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Despite the fact that they had been able to stabilize it earlier in the day, Brainstorm's spark guttered out that first night cycle.
Fission was inconsolable for a long time, and when he finally shorted out his little vocalizer from wailing, Ratchet made the executive decision to sedate the little mech. He took a CNA sample from the little one as First Aid somberly jury-rigged up a mobile sparkling mediberth for their tiny patient.
Ratchet wasted no time in matching the mechlet's CNA against his records and while he couldn't bring himself to be surprised at the identity of the second contributor, he was surprised to match Brainstorm's vehement secret keeping to this mech in particular. He couldn't grok the motivations behind it.
He sent a top-level priority medical ping to Perceptor before going back to monitor the sparkling.
Preceptor arrived at the medbay quickly upon receiving Ratchet's ping. Much to his surprise, the old medic was waiting for him at the door when he got there. "Ratchet?" He said, sounding concerned "What's the emergency, and what can I do to help?"
Ratchet regarded him with an inscrutable expression for a moment before reaching out to clasp his shoulder. "Perceptor, I'm deeply sorry, we did all we could. Please come with me."
Bewildered and alarmed, the microscope came in as directed and allowed himself to be led back to the more private examination areas. He ground to a halt when he beheld the first berth, where Brainstorm's greying chassis lay. If it were not for the slow drain of his colors fading to the color of death, he'd look to be in recharge.
Ratchet patted his shoulder again. "I'll.....I'll give you a moment." Ratchet departed from his side to move into another area of the medbay. Numb, Perceptor willed his legs forwards to look for a sign of what could have done this. Was it an accident in the lab that did him in? Could he have done this to himself? Brainstorm's plating was pristine and for a few horrifying moments Perceptor worried that there could be something lethal running amok on the ship.
His processor moved on to the next question though - Why was it him that Ratchet called down? They had been close at one point, but with the way Brainstorm had been seemingly avoiding him for the past weeks he would've never been expected to be first call if something like... this... occurred. He got his answer soon enough when Ratchet made his way back. He didn't turn around to look at him until he spoke.
"It was complications from emergence that did it." His voice sounded gruff and full of uncertain emotion like he wanted to be angry but wasn't sure if he should be.
"Emergence? That would mean he-" Perceptor turned, and his vocalizer caught at the sight of the sleeping sparkling in Ratchet's arms. His scope instantly zoomed to analyze, even as he made his way over to the pair. The mechlet looked so so much like Brainstorm, but tiny unmistakable traits lept out at him that screamed Perceptor's influence and coding. He needed to be sure though - a good researcher always backs up their facts. "The sparkling's mine, isn't he?"
The combination of distraught awe and alarm was enough to cement in Ratchet's mind that Perceptor had no prior knowledge of the newspark. He didn't feel the need to question him about the why's and why nots now - Sharper details about what brought about Brainstorm's demise would be simple- and painful- for both of them to ascertain.
"He is. Designation's Fission. He's strong, but the broken creation bond is taxing his systems heavily."
A heavy moment of awkward silence passed, Ratchet wasn't entirely surprised when Perceptor didn't offer to take Fission, and so Ratchet's course of action changed all the while. Ratchet swallowed an imagined lump in his throat before speaking again. There were ways he had to go about this, things he hadn't had to say for a long while - and certainly not to someone he considered a colleague and friend.
"Fission'll be here until I've ascertained that he's well enough not to be under watch. Then placed with someone or a couple until we get to Cybertron again, where we'll reassess."
Perceptor's mouth pressed into a hard line. "....My parental rights are terminated." He stated with just the touch of a waver.
"No, Ah. You.... You never had any to begin with."
Perceptor stared at him as if he had suddenly grown a second head, until the situation focused clearer into place. "I'm not listed as his sire, am I?" The constriction in his lines was just from the ridiculousness of the situation paired with the shock of losing his lo- no, Brainstorm wasn't his in that way. He had lost a friend and a brilliant colleague.
A feeling of dread bubbled deep inside him as his processor flipped focus back on the sparkling. Ratchet pinged him the build certificate for Fission, complete and submitted as it was save for one area under the drop down for creation type. Perceptor sagged just a little further. "What do I do, Ratchet? What should I do?"
Ratchet's mouth remained set in it's grim line. He awkwardly adjusted his hold on the infant in recharge. "We're going to have to go through the proper channels, and he'll go to someone on the foster-adoption short list, if there's anyone on board who is on there." He glanced for a moment at the door into the little private area.
"Though, if you were to take him and go to your suite, under the pretense that in your grief you didn't know.... I'm sure we could count this as a clerical error and it would help your case for when Ultra Magnus arrives to discuss options." He started the motion as if to offer Fission over to his creator again, but aborted the motion when Perceptor stiffened some and stepped backwards.
"....Or.....We'll go with the first plan, I guess...." Ratchet cradled Fission back in close, but kept a sharp eye on Perceptor's behaviors. He appeared to be almost in a fugue of some sort, and refused now to look directly at the sparkling.
"That... that would probably be for the best." he suddenly sounded very tired, numb even. His listless gaze moved back to Brainstorm's chassis and just for a moment it looked like he may reach out to touch. A tremor rushed through his frame and he dropped back. "I... I need to go, I'm sorry. Do what you think is best, Ratchet. I trust your judgment." The words sounded disingenuous, and perhaps they were - Perceptor couldn't free up the mental space to care at the moment.
With that, he departed post-haste and left the medic and mini-mech in his wake.
Perceptor worked up the gumption to leave his lab a few days after Brainstorm's memorial was held. He hadn't worked up the courage to go and face his colleague and former lover down a last time.
The whole affair stung too much to allow anything other than single minded work. To be so mistrusted for Brainstorm to have kept secret what ended up killing him.... it hurt. Brainstorm had claimed deeper feelings for him at the time of their separation as the reason for such, but he would've been honest if he really cared, wouldn't he have? He shunted those thought threads right into temporary storage as he left his laboratory, instead focusing on his personal stock of slow-burning energon gels he had in his storage in case of long stints where he couldn't refuel.
A soft laugh stopped him outside one of the observation decks none too far from his suite. He kept to the shadows, but moved closer to peer inside.
It was Chromedome and Rewind, laying together on a tarp to look out at the passing stars. He felt a tiny pang of guilt at peeking in on a private moment when one of the wheels on Chromedome's shoulders moved just a tiny bit. Rewind laughed again and sat up.
"He really is interested in how everything works, isn't he?" the tire continued it's short rotation until Rewind moved and revealed none other than Fission to be the cause of the movements. Set and steadied on Chromedome, Rewind moved in to affectionately nuzzle at the sparkling's helm. Perceptor's spark lurched in his chest. In the dimmed lighting of the deck, he could plainly see the blue glow given off by optics Fission certainly didn't inherit from his carrier.
"Sure is, Domey. I'd bet Brainstorm would be proud to see his creation following in his footsteps."
And mine. Perceptor thought to himself, denta gritted. Mine too.
Part of him wanted to go in, get closer (but not too close) to see the little being he had a part in creating. To insert himself into the life of the one being that was any trace left of Brainstorm in this mad universe.
The evidence in front of him pointed painfully to one simple truth though: Fission was obviously better off without him.
Perceptor steeled himself and moved back away from the door. Chromedome and Rewind would be the parents to him he couldn't be.
This was what he needed to do.
It was the right thing to do.
... Wasn't it?