should be with my dad. He is the only parent I have left."

"I know, Altima. Optimus is a fighter. Even he wouldn't want you to see him like this." Ratchet replied.

"I was there for him when he had Cybonic Plague." Altima responded, "How is this any different? How will you live with yourself if my dad dies and I did not get the chance to say good bye?"

"Cybonic Plague is transmissible through infected energon." Ratchet stood his ground, "I let you be with him until he started bringing up infected energon. Cyberflu is very different. It is transmissible through the air. Altima, please, if you get sick, I won't be able to save Optimus. If Cyberflu does not kill him, the next virus will."

"Ratchet…"

"I still think I should be there." Altima said.

"I'm coming. I'll talk to you later, Altima." Ratchet signed off and turned to rush a bucket to Optimus who purged violently. He shook with the effort of purging so harshly. Ratchet sat next to him, watching him empty his tanks. Optimus stopped bringing up fluid and dry heaved. The dry heaving finally stopped after a while and Ratchet helped Optimus lay down. Optimus looked at him, and his optics dimmed. He shuddered as d Ratchet checked his temperature. Optimus's optics went dark has his body jerked and went still.

"I have to try to cool you down." Ratchet rushed to his counter and dug through the drawers, "Why can't I find anything in here?" He then rummaged through the cabinets, "That's it, as soon as I can; I'm reorganizing my sick bay!" Ratchet returned to digging through the drawers, "Let's see, no, no, no, where is that vial at? I know I can't be out again! Please, Primus, don't make me have to ask Knockout for a Red Truce again!" Ratchet checked his cabinets again, "I'm going to have to do this the old fashioned way." Turning, Ratchet spotted the vial he was looking for on his counter, "Thank the Allspark!" Filling a syringe, he injected the contents into Optimus. He checked Optimus's temperature again, "No change. You are getting worse. Come on, Optimus, I need you to respond to the medication."

"How is he?" Bulkhead asked, causing Ratchet to jump.

"Gah! Bulkhead! For a big guy, you sure do move silently! How long have you been standing there?" Ratchet asked, flustered.

"Only long enough to watch you hunt down that vial." Bulkhead said, "You have got to reorganize your sick bay. I nearly lost Optimus once because I couldn't find the vial of Epinephrine so I could restart his spark. I had to use Atropine and Adrenaline together instead."

"Epinephrine is kept in the bottom right drawer." Ratchet opened the drawer to find it empty, "Make that the other bottom drawer." He checked, pulling out a vial of the drug.

"That wasn't there when I was frantically searching." Bulkhead said, checking Optimus's temperature, "He is burning up."

"I have already started treatment, but he hasn't responded to it yet. I have to wait six hours before I can do more." Ratchet sighed and turned to his counter, "I might as well organize my counter in the meantime."

While Ratchet cleaned, Bulkhead pulled up a chair and sat beside Optimus's berth. He was glad he had agreed to let Ratchet teach him a little bit about medicine. Bulkhead had saved Ratchet's life when Megatron had shot the Autobot medic clean through the chest and nicking his spark chamber. Bulkhead later had saved Optimus's life when Optimus had suffered a bad spark attack that left him out of action for nearly eight months. Ratchet had been out with Bumblebee looking into an energon signature and couldn't be reached, nor could be bridged home. Arcee had contacted Heatwave next, but with the ground bridge down, she couldn't bring Heatwave to them. Heatwave had talked Bulkhead through what to do to keep Optimus from crashing. Bulkhead could handle minor repair and triage which allowed Ratchet to focus on the big stuff. Bulkhead also assisted Ratchet in sick bay when he was needed.

"This has got to be hurting Altima." Bulkhead broke the silence, "She loves her father. She worries about him constantly."

"I know, Bulkhead. Altima has to stay away. I can't afford to have her get sick. I need her because I plan to give Optimus back his ability to fight off viruses. Do you know what a transfusion is?" Ratchet asked.

"I know what it is. I understand that, but this has got to be killing her inside. Remember when Optimus got sick with Cybonic Plague? You about had to surgically remove her from Optimus's side when you had to move him into quarantine. Altima refused to leave the isolation room window." Bulkhead said.

"I had to sedate her to get her to rest. She even refused to eat." Ratchet answered.

"Thank Primus Jack made her get some energon to eat." Bulkhead remembered, "Altima was the first one through the door when you said it was safe to visit Optimus again."

"Sparkling Femes tend to bond closely with their father over their mother. I thought Altima would bond closer to Elita then to Optimus because she was eight weeks old when she finally got to meet Optimus for the first time. Even I didn't expect the change in Optimus's condition. We all were prepared to remove life support that day. Even now as I look back, I'm amazed at how well Optimus recovered from his severe burns." Ratchet recalled the attack by Decepticon suicide bombers on capital tower that had killed so many and left many others badly injured. Optimus had been standing on the helicopter pad with Alpha Q when a Decepticon suicide bomber crashed into the floor above them, raining down burning debris. Optimus had shoved Alpha Q out of harm's way only for a burning pylon to crash upon him.

"Ratchet…"

"I'm coming." Ratchet rushed over with a bucket. He had to help Optimus sit up. Optimus purged his tanks violently. Ratchet watched worriedly as Optimus shuddered through some dry heaving before purging energon. This was not good at all. Optimus was essentially vomiting blood. The purging came to an end as Optimus sank back to the berth, his breath coming in harsh gasps.

His processor migraine was still going strong. His body throbbed along with the beat of the migraine. His throat felt raw from the purging. He shivered from the fever, and the nausea was not going to leave him any time soon. All he wanted was to slip into a deep recharge. His body refused to rest. Optimus was tired of being sick. His mind wandered to Altima. She had to be worried about him. He refused to let her feel what he was feeling. A feeling of love entered his spark. Altima was reaching out to him, trying to help in any way she could. Optimus knew Altima would gladly suffer his sickness for him. He felt some of his pain vanish as Altima took it away from him. Along with his pain, his nausea faded a little bit. Optimus knew it wasn't gone, only being masked by Altima. This allowed him to slip into the recharge he craved.

"Ratchet, I ran a profile on Altima's energon. She is a perfect match. Altima is a Dynasty Prime just like Optimus is." Heatwave had contacted Ratchet. Beyond Ratchet, the red fire truck transformer could see Optimus. It looked like Optimus's recharge was peaceful. Altima stood beside him.

"Thank the Allspark. That brings us to our next problem." Ratchet said, "I can't bring Altima here with the Cyberflu going on. I can't bridge myself to you without exposing you to Cyberflu."

"I could harvest some of her antivirus fluid here and leave it somewhere for you to pick up." Heatwave offered.

"That could work. You won't be exposed that way. Okay, I'll let you know when to do the harvest. I need to get Optimus well first before I can do what needs to be done." Ratchet said.

"Ratchet…"

"I'm coming!" Ratchet turned and rushed to Optimus's side, grabbing a nearby bucket as he did. He had to help Optimus sit up and hold him up as he began another round of violent purging. Ratchet could feel the heat coming off of Optimus.

"Dad needs me there." Altima hated watching her father suffer, "He needs me!"

"Altima, I know this is hurting you, but you can't go. It is too risky." Ratchet replied.

"You are not coming here. It is not just the Cyberflu. It is also because of Megatron, who has not forgotten that you escaped from him." Ratchet reminded.

"Stay… away…" Optimus managed to raise his head, "Do not… worry… Altima…" He slumped against Ratchet, the very act of speaking leaving him weak. His optics flickered, flared, and slowly went dark.

"Optimus, save your strength." Ratchet turned to his patient, "Optimus? No, don't do this to us!" He carefully laid his patient down on the berth and rushed over to the computer.

"Wait, what happened?" Altima asked.

"Later!" Ratchet snarled, shutting off the monitor before rushing to stick his head out of the door to sickbay, "Bulkhead, I need you now!"

"What is happening?" Miko found herself nearly thrown onto the raised platform where the kids usually stayed.

"Something is wrong with Optimus." Bulkhead charged toward sickbay, "Bee, Arcee, stay out here."

Ratchet rushed back to his patient. Bulkhead joined him seconds later.

"Optimus is dangerously overheated. He has not responded to the medication aimed at breaking the fever." Ratchet explained, "I have to try to cool him down!"

"Do you want me to start filling the dry ice packs?" Bulkhead asked.

"Do it." Ratchet had already prepared several of the bags earlier. He grabbed the bags and placed one on Optimus's forehead. He placed the other two bags on Optimus's body. Bulkhead brought him two more bags and he added those to Optimus's body. Ratchet injected a higher dose of the medication he had used before into Optimus's IV. Bulkhead finished filling the ice bags and brought them to Ratchet who added them to Optimus's body. All they could do now was wait and hope the treatment plan would work. It had to work. Ratchet wished he were home on Cybertron in his beloved hospital. He knew that he would be able to treat Optimus far better than he could here in his tiny sick bay. Already, his supplies were running low on several medications, and barely having enough energon to mix those medicines only added to the strain on supplies. Ratchet was thankful that the Rescue Bots had found a rich seam of Energon on Griffon Rock that now supplied half their energon supplies, and Boulder was in the process of mapping out a second seam. Blades had made sure Megatron would not catch a whiff of the find with his creation of the Signature that masked any and all tracings of energon, leaving an area 50 miles square free of energon signatures.

Ratchet kept an optic on Optimus's temperature. After an hour of all but freezing Optimus, his temperature began to drop. Ratchet had considered taking Optimus to the Artic for a few hours to try to cool him down. He had also contacted Altima and explained what happened.

"So, do you think he can hear us?"

"For the last time, Optimus is not in a coma! Stasis lock and coma are two different things!"

"Are you sure about that Ratchet? I thought stasis lock was the same thing as a coma."

"A stasis lock is a medical intervention to allow a Transformer to heal. A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness brought about by injury or illness, Bulkhead. Arcee, he can't hear you. A stasis lock is like being in suspended animation."

"Suspended animation? What's that?"

"Well, Miko, it is like this. You can't move, see, hear, think, or do anything. You are totally dependent on your caregivers."

"Raf, I think that is locked in syndrome."

"Isn't it the same thing?"

"No, it is not. Stasis lock means all nonessential systems are brought to a stop. The only systems kept active are those vital to life. It is used to give a transformer the best chance possible to survive. Ratchet can't awaken my dad with medicine. Dad has to come out of it on his own. This can take a long time. The longest known stasis lock happened to a bot named Hound. It lasted 4 million years."

"Thank you, Altima, for explaining. Hound said he could hear bots talking the entire time he was under. Other bots who have gone through stasis lock have said that they could hear their family and friends talking too. I think Optimus can hear us."

"Is it just me, or did my dad's finger move?"

"Ratchet, is he coming out of it?"

"That is just a muscle spasm. The nerves have had no activity, and due to that inactivity, the nerves begin to twitch which causes the muscle to spasm."

"Are you sure? There! It happened again!"

"I'm sure. Altima, you can sit by your dad, even hold his hand, if you want."

"Can I talk to him?"

"That too. Anything may trigger the ending of the stasis lock. Miko, I know that look. Your music won't help this time."

"Music? I have an idea. My dad used to sing me to sleep with our lullaby, called Altima's Song. May I sing it now?"

"Go ahead."

"In the place where Primus smiles down,

Turn around that frown.

Follow the day lord into the light,

Even though it is dark tonight.

For your next part,

Seek the Great Ones lonely heart,

Even though you got the yawns,

Locate the last gleaming rays of the primordial dawn.

Finally, seek the diamond of ages

Deep in these pages.

All together you have Primus's Legacy."

Optimus felt like his optics were weighted down with lead. He could not seem to awaken. Hound had once told him that during his four million year stasis lock, he had days where he felt so close to awakening. The other thing he had to contend with was the boredom. So far, Optimus had not been bored out of his mind. Altima had made sure of that. He felt her sit next to him and take his left hand. He longed to close his fingers around her hand. If he could only awaken…

The feeling of lead upon his optics faded. Optimus closed his hand around Altima's hand. He opened his optics to see her concerned face looking down upon him. He hated himself for having made her worry.

"Dad?" Altima asked.

"Altima, it's okay, I'm here." Optimus's voice cracked from disuse.

"Don't talk, Dad. Rest. You have been through a lot over the last three weeks. You have a working antivirus system again. Ratchet performed a transfusion using fluid from my antivirus system. We are a match. I am a Dynasty Prime just like you are." Altima smiled, "I went through a mild bout of Cyberflu too after coming here."

"She was sick as a terrorcon all morning, than by the evening, she was keeping energon down and acting normal." Ratchet explained, "She only purged once."

"I stayed with her." Arcee added, "Altima recovered pretty fast."

"What can I say? I don't stay down long." Altima smiled, "My burns are all mostly healed. My hand is fine. Ratchet debrided my burn on my side twice. It is almost completely gone." Altima rose and lifted her arm to reveal the fading brown streak on her side, "It hurt the first time. The second time Ratchet put me out."

"She was quite the trooper." Ratchet added, "She never screamed. She winced a lot. For the second time, I gave her a mild sedative. She should heal without further complications. For you, it will take time. You are going to have problems with your equilibrium. I am keeping you berth bound for three more days. The cyberflu has left your systems. In about two to three weeks, you should be close to being combat ready."

"Altima, I have known you are a Dynasty Prime since you were young." Optimus focused on his daughter, "Like me, you carry a piece of Primus within your spark. Like me, you are connected to the Matrix."

"I've suspected, but I'm glad to finally know for sure." Altima replied.

Beyond her, Arcee shoed the other Autobots out of sick bay, staying by the door until Optimus signaled her to leave. Altima looked at her father questioningly.

"I did not know what I was and what I would become." Optimus began.

"You were a librarian working under Alpha Trion, and you were raised by Alpha Q. You met Megatron, than known as Megatronus, when he came in to find an advanced trigonometry disk. You helped him find what he was looking for. Megatron loved math and numbers. He had just become a math professor at the academy." Altima remembered, "You told me this before."

"Megatronus and I became good friends. We both knew the government was corrupt. Like most Transformers, we naively believed that when Sentinel Prime returned, he would put things right." Optimus continued.

"But the corruption ran too deep. Sentinel couldn't put everything right. He did try his hardest. War was inevitable. I know all this already." Altima said, "What are you getting at?"

"I have had a lot of time to do some serious thinking. I have decided to train you to be the next Prime myself. Your training will begin as soon as I'm fully recovered." Optimus replied.

"Don't I get a say in the matter? What if I don't want to be the Prime? What then?" Altima asked.

"Well, it is your birthright for one thing. It is not like I can choose someone else." Optimus answered, "I know where you are coming from. Being Prime was something I never wanted. I was quite happy with my lot in life. Now, I wouldn't trade being Prime with anyone. It is a part of who I am. It is a part of you too."

"What if the Matrix decides I'm not worthy?" Altima felt her chest heat up with love and an undertone of laughter. It was as if the Matrix was chiding her for her question, "Could it pick someone else if it had to?" Again, the feeling of love filled her. "So if the Prime Dynasty dies out, you go dark forever. A new Matrix will be generated for the new Dynasty. I see. Dad, you may train me. You are right. It is my birthright. I only hope that I will be as good as you are."

It did take a lot of time for Optimus's equilibrium to come back. For the first week, he had to have someone nearby at all times to catch him should he fall. Optimus lost count on how many times he nearly face planted the floor. Arcee spent two weeks staying with Optimus in his quarters so he would have help during the night. Altima returned to Griffon Rock after giving Megatron a new scar and leaving Starscream without wings. This frustrated Megatron and for a short time, he had Soundwave try to find her. Soundwave returned to finding the Autobots base after confirming that Altima was not on earth thanks to a trick pulled off by Blades and Ratchet to throw the spymaster off her trail. Everything was back to normal at last.

Queen Sunstar: Thus ends Sick. I am still working on In the Eyes of an Innocent. I plan to start work on an extended cut of Sick Mind with Altima involved. This time, Megatron is not in a coma. He does still know the cure for the plague. There will be other changes too. Also in the works is a yet to be titled piece in which the Matrix is shattered, its seven shards scattered over Earth. Without the Matrix, Optimus is left in a coma. Before slipping under, Optimus names Jetfire to be Prime. Five Autobots and five Decepticons end up stranded on Earth in a four million year sleep. The first shard is found in the first battle against the Decepticons. Altima is in this one too. Ciao for now!