|
Post by Perceptor on Feb 22, 2011 19:02:57 GMT -5
Day 2, Medical Bay, open thread. This is for anyone who wants to on-screen their repairs and/or Cosmic Rust inoculations. Please feel free to either post in as entering, or post in as already being there, patiently waiting for attention.
Both the fabricator and the replicator have been getting quite the workout over the last two days. They will need an extensive overhaul once everyone else's repairs have been completed.
Perceptor pats the side of the replicator like an old friend as he withdraws the latest batch of Corrostop, murmuring, "Not much longer, and then you can rest for a bit. And then a full maintenance and rebuild for you. How does that sound?" Yes, he's talking to his tools again. At least they never tell him to speed it up.
Once the latest batch has been added to the rest, he gathers a fresh collection dish and a new scalpel and prepares to take another sample from himself. His own coverage has become... patchy, at best, from all the scrapings and samples he's taken from his own structure in order to circumvent the possibility of sample degradation over repeated replications. Every few samples gets a new master scraping, whose chemistry is compared on a molecular level with those of the samples taken previous, ensuring an appropriate potency of the completed product. It is, perhaps, a little bit slower than if he were simply to replicate enough for a large batch, and then simply copy that ad nauseum, however, it is the safer, surer route, and Perceptor will not skimp on the care and treatment of his fellows.
His own limp is less pronounced today, primarily because he took a moment to inject a variable viscosity lubricant into the damaged joint earlier in the cycle. He will repair it later, once everyone else is fixed. For now, he stoops, bringing his scope to bear on par of his off arm, routing his visual feed through the scope to gather his fresh sample, before transforming long enough to run the analysis on the scrapings.
"Consistency remains cohesive," he murmurs to himself, nodding as he transforms again and adds the sample to the replicator's input slot. Initiating the automated program that he's written to begin production of this latest batch, he turns back to the rest of the medical bay.
"Yes. Well then. Who is next?"
|
|
Slider
Cadet
Unlicensed Redshirt
Posts: 95
|
Post by Slider on Feb 22, 2011 19:29:34 GMT -5
"Uh... Yes, that'd be me, sir."
The voices owner, a white and bronze mech named Slider, was riddled with bullet holes. As he stepped forward faded oil and energon stains could be seen that accompanied the holes, their flow obviously stopped by internal self repair systems. Yet the holes still stubbornly remained.
"I think there might be a problem with your energon dispenser," Slider quickly retrieved an empty energon cube and held it up for the scientist to see, "It's not healing me the way its supposed to. I downed three and I'm still covered in holes... Did I use it right?"
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Feb 22, 2011 21:09:12 GMT -5
Perceptor tilts his head, motioning for Slider to have a seat on one of the unoccupied berths. "Healing you?" he asks, confused. "Maintaining optimal fuel levels will assist our innate self-repair mechanisms, energon, itself, does not, err... heal in a rapid fashion. That is the function of a skilled repair technician."
So, in lieu of that, they get Perceptor. Granted, he's better at it than even a lot of actual repair techs (sometimes MUCH better), but he isn't Ratchet, and his focus had been science - all science - rather than repair. He keeps that firmly in mind, reminding himself of that fact every time his skills seem inadequate to the task at hand.
That is, perhaps, what, more than mere skill itself, that separates him from a true medic: he has never learned the lesson that sometimes, not even skill is enough.
|
|
Slider
Cadet
Unlicensed Redshirt
Posts: 95
|
Post by Slider on Feb 22, 2011 21:49:45 GMT -5
Slider gladly took the free berth closest to the scientist while he placed the container back into subspace. Perceptor's words were an answer to Slider's question, but not the answer he was looking for. It only took a moment of thought for the real truth to dawn on him.
"The energon here must be different than the stuff we use in my reality. A properly prepared enegon cube supercharges the self repair systems."
He paused to look over the damage once more while a frown tugged at the corners of his faceplate, "So what do I do? I don't think that these holes will repair themselves and my shoulder still grinds sometimes when I move it."
|
|
|
Post by Breakaway on Feb 22, 2011 22:07:18 GMT -5
Breakaway, who has a semi-repaired gaping hole in his abdomen from where Duskwing shot him at point-blank range, attempts to sit up in his berth to get a better look at Slider. Perceptor has told him repeatedly not to do this, but the fly-boy has never been one to listen when someone tells him to take it easy.
"You're the guy from the new reality, right?" he calls over, twitching an IV line out of the way of a sensory circuit cluster. "Ratchet in your reality must have a lot of free time. You've got a Ratchet, right?"
Breakaway knows pure Allspark energy can regenerate a 'bot from basically nothing, but he's never heard that about plain old energon. In the back of his mind, he's wondering how he is ever going to live down getting shot down by Duskwing.
|
|
|
Post by Whirligig/Wednesday Gilgamesh on Feb 22, 2011 22:10:43 GMT -5
"Magical repair energon? You're kidding, right?" Whirligig says, lifting his head to look over at Slider. Then something in his neck twinges and his head drops back down. "Ow, hey, I wish it worked that way in this reality!"
Whirligig is already laid out on his own berth, his normal orange replaced with dull grey and charred metal, and he is likely to be there for awhile. Getting knocked about through space by several explosions will do that to you. He kind of wishes he was still out in space. Zero-g is so much more forgiving to melty joints!
He wants to lay a hand dramatically across his forehead and lament the cruelty of gravity, but trying just makes his shoulder spark.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Feb 22, 2011 22:15:23 GMT -5
There is a very quick little flicker of annoyance in Perceptor's expression, which he quickly covers by lifting a hand to rest his chin upon. It was not his intention to imply that the fruits of your efforts are lacking any appropriate efficacy. Merely that the effects are different. That is all. Your energon is just as "proper" as anyone else's.
"Supercharges the self repair systems, you say?" he replies thoughtfully. "How intriguing. This is the first that I have hear of any such technology." Another puzzle to look into. If anything else, being brought to this reality has certainly expanded Perceptor's research horizons immensely!
"Well, the typical remedy for injuries such as those, is manual repair. By a technician." He didn't stutter the first time, did he? "Lie back, and I will examine the damages, please."
|
|
Slider
Cadet
Unlicensed Redshirt
Posts: 95
|
Post by Slider on Feb 23, 2011 0:23:10 GMT -5
Slider looked over the other two 'bots that joined the conversation and suddenly felt a little self conscious. Compared to them he looked like a shiny strait off the assembly line. He couldn't help but wonder why Persceptor wasn't working on them instead.
"Yeah," he answered, "We have a Ratchet and he's usually pretty busy using his repair ray to fix us before we explode. And it isn't magic."
Slider's voice gains a slight tinge of annoyance at Whirligig's comment as he finishes. It also allows him to completely miss the effect his faux pas has on the scientist. He does as told and lays back onto the berth. His optics widen slightly, however, as he once again gleans the full meaning of Perceptor's words.
"You mean you're going to have to cut off the damaged parts?"
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Feb 23, 2011 0:48:24 GMT -5
You will live it down, Breakaway, because Perceptor was nearly disassembled by Duskwing, himself. Duskwing may be stupid, but he is still a vicious Decepticon in battle. "I will employ physical restraints upon you, if you continue to ignore my warnings," he observes absently in Breakaway's direction as he peers down at Slider.
"And the same goes for you," he adds toward Whirligig. "However, the concept of a sort of fortified fuel designed specifically to assist and accelerate self-repair is an interesting one. I shall begin research at the first possible opportunity."
Which, considering how many repairs he will be going on individuals for the foreseeable future? Could be a while. Especially since the fabricator can only do so much at a time, which is why Perceptor is working on Slider while Breakaway and Whirligig wait for new parts to be completed.
"Cut off? Well, if by cut off, you mean remove to repair and then replace, yes, in some cases," he answers Slider. "The smaller holes should be weldable in place. Your shoulder, however, I will need to access to examine to see what the full extent of the damage is, before being able to offer a prognosis or treatment plan. I can assure you that I always disable whatever sensory input that I am able to the affected areas so that--"
"Wait," he interrupts himself. "'Repair ray'?"
|
|
Slider
Cadet
Unlicensed Redshirt
Posts: 95
|
Post by Slider on Feb 23, 2011 6:03:13 GMT -5
Slider shifted uncomfortably on the berth, as if Perceptor's gaze was backed by lasers, not unlike a certain saurian maximal. He'd been operated on before. His field upgrade, the one that changed his very function, had included cutting and slicing and hadn't involved disabling his sensors. Instead of the coming operation, Slider tried to focus on Perceptor's words and question.
"I... I think I'll update my database entry after this is over, if you'd like sir. As far as the ray goes, it's called an energon repair ray. I never got to use one myself, but a friend of mine named Blitzer swore by it. He actually got a kick out of using it to overload the systems of 'cons before jetting back behind our lines to patch us back up."
|
|
|
Post by Breakaway on Feb 23, 2011 9:32:14 GMT -5
"Yes, mother," Breakaway replies flatly to Perceptor. He does lay back on the berth, though. Stupid Duskwing.
"Your reality has the best repair tech! What's the survival rate like in combat?" Because if everyone carries energon cubes that make them regenerate and the medics have healing rays, combat must last practically forever with no-one ever dying, right?
|
|
|
Post by Whirligig/Wednesday Gilgamesh on Feb 23, 2011 11:36:07 GMT -5
"Magic, technology, s'all the same to me if I don't know how it works!" Whirligig says.
He rolls his optics at Perceptor's chastisement and groans. "But I don't wanna lay around like a slab of granite! It's so boring! I need to express myself! Hey, you should turn off the gravity in here, it'd be a lot more comfy."
He wants to clutch his head in half-mimed frustration, but he caaaan't. He settles for knocking the back of his head lightly against the berth with small enough movements not to bother his neck. "Blaaaah."
Whirligig is a terrible inpatient. And also terribly impatient.
|
|
|
Post by Perceptor on Feb 23, 2011 18:14:50 GMT -5
This? Is Perceptor's headtilt. "A repair 'ray' which can also be utilized as a weapon?" That... that sounds suspiciously like some made-up puzzle just to torment Perceptor. This is also his WTF? face. Disbelieving scientist is wary.
Across the bay, there is a rather cheerful little ding from one of the various machines that are churning out replacement parts. Perceptor pats Slider on the shoulder absently as he turns to head over to the fabricator and remove a few shiny new parts. "Any information that you could provide, Slider, would be very much appreciated, yes. And that is not a comfortable concept to consider, Breakaway. Granted, the thought of being able to effect such rapid repairs would be incredibly useful, the limiting nature of damages does place a certain constraint upon combat."
He pauses in his entering of new parameters for the fabricator to work with for the next set of parts and shakes his head. It's a frightening prospect, actually.
"I could always weld your feet to the ceiling until your repairs are complete?" he offers to Whirligig drily as he turns and heads back over toward the orange Autobot's berth with those new parts in hand. "Or perhaps you could call up someone else to express yourself with."
|
|
Skyfire
Major
I'm a scientist, not a....
Posts: 891
|
Post by Skyfire on Feb 23, 2011 19:27:25 GMT -5
Skyfire involuntarily ducks as he steps through the doorway. He doesn't need to; the Event Horizon was built large enough to accomodate even him. It's just a habit from millenia of bonking his head on Cybertron's slightly too-low doorways.
"Ah, I hate to bother you Perceptor, but I've been told to get down here and get properly repaired, now, not next year," he says, waving a hand at the blast hole in his chest. His wings and legs also sport a peppering of laser burns. "I suppose I do need to get my hull back to its normal integrity if I'm to scout properly, but I can manage light duty now that my power main has been spliced. Really, I can wait."
|
|
Slider
Cadet
Unlicensed Redshirt
Posts: 95
|
Post by Slider on Feb 23, 2011 21:01:44 GMT -5
"Roughly a 30% mortality rate for both sides," Slider replied flatly with all the certainty of somebody that heard the battle reports coming over his radio, "Ours jumped up to 80% when the Decepticons got a hold of dark energon. Both sides learned to just take out anything capable of repairs first..."
While Perceptor might not have considered himself a Ratchet, every little bit helps. In this case an absent pat and a few encouraging words about a familiar subject do a great deal to dissipate Slider's darkening mood and nervousness.
"I will sir," he affirms as he turns to look at the large newcomer.
|
|