Sparky's Big Surprise

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Bundle Lifeline Shark
It's been a day since Lifeline brought those rust spore samples to 
Bundle for testing. She's been in and out of Iacon, alternately helping out in the repair bay and just steering clear of those that she'd be overly tempted to swat upside the head.
Bundle's been keeping an eye on the spore samples and the metal infected with them that are still sitting in the containment unit. The petri dishes need a while longer to grow for best results, but Bundle's taking no chances with the remainder, and keeping a log of any changes he spots as time goes on. He glances up when Lifeline wanders back in. "Well, the decay rate is definitely accelerated." He says.
Shark would be one of those mechs that hasn't quite garnered a swat to the helmet. "Hello? Anyone about?" he calls as he walks into the repair bay. He spots the two docs and glances between then, "This a bad time?"
Lifeline nods. "I was fairly certain it would be, they looked more degraded when I brought them in than when I received them, but I hadn't been able to track the progress." She turns to look at Shark as he enters the bay and nods to him politely. He is truly one of the non-swat-worthy. As to his question about this being a bad time, she looks to Bundle. After all, she just arrived herself.
"Not at all, Shark. What's the problem?" Bundle wants to know, waving the other 'bot in. Then, to Lifeline. "It's not badly accelerated, but definitely accelerated." He says. "Just enough to be noticeable. Whether or not it gets worse is something we'll find out over the next few days."
Shark glances between you two again, not sure what to make of this talk you two are having. "Well it's Sparky. But I won't trouble you with her if you guys are doing something scientific."
Lifeline nods to Bundle's assessment that there's nothing yet to do but wait, then turns and steps over to a vacant med table. "What's going on with Sparky?" She actually seems sincerely concerned."Ahhh, you've caught us when all we can do is wait, Shark."
Bundle says. "What's the trouble with your friend?"
Shark nods his head slightly, "Well I didn't notice this til recently, but she looks a bit swollen. It's not near the bite though, so not sure what to make of it. She's still eating, moving around, doing her flashing sparking stuff."
Lifeline hms. "Let's take a look." She gestures for Shark to try and get Sparky to settle on the med table, for her own part pulling a few random bits of metal (probably bits of damaged armor or parts that she tucks away without thinking) from a storage compartment.
Bundle tries not to laugh, but he's got a suspicion as to the cause, without even looking at Sparky. If the creature is indeed a female ... well, there could be a very, very obvious answer to the question of the swelling, especially considering food consumption and activity level are the same. He lets Lifeline take the first look, though.
Shark focuses on his subspace then reaches inside, taking hold if Sparky he slowly draws her out, moving his hands to keep her supported. There is definitely a swollen section that's maybe an 1/8th her total size. He sets the big cyber eel on the med table partially on the table since she clings to his midsection with her tail.
Lifeline holds out a bit of metal for the cyber eel to take while she uses her other hand to try and take a scan. She missed 
Bundle's amused expression so is taking this seriously -- the poor creature could have a blockage in her alimentary canal or something.
Bundle comes forward to help distract the eel while Lifeline does her diagnostic, offering a bit of scrap metal as well. "So her appetite's still good?" He asks. "As is her activity level? Hmmm ... that rules out a great many illnesses ... most beings react to being sick by, at the very least, reducing activity level."
Shark watches over the eel, seeing her take the bit of metal from 
Lifeline first, then from Bundle. "Everything is normal for her, yeah, so this took me a bit off guard. Figured I should have someone that knows what they are doing check her out, just in case it was bad."
Lifeline sets more bits of metal on the table top to keep Sparky busy while she reads the scan results. Her optic ridges go up and she offers the scanner to Bundle. "Am I reading this correctly?"
Sparky snaps up the next bits of metal, body making pleasant sparking patterns along her length.
Bundle takes a look at the scanner, and the amusement he'd been trying so hard to conceal breaks free in a chuckle and a grin. "You are indeed. I suspected as much." Then, before Shark can get /too/ worried. “Congratulations are in order. Sparky is pregnant."
Shark's optics flicker a moment, then he grins so big you can see every sharp, pointy tooth in his mouth. "Really? Maybe that's why she was on land..." he rubs the cyber eel under the chin, "Sneaky little girl, searching for a safe place." a pause, "I'm going to need a bigger tank."
Lifeline chuckles softly, glad to be able -- for a change -- to offer good news. "Yes, you likely will. And better electrical shielding. Though honestly, Sparky's younglings might be best off if you release them when they're ready to fend for themselves." She puts the last few bits of metal from her storage compartments onto the table for Sparky-momma. "I can get you a bigger tank."
Bundle says. "But she's right about the babies ... it's either that or you're going to need a whole /lot/ of tank space before you know it."
Sparky snaps those up then nuzzles at Lifelines' hand.
Shark nods his head, "Well Sparky is in no shape to go back out in the water with that bite mark still healing. Guess I'll have a project on my hands to keep me out of trouble for awhile." then a grin at the nuzzle from Sparky, "She likes you doc." he declares.
Lifeline smiles a bit as Sparky nuzzles her hand. "Well, there's not accounting for taste." She then asks with honest curiosity, "What sort of tank are you using for her now?"
"Oh, we're not saying return her to the water ... you're just going to have to make VERY sure to return the babies to where you found the mother as soon as is feasible, or they'll breed with each other and you'll have a population explosion."
Shark shifts on his feet now, "Well I've been carrying her around in subspace when I go out to find her food so she can get some right away. When I get back to my barracks I put in her tank I made that's about my height and twice as wide as I am, which can be expanded." A smile given to Bundle, "You can get me a tank?" then a nod of understanding, "Got it."
Lifeline nods her agreement with Bundle's explanation. "Well, that sounds like a good tank for now, but I think you'll find it very crowded very soon."
"Well, either get or make one. It's fairly simple."
Bundle says. "I'll also make sure you have a good supply of metal available, and ... " He frowns. "You know, I've not the foggiest idea what the eels require, diet wise, to sustain them."
Shark hmms softly, "Wonder how far along she is, hate for her to have them while she was in my subspace. Guess she'll have to stay in the tank. Could I get some armor bits from the repair bay if needed?" he asks.
Lifeline hms as well. "I can go ask a few people I know, so we can make sure Sparky's not eating the wrong things." She nods to them and excuses herself to go use the comm system to call her contacts.
"I've got some bits that might do, yes." Bundle says. Armor gets badly damaged on a regular basis, and Bundle often has to remove whole panels ... but that doesn't mean the /entire/ panel of armor is worthless. "Some of your own, as luck would have it." He takes a better look at the scan. "Hmmm. It really is impossible to tell how far along she is ... so much depends on how developed the babies normally are at birth, and we just don't know that. Given the fact she's showing, though, I'd guess halfway or more through the pregnancy."
Shark smiles to Lifelife, "Thanks doc." then a nod to Bundle, "I'll take it. As to her normal diet, so far all she's eaten is metal. Doesn't have interest in energon at all. I'm figuring she probably hunts small cyber fish usually. But I don't have the gear to catch them and I doubt it would be wise to wade in the water to catch them."
Bundle grins. "Don't worry. We'll keep Sparky in good shape." Bundle says. "I'd like for you to bring her in daily, so I can keep an eye on her."
Shark feeds Sparky some more armor to keep her occupied. He nods to 
Bundle, "I'll do my best to do so, doc."
Bundle nods. "Well, want to take a look at what Lifeline brought over?" He motions towards the containment unit and the badly rusted metal within.
Shark hmms, "I could, let me get Sparky into subspace here first." he states, moving his hands to help guide her back inside that safe zone.
Bundle nods, then heads over to the containment unit. "Evidently, this fungal growth's been decimating the tunnels, accelerating rusting and decay down there. We've got no idea what it is or how it grows ... yet."
Shark looks at the unit and what is inside. "Where was this found exactly?"
"Unknown. It was donated to Lifeline by a second party, evidently." 
Bundle says. "But it's spreading, which is a problem."
Shark nods his head, "Would be good to know, I've been down there recently. Hate to come out of rest cycle with this growing on me."
Bundle blinks, then motions towards a table. "Let me take a look, just to be sure." He says, because yes, it would be a VERY BAD THING if an Autobot got nailed with this stuff.
Shark nods and sits on the table. "Scan away doc."
Bundle does a detailed scan of Shark, looking for /any/ sign of the fungus, in /any/ of Shark's nooks, crannies, and crevices. "Nothing I can see, but I'd like you to stay here for a day or two, just to be on the safe side. If there's no sign of it in that length of time, you'll be fine."
Shark frowns a bit, but nods in understanding. "Quarantine." he sighs, "Well guess I can read some more data chips."
"Sorry about this, but it really is something we have to be careful about." Bundle says. "And it won't be quarantine ... quite. Just reducing the number of people you're likely to come in contact with."
Shark hmms, "Ironhide and Metro-X were down there with me just before that shuttle flight to rescue Cosmos. Might want to give them a heads up to get checked."
"Absolutely." Bundle says. And Cosmos will have to be checked as well, just to be safe.
You say, "You’d be included then, doc. I mean if we are to include everyone I've been near."
"I already included myself." Bundle says. "Since I'm /working/ with the stuff."
Shark nods, "So it just rusts stuff?" he asks.
"At an accelerated rate ... that we know of so far. There might be other effects." Bundle says.
You say, "Sucks you don't know where it came from, then you could study the location and see how it could be growing."
Lifeline returns from having gone to make her phone calls, a data pad in hand. She notices that Sparky's gone back to subspace and that the two mechs are now studying the spore cultures. "Well, I'm sure I could find out, but the tunneled that brought me the samples made it sound like outsiders aren't usually welcome." She offers Shark the data pad, which lists a breakdown of the elements in most common forms of cyber fish. Almost all of them are common metallic elements found in armor plating alloys or similar, but one or two are less common.
Shark looks at the data pad, frowns, "Uhm so what am I looking at doc? Just looks like a bunch of numbers and stuff."
Bundle glances over his shoulder at the readout. "Basically, that says just keep feeding her armor plating, with a few other things, and we're good to go." He says. Then, to Lifeline. "We really need to find out. Shark, Ironhide, and Metro-X were all in the tunnels recently."
Shark nods, "Oh, okay then." then he hmms, "Grimlock and I were down in the tunnels too, but not as recently.
Lifeline holds up a few elemental cubes normally used in the manufacturing of new materials -- silicon and carbon. She offers them to
Shark. "I picked these up on the way back, give her one fourth of each cube one every seven days, and that should be adequate."
Shark turns to Lifeline, then accepts the cubes. "Will do, doc."
Bundle glances over at the containment unit. "The sooner we get this figured out, the better. The /last/ thing we need is for this to start attacking mechs."
Shark nods in agreement. Shark lays down on the med table, since he's basically quarantined. "May as well catch my rest cycle until some news. Wake me up if something does come up."
Lifeline says, "Good idea, Shark. though you might want to leave Sparky out for us to watch over, just in case."
Shark ohs, then just pulls her out. "She likes the water from the mercury river, but she can be out of water for a few hours. Gives you time to find some." he grins a bit then shuts down for his cycle.
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