Mind Your Business 14

A painful ache throbbed in her helm. Groaning in pain first, the adrenaline rushed back, and Ballast jerked.

Ignoring the pounding pain centered on the left of her forehead, Ballast's in takes hitched when she found herself immobilized. She was on a slab, arms lifted above her helm and lashed down with steel wire ropes. She was also cuffed, a chain leading from the cuffs to the floor. Her hips and right leg were also tied down with the steel wire ropes, and she could taste the metallic rope in her mouth too, effectively gagging her.

Grunting, Ballast strained against the bonds. Jerking and straining with the full force of her body, Ballast felt the steel ropes cutting into her wrists and elbows, and she snarled behind her gag. Her optics stared at the ceiling in anger and growing fear.

She was caught. Spark beginning to gallop in her chassis, she realized she wasn't going to be able to get out of this one by herself. She'd been tied down by steel wire ropes only once in her life, and it was the one time she had been beaten. That kind of material was for hauling elevators, suspension bridges, the most heavy duty things. Her left leg still seized uselessly, and she cursed the gears that had been knocked out of alignment. She jumped involuntary when she heard footsteps.

She heard his dark chuckle, and a chill ran up her spine, unnerved by the familiarity of the voice and the chilling intent it held. "Oh Ballast. I thought you would never wake up, my dear."

Her mouth bit her gag tighter, and she took this moment to look around her prison. It looked like a warehouse. Just a random warehouse. She could see boxes stacked high in storage, and the one, dim light inside needed replacing. Was she on a medical slab? Was it some medic's storage room? The twin Optimus stepped into sight, and Ballast futilely realized she couldn't see the entrance from where she was. Her pulse pounded in her throat, and her fists clenched defensively.

His optics raked over her, and the double clicked his glossia, shaking his helm. "You shouldn't have trusted me so much, Ballast," he said on a fake sigh. "You let me know what your weaknesses were. It was so, SO easy to take advantage of you."

Ballast's armor hitched in resistance to his voice that sounded so Tri-cursed like the real Optimus that it sent shivers of defiance down her spine. Her jaw set stubbornly; she’d told him nothing—only Optimus knew her weaknesses. He paced around her, servos clasped behind his back. "You should know, I can impersonate your ex lover so well because I know everything he knows. As of my creation date, of course." Ballast's pale yellow optics followed him, disliking having him out of her sight. She tried to regulate her in cycles so she didn't seem so scared, but she could feel they were thin, and she wasn’t very convincing.

"It is very easy to deceive so many of you," he rumbled as he passed around her back. Her spine stiffened uneasily. "However, I did not expect you to come into contact with the Prime . . . I did not account for him believing you. My ruse was not supposed to be discovered so soon."

The back of her neck tightened and her spark jittered as he circled back around and into her sight. He gave a soft, almost sensual chuckle at her, and he reached out to stoke her cheek. Her chin jerked away, and she bared her denta from behind her gag. "You look absolutely delectable all tied up, Ballast. Helpless and weak suits you." Her stomach flipped uncomfortably. She growled a feral sound at him, giving him the most livid glare she could. Apparently, he got the same taste in femmes as the real Optimus. He just laughed at her and began to circle her again, like a predator closing in for the kill. Ballast's hackles rose, infuriated that he dared to look at her as if he owned her.

"You don't understand the power I have, Ballast," he said idly. The dim light glinted on his armor. "I know where your loved ones are." Her helm jerked up at attention, and he grinned an absolutely deplorable grin. "Oh yes. Your interest in me as Optimus' double was . . . hm, far too curious for my creator's sake. You became a threat. And blackmail is so easy to acquire these days." He sighed, shaking his head.

Ballast's throat worked as he came close to lean over her, stroking her face. Her jaw clamped down on her gag tightly, and her arms strained harder against her bonds despite the cutting drawing energon. "Let's start with little Kairos. Fun little plaything, isn't he? He's so little and blind and helpless . . . He's rather attached to his tea shop and his optics." The doppelganger Optimus grinned at her, blue optics gleaming. "But oh, you're not worried about his tea shop and optics, are you?"

Panic slowly dripped into her system. Her chassis heaved a little harder as her breaths came quicker. She strained against her bonds, hating the mech for daring to take away the ones she cared about. She jerked her chin again when his adventurous fingers stroked down her throat.

"Oh, but let's talk about little Swindle," he said casually, and Ballast felt her energon freeze in terror. Her throat bobbed under his fingers."He's in dangerous things enough, but what if his mother isn't there to protect him?" The fake Optimus tutted his glossia, shaking his helm. "It would be a pity if something were to happen to him. There could be so many different ways to arrange for his death. Corrosive acid would be slow and drawn out, and I relish the thought of his screams. But my personal favorite would be to strangle him to death with my own servos, right in his berth." He grinned again. "A pity if he ended up pushing up lugnuts just like Caelius is."

Ballast jerked wildly against the steel ropes lashing her down. She screamed against her bonds, yanking and pulling with all of her might. Raw panic poured in her systems. He knew where they lived. Swindle was out there alone, needing her help. Her vents seized and she wrenched against the ropes, desperate to get free. She wouldn't lose another son, she wouldn’t lose another son, she wouldn't, she WOULDN'T—

His dark chuckle slithered into her audios, and he licked her audio. Ballast froze again, chassis heaving. "Oh, but you ARE a libidinous femme . . ." Her pulse slammed in her throat as his fingers dipped lower down her chassis, playing with the catches to her armor.

Primus no. He wouldn't.

Her first breast hung free when he released the catches and tossed her breast plate across the room. It hit the floor with a sharp sound that echoed slightly. Ballast shivered, closing her optics as terror began to curl in her chassis. Her energon tanks felt sick as he exposed her other breast, and his hand so familiar yet so dangerous took a handful. She turned her helm away from him, trembling.

Okay Ballast, she thought to herself, and even her voice in her head wobbled with terror. I know you’ve lost control of the situation, but no one’s raped you yet, and no one ever will.

His engine growled hungrily. He played idly with her breasts a moment longer, filling her spark with fear before he sighed. "A pity," he grumbled. "It's such a shame I'm in a hurry. I've wasted too much time here as it is." Ballast looked back at him as he backed up, and her spark nearly stopped when she saw him pull out a knife.

"Not that toying with you hasn't been fun," he said with a smile, "but I have other business to attend to." Ballast's optics widened in horror as the blade glinted in the faint light. "You should have kept to your own business, Ballast," he whispered darkly.

Several sharp bangs echoed through the warehouse, causing Ballast to jerk wildly. She looked towards the sound with Nemesis Prime, and the words, "Open up! Police!" were muffled on the other side. Helm whipping back to the Nemesis, she witnessed his face warp in anger. He spat a swear.

The blade drove down into her chassis. Ballast grunted breathlessly as pain erupted in her chassis, and the point of the blade punctured a tank, getting caught against a gear. The Nemesis growled, knowing he'd missed when he felt it catch, but the doors banged again, this time sliding open with an audible screech. He turned, fleeing for the opposite side as several cops, led by Prowl and Jazz, ran inside.

"There he goes!" Jazz bellowed, transforming into a car as he took off after him. On his tail went Prowl and two others, and Ballast gasped behind her bonds in terror as they pursued him. She jerked hearing another voice.

"Ballast!" She looked up, optics trying not to fill with grateful tears when Optimus, the REAL Optimus came into sight, a look of horror overcoming his features. He rushed forward, and his servos hovered for a minute before he put a servo on her chassis, saying, "I have to take it out, Ballast." She nodded vigorously, and his servo closed over the hilt. Screaming sharply behind her gag when he yanked it out, Ballast tried her hardest not to hyperventilate as he pressed a servo against the bleeding wound. Agony poured through her. She could feel someone behind her trying to cut her free.

"Are you all right?" His servo was touching her face, and his crystal blue optics were bright with worry. She shook her head, and the binds holding her arms snapped free. Against her will, her servos leapt to Optimus, pulling herself up to burrow into his chassis. His other arm wrapped around her, pulling her close as she trembled.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, kissing the top of her helm. "I'm sorry, we couldn't find you." Someone was starting to cut the bond holding her other leg. "Swindle called when you didn't show, and we didn't know where he'd taken you . . ."

She hit his chassis, trying to gather his attention. When her leg sprang free of its bonds, Optimus motioned with his head for the other mech to get the gag, and the second she could speak, her words tumbled over themselves in a rush.

"Please, please, you've got to get someone to the house!" she exclaimed, shaking in fear. "They know where I live, they threatened Kairos and Swindle! Where's Swindle? Where is he? Please—please—!"

"It's all right, Ballast!" Optimus said, shaking a shoulder gently while his servo pressed harder against her chassis that seemed to be leaking energon at a rapid rate. "Swindle's all right, he went with the other team to look for you. He's surrounded by cops, he's fine—"

"But the HOUSE!" she cried again, hitting his chassis. "Optimus, please, they know where I live, they'll come for us, and I can't—I couldn't—"

"We'll get someone to your house immediately," he whispered to her, holding her closer. He kissed the top of her helm. "It's going to be all right, Ballast. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you or your family, I promise . . ."

Ballast shook, biting her lip hard against the scared tears that were welling up. She burrowed into his chassis, letting him quell the fear like he always did. Taking deep, ragged vents, pain flaring sharply with the movements, she tried to control her fear again, fingers digging into his chest. He buried his face into the top of her helm, lips warm and tender brushing her audio. Finally, he said, "Ballast, we've got to get you to a medic."

She nodded, half aware of her movements. She moved to stand up, and she wavered a little, chimney puffing stressed smoke as she leaned on Optimus for support. His servo still pressed against the center of her chassis, trying to hold back the energon and water seeping from the wound. Very quickly Ballast realized her water tank had been punctured, and now, with all the water pouring from her body, she was beginning to overheat.

Staggering along with Optimus for support, she was half aware of the police bot that had helped cut her free holding her chest pieces, trying to offer them to her, but she just waved a servo weakly. To hell with it. They'd already seen her naked breasts, and the medic would just take the plates off anyways.

Flashing police lights and ambulance lights filled her vision. Optimus' sure servos supported her all the way to the hitch connected to the ambulance for her to rest in. He helped her inside, letting her lie down, and a medic suddenly appeared by her side, tending immediately to the wound when Optimus' warm servo left her.

She caught his hand before he could go. Her throat worked, and she bit her lip, rasping, "Optimus—wait—"

"It will be all right," he assured her again, voice taunt with worry. He lifted her hand, kissing the back of it before backing out of the hitch. "You'll be all right. I'll be with you shortly."

Her spark leapt as the back closed. The engine started and they began to move, and she stretched out her hand to him, her spark fluttering urgently.

Don't leave me. Please don't leave me again . . .

*

Now Kairos really wished he wasn't blind, so he could take his alt mode to the hospital instead of having to half-run with his hand against walls and clicking so much it annoyed himself.

He stumbled on his own feet trying to rush more than once, but he just couldn't go SLOW right now. He had been worried when Ballast had never returned from helping Swindle, and when her son had called him and explained what had happened and where she was now, he felt stupid and useless for not having done anything about it.

Huffing heavily, he clicked. He could see the shape of a medical transport lined up and ready to use nearby, so that must mean the building he was coming up was the hospital. Since this was a place not very familiar to him, his glossia kept clicking, needing the sounds and more recognizable shapes.

He saw the front desk, and asked for any specifications in order to see a patient. It was difficult because of his Primus damn blindness, but after a whole signing and needless instructions on what limitations the pass gave him, Kairos was finally admitted to up to see Ballast.

Stupidly enough, even though he got the pass, he was told that he had to wait in the waiting room before he could try to see her. Biting down an aggravated sigh, he complied and turned. He walked slowly to the more spacious room, filled with the easily recognized shapes of chairs and bots sitting in some of them.

Clicking softly, he turned his head, and he saw a large, unmistakable form, along with a more familiar form beside him. Spark skipping nervously, he began to shuffle towards them, clutching the pass in his hands.

Optimus smiled tiredly at him as he approached. "Join us in the waiting room, Kairos?" he said wryly.

Still in the ER, chassis now patched up, Ballast sat upright with Swindle slung to her side. The medic—First Aid, if she remembered correctly—was putting the finishing touches on her leg, making sure the gears were all aligned correctly. Swindle was quiet for once, frowning darkly and not complaining about being smooshed to Ballast's side.

Ballast's pulse still beat a bit too hard in remembrance of recent events and past events, but she felt more in control now. Once she was up and walking again, she knew she'd feel even better. She hated not having control. She hated being powerless.

Finally, the medic stepped back, saying, "All right, Ballast, you're all set. Don't stress your welds, and no boxing for six weeks. Your body needs rest and care."

Ballast nodded mechanically, her internal temperatures regulated again when they repaired her water tank and refilled it as well. She was glad there were still bots around that knew how to tend to her outdated type.

Standing, wincing when her leg protested at the weight being applied to it, Ballast limped out of the ER and into the waiting room, holding on to Swindle's servo.

Kairos perked when his audios picked up a pair of heavy footsteps, immediately sending him to look the other way and start clicking. Just as he had hoped, he saw Ballast's big shape, Swindle's melded into her side. He popped out of his seat and raced to her side.

He found her free hand and squeezed it between both of his. "Ballast! Oh Primus, you're alright," he said breathlessly. "You—You ARE okay, right? Nothing's hurting anymore—or, too bad?"

Primus knew he was feeling guilty about this. This whole time she had been in danger and pain and all he had down was lounge around in her bed, just WAITING. He hadn't done a thing besides worry, and look how much that helped.

Her jaw cracked open again. "I-I'm fine," she said absently, a servo automatically sweeping him in close to her other side. She blinked at Optimus who rose with Prowl across the room, and she swallowed. "I'm all right, Kairos," she said, vocalizer tightening at the soft look of relief on the Prime's face.

Kairos hugged her side, not so tightly because he didn't know which parts had been hurting and still might be. He probably looked like a child at his size, clutching Ballast the way he was, and—though none could see it with the visor—his eye lids watered a little.

"Good," he replied, the shakiness muffled with his helm pressed into her side. "Thanks Primus. You're okay," he repeated, for both her and to reassure himself. "You're okay."

It was Prowl that, after looking between Optimus and Ballast's locked gazes, cleared his vocalizer and stepped forward. They both blinked, turning to look at Prowl, unaware of how they’d been staring at one another. "We are glad you are on the mend, Ballast," he said, managing to even sound as if he believed it. "Be that as it may, we will need a statement from you as soon as possible to assist in our search for the perpetrator."

Optimus laid his servo on Prowl's shoulder. "Prowl, please. She just got out of the ER and it is nearly morning. Allow her some rest."

Ballast shook her head. "I'm fine," she said again, chafing both Swindle and Kairos' shoulders. "If I can sit, I can answer his questions." Optimus looked worried, but she just shook her head, smiling softly at him. She'd rather get it done with now and be able to sleep as long as she liked.

Prowl gave an incline of his helm, seeming to be grateful that she was providing him very little issues and was even accommodating for him. "Thank you. I've secured an empty room for us to use. If you'll come with us?"

Ballast nodded, and she squeezed both Swindle and Kairos' shoulders. She patted them before releasing them to follow Prowl into said patient room. Her leg buckled a little beneath her as she went, and Optimus' servos shot out to steady her.

Kairos clicked just in time to see Ballast's form go unsteady. He reached forward again, stepping forward and hands out to help her keep her balance. He heard Optimus move just as quickly and saw the outlines of his arm also out to help Ballast. Kairos immediately felt this anger but swallowed it down just as quickly.

I didn't help her at all before this. Just let me do this for her by myself. Just give me this.

Swallowing the angry knot down, Kairos slowly released his hands off of her arm. When Ballast showed to be stable again, he allowed himself to step back. Optimus kept his servo on her arm as he assisted her into the opposite room. Kairos crossed his arm, a gruff sigh venting out. He could have done that; help Ballast to the room. It was the least he could have done but Optimus just went and did it.

If I was just a little bigger I could have done that, he though angrily. And maybe if I wasn't fragging blind either.

With some of the anger being directed towards himself and his impairment, Kairos stuck himself to the close wall instead of going back to the chairs in the waiting room.

Ballast limped inside as Optimus closed the door behind them, and since the chairs were too small for her fat aft, she sat on the edge of the berth. Prowl pulled up a chair, sitting stiffly while Optimus stood to the side.

Prowl leaned back in his seat. "Now, Ballast, can you tell me what happened?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I was heading out to assist Swindle with some business," she said. "I left the house around midnight, and I think I was walking along 4th Street when I was attacked by your double." She paused. She glanced up at Optimus, thinking of what she'd told him in the past about her biomechanisms. It was exactly what she had told him about the best way to take her down. "He attacked me with a beam and knocked me out."

A soft sigh escaped her as she shook her head. "I woke up where you found me. He said . . ." Ballast frowned, spark picking up a little as she thought back on the incident. "He said that, he knew everything Optimus knew as of his creation date."

Prowl hiked up a brow. "He knows everything Optimus knows since he was created?"

Optimus frowned. "More likely, when my Nemesis was created, he somehow knew everything I knew up to that point. The days after his creation, he could not know what I knew since we are two separate entities."

Prowl scoffed, a scowl coming across his face. "That is utterly ridiculous," he spat. "How could he possibly know everything Optimus knows?"

"I don't know," Ballast said sharply, "but he does!" Her throat worked, and she looked up at Optimus. "He threatened Swindle. Said he'd push up lugnuts like Caelius." Against her will, her voice quavered a little at the end of her sentence.

His blue optics flickered and dimmed, and he reached down, squeezing her servo before releasing it. "Swindle will be fine," he promised softly. "You will all be safe."

Ballast nodded, taking spark in his promises. "He threatened both Kairos and Swindle, and he said I knew too much. I wasn't supposed to figure out about him. So, he was obviously going to kill me." She paused. "He knew to take advantage of my gears, because I told you that," and she looked back to Optimus. "But he stabbed me in a hurry. He punctured my water tank and hit a gear, because I never told you that my spark is centered lower, and behind my water tank."

Prowl shook his helm. "It makes no sense. How could he possibly know everything you know?"

Optimus pressed his lips together. "To even create a copy of me . . . Whoever created my Nemesis had to have my schematics. He must have had medical files of me."

Prowl's servo came up to his chin. "But that wouldn't account for how he knows everything you know . . ." Prowl muttered. "Unless . . . Optimus. It might be a little far-fetched in this day and age, but . . . Consider Shadowplay."

Ballast's optics widened, and she looked up at Optimus. He gave a low, grumbling vent. "Memnosurgery," he muttered. "If they somehow managed to utilize memnosurgery against me, why would they not simply alter my mind?"

"It takes time," Prowl said quickly. "When you were poisoned, we came in to get you, as Jazz so aptly puts it, guns blazing. If he had been deep in surgery, he may not have had any time to alter things, simply acquire information."

Optimus glanced at Ballast, and he vented again. "Ballast, I think we're finished here, unless you have something to add . . . ?"

She shook her helm. "No. That's it."

Prowl nodded. "I see. Thank you for your cooperation."

He rose, exiting the room first, and Ballast stood, allowing Optimus to assist her to her peds. "Ballast . . ." he started softly.

She shook her helm, looking away from him. "Don't, Optimus," she said quickly, knowing whatever he was about to say with that tone would only conflict her further. "Please don't."

She heard the faint whine in his gears as he physically kept himself from saying anything more. His gentle servos kept their touch on her for a moment, lingering before he finally vented and stepped back, releasing her. There was a pregnant pause in which they stood with one another, and finally, Ballast made her peds move, limping only slightly now as her knee became used to carrying her weight again.

*

After Ballast had been released from Prowl's questioning and the hospital all together, Kairos stayed especially close to her. He acted like her shadow, following her wherever she went all the way until she settled in her bed at home.

Here, Kairos acted more like a tumor stuck to her side, not wanting to let go now that they were safe within the comfort of the house. He didn't care if he appeared almost unnecessarily clingy, he wasn't going to leave her side after this.

"Ballast?" He murmured, unsure if she was recharging yet or not.

She stared at the ceiling. "Yeah?"

Throat working, Kairos shifted his head up a little. "Ballast, I'm . . . I'm sorry for not having done anything," he spoke a bit quickly. "I—I wanted to help. Help anyway I could, but I couldn't." Because I'm little and impaired.

She heaved a tired sigh. "It's not your fault," she said. "I let him get the drop on me."

Kairos' lips pursed, and he shook his head. "But—But I COULD have helped. At least help to LOOK for you." Deflating, Kairos molded against her side, knowing that the comfort he wanted to bring wasn't exactly an atonement. He couldn’t even have looked for her, blind as he was. "I could have done SOMETHING," he murmured.

Her servo chafed him almost absently as her mind drifted. "It's all right," she said. "It's over now. We'll be fine."

But what about next time? he thought helplessly. Sighing, the smaller mech let her have the last say as she always did, and simply nodded.

Ballast stared at her ceiling, tired body sinking into her berth. She fell right back into him, didn't she? Her spark panged, remembering the kiss he planted on the top of her helm, how quickly he'd sought to comfort her. She swallowed, closing her optics.

Why? After all this time . . . WHY am I still in love with him?

Spark clenching, her throat worked again. She missed his touch. She missed the sound of his voice. She missed the way he could protect her and comfort her, the only one that had ever provided her with a sense of security. Her pulse pounded. She glanced down at the mech in her arms.

Had she just used him? Used him to try to get over Optimus? She couldn't dare tell him she was still in love with her ex. He was fragile enough. She didn't want to hurt him. She had invested too much in the relationship now, and she knew she truly did care for Kairos. She did care about him, his happiness, and enjoyed her time with him.

Maybe . . . Maybe if she just held out a little longer . . . She could forget him. She was sure she could get over him. Kairos was sweet, and she genuinely cared for him, so maybe, in time, she could forget Optimus and learn to love Kairos.