Author's Note: Since most people didn't quite like the story about Arcee and Firestar, I thought I might change direction and actually write a story that adds a little more backstory for the two pairings already in this series and maybe see who I can develop in the future. I'm quite willing to have a little fun in this story and take directions from people. Maybe I can work out what pairing to do next.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
The Autobot Base, Nevada, Earth
"Don't you even dare think about it." First Aid's hands immediately rested on his hips, his jaw clenching slightly as he regarded Ratchet with a rather impatient look. "I promised Agent Fowler I would consider it and I have." Lips pressing into a firm line, the slender medic was clearly not about to cave to any of Ratchet's demands. "I might be carrying but that does not mean I am incapable of performing the most rudimentary negotiations."
"It is too risky…"
"No, it isn't." Pale optics narrowed behind his visor, expression clearly showing that he was unimpressed this time with Ratchet's over-protectiveness. "I will be surrounded by military units and escorted the entire time. There is no risk to me. I'll be gone no more than a few hours…"
"Human protection. MECH has ambushed us twice in the past few orns… they would give anything to…"
"I doubt they would be stupid enough to attack something so visible in the middle of Washington D.C." Snorting softly, First Aid was already packing several pieces of medical equipment he usually carried with him everywhere he went off-base. "Agent Fowler, maybe you can convince this giant lug that his safety concerns are simply that, concerns."
"You have our utmost assurance, Ratchet, that no harm will come to First Aid." The coffee skinned human was ready straightening his tie and attempting to look as presentable as possible, his jacket being buttoned in place and smoothed down repeatedly. "This is a significant event in species relations. The President himself is going to greet First Aid and officially welcome the Autobots as our allies before some very important dignitaries."
"Listen to sense and reason!" Ratchet's expression was deeply troubled, his fingers twitching together and he was already ready to fling the nearest object at the concrete walls around him. "This is not safe… You…"
"This is not just about me, Ratch." Slender hands were soon tracing soft circles against Ratchet's cheekplates, drawing the mech's helm downwards and kissing him soundly, drawing him in closer and just wanting to be able to offer his own brand of reassurance. "This is about us finding a place on Earth, cementing our relations with the humans, also in making a good impression for Agent Fowler's benefit."
The human actually paused at that, his dark brown eyes gazing upwards to look at First Aid with an expression of surprise.
One optical ridge lifted behind the mech's visor, his lips twitching slightly. "You have done much for us, Agent Fowler, most of which goes unrecognised by both sides. I am well aware of the fact that this meeting might just earn you a promotion within the Bureau's ranks."
Ratchet's pacing immediately ceased, his blue optics regarding the human with renewed interest, but a flash of comprehension immediately followed as information was rapidly shared between the medics through their bond, allowing Ratchet to glean how much this meeting actually meant to their human liaison. "Fine."
First Aid was offering his bondmate a loving little smile, before he was stretching slightly and inputting the correct coordinates into the GroundBridge so that it would drop him into the secure underground parking facility underneath the Pentagon, where he would pick up the military escort. Shifting, the smaller mech was transforming down into his vehicle mode. His white and blue paintwork glinting in the slightly harsh lighting of the base.
A pretty blonde stood beside the hood, slender hands smoothing down his shirt and tie, giving Special Agent Fowler a small smile. "I hope this form is acceptable. I can change it if…"
"No, no its fine." William Fowler shook his head slightly in amusement, almost thinking that the Cybertronians could quite literally change holoforms as often as they like, 'switching bodies' if they so desired.
The holoform actually let out a squeak as Ratchet's large servo suddenly coiled around him, sweeping him upwards with a tenderness that spoke of his deep love and affection for his bondmate. Lifting the blonde to optic level, pale blue eyes clashed with bright blue optics. First Aid's eyes actually widened in surprise, his head tipping upwards, regarding Ratchet as a human might, actually starting to get a sense of his own size in comparison to the smaller organics.
"Promise me." Ratchet's optics were pleading, his thumb softly brushing against the silky cheek of his lover's holoform, feeling the warm palms sliding against his own sensitive digits in response.
"Any hint of trouble no matter how small I will call in." His expression softened. "I want to do this, Ratch, I've been itching to do it ever since Agent Fowler mentioned it to me. You know I love xenobiology…" Laughter bubbled up in First Aid as his head appeared over the edge of Ratchet's hand as he was finally being settled back down to the ground, a finger wiggling at William Fowler who stood beside the driver's side door. "I drive."
The Pentagon, Virginia, Earth
William Fowler was gaining sceptical looks from several of the guard detail as they looked over what appeared to be nothing more than a white and blue rescue vehicle and its blonde driver. Sighing, his fingers rubbed lightly against his forehead and his thumbs swept across his eyes wishing that sometimes the soldiers that answered to him would actually believe what they were told.
"No awe factor?" First Aid's lips twitched, his tussled blonde curls framing his pretty face, a sparkle of something glittering in the bright blue eyes half hidden behind the mech's shades. "Should I do something… inhuman?"
"You don't need to. Men should trust what they are told."
A soft little laugh escaped the holoform, before he was slipping out of the driver's seat, indicating for Agent Fowler to follow suit, before lightly patting a palm against his own frame in quiet amusement. "I thought the human term was 'seeing is believing'." Though he leaned against the edge of the door, regarding those surrounding him and glanced back over at the Special Agent for a long moment. "Is it safe to do so here?"
A smile quirked the human's mouth, before he shrugged. "Why not."
The holoform melted away into nothingness as First Aid happily transformed, limbs stretching and he made sure to be careful not to hit his head on the ceiling. "They should make these places with more headroom." His pale blue optics flickered upwards letting out a rather amused little sound before easing down to one knee joint to bring him closer to the humans around him. The mech's optics widened slightly when weapons actually turned on him. His arm instantly wrapped around his chassis, protecting the sparklings and looking troubled.
"Put those weapons away!" Agent Fowler was already shoving down several barrels and looking highly irritated at some of the soldiers, though most didn't even seem to notice as they just stared at him, shock and wonder on some of their faces. "First Aid is a medic and a guest of the President himself."
"I think they would probably be glad that Ratchet didn't seem them…" First Aid knowing that Ratchet would have happily done something to anyone that dared to threaten him.
A shudder ran down through Fowler and he nodded, considering Ratchet had levelled several threats against the human before they had left assuring Agent Fowler than if First Aid returned with even a scratch the human would learn exactly what an angry medic with new knowledge of human biology could do.
"They weren't joking…" The commanding officer of the unit swallowed hard as he looked up at First Aid. "Really are…"
"Cybertronians." First Aid lifted his jaw slightly, clearly wanting to get this clear before they started referring to them as 'robots', which they weren't. "I am as alive as you, Captain." His hand rubbed lightly against his chassis, feeling the twins stirring a little, unsettled by all the commotion and the loss of Ratchet's closeness. Though his spark bond hummed quietly in the back of his mind, it was tamped down but still sending him sparks of worry and concern from the other end. "I have a soul, a mind and a loving family."
The medic knew that sooner or later his siblings would come to Earth. It was rare they were parted for as long as they had been… though he was more than certain Streetwise would turn up. At times he honestly missed his brother, missed the easy warmth and calm nature. He was relaxing along with his thoughts, a smile creeping over his facial plates.
"Aid, I think they might get the point." Coughing slightly, he looked almost amused. "Are all expecting… bots so glowy?"
"Glowy?" His head tilted slightly, both optic ridges lifting at that one. Lifting one servo he looked at it, actually running a few scans in different visible spectrums to detect any 'glow', but found nothing other than his regular heat signature and his blue and white armour. "I am not emitting any kind of unusual light spectra, Special Agent Fowler, can you be more specific as to what kind of…?"
Several of the soldiers had chuckled at the slight obliviousness of the Cybertronian to the human references and it was that that made the rest of them relax and know that this bot was definitely not one of the 'bad guys'.
Agent Fowler lightly patted a hand against First Aid's shin plating, giving the mech a wry smile. "Don't worry yourself over it, Aid, though I guess its time we roll out."
"As you wish."
The Autobot Base, Nevada, Earth
A wrench slammed hard against the wall, cracking the concrete as the missile finally dropped onto the floor with a resounding clang, a moment later a second went flying from the doorway of the medical bay with the intent of striking the same spot when a large battle roughened servo caught it in mid-flight.
"What did the wall do to earn your wrath?" Ironhide eased over to the doorway, one broad shoulder leaning against it and gazed in at the positively seething medic within. It was clear from the disarray of a number of items that Ratchet had been on a mini-rampage within the confines of First Aid's usually immaculate medical bay.
"Exist." Ratchet snarled, pacing the length of the room, hands clenching and unclenching rapidly, his optics flashing blue fire at the largest of the Autobot team.
"You worried about your other half?"
"He should not be out there." A finger gestured eastwards, his agitation growing by the moment, his pace quickening. "I told him so… slag… But… one look." His denta clicked together, several rather choice Cybertronian curses filling the air. "He was so excited about it. I could not…" Hands clenched even more tightly. "I could not deny him whatever he asked me for." Blue optics suddenly pinned Ironhide to the spot. "How do you do it?"
Now that made one raven optical ridge lift upwards nearly to the edge of his helm in question. "Do what exactly?"
"Talk down Optimus. How do you say…" Ratchet practically huffed, heated air coiling out of him, his fist suddenly connecting with the wall, cracking the concrete and he slumped forwards, his entire body vibrating with his unleashed emotions. "No…? Fraggit… I can say it to anyone else, but the moment he looks at me… the moment I feel his excitement… his…" An aggravated sound slipped out, before his fingers were rubbing up across his chassis, trailing along the hidden scars that ran the length of his chassis and across his spark casing.
"There are some things we can never deny those we love." Ironhide seated himself in the chair by the desk, long legs stretching out in front of him because even that was far too small for his big frame. "Trust me, there are some things I can't resist doing for Orion and some things he does for me."
"I would be offlined if he hadn't killed to save me." Leaning himself against the edge of the large medical berth that sat in the middle of the room, he rubbed a hand across his facial plates, wishing he could ease the dull ache within his spark at the absence of his bondmate from the base. "I know it haunts him. I've never met another who is so… giving."
"He is truly what it means to be an Autobot." The large warrior agreed, crossing large arms over his chassis and regarded Ratchet with quiet understanding. "I would tear apart any that would hurt my bondmate. I have before… and I would again. I know my Orion wants nothing more than to get his servos on Mindwipe if the little slagger is still functional…"
Ratchet slowly allowed his fingers to unclench, his shoulders slumping while he released the pent up emotions that cascaded through every system he possessed. Instead he was picking up one of the scanners and carrying it over towards Ironhide, the warrior gave the device a glare of disgust but didn't bother commenting as he was once more scanned and everything within his cranial unit was checked for damage. It had been found that almost all of it had been badly fused and memory files corrupted and it had taken large doses of nanites and other regeneration methods to even repair a tenth of the damage done by the vorns of exposure to Mindwipe's powers.
"I don't know what I would do without Orion, Ratch." The warrior admitted softly, his dark blue optics dulled a little. "I honestly…frag…" His voice trailed off, his expression etched with such a spark deep trauma that it would take vorns more before it would even be close to healing. What had been done to Ironhide had been the most unspeakable violation and it was through Ironhide's force of will and love of Optimus Prime that kept him sane and together most of the time. "He holds me together… I know no joy without his smile, no happiness without his touch. His love is everything to me, without him in my spark and mind I would have long ago shattered and become nothing more than an animal. Orion Pax changed me that day I meet him… the day he looked into my spark and trusted in me to always protect his back."
There was a sudden intake of air that made Ironhide jerk upright, his hand lifting to press against the middle of his chassis, as if attempting to touch his own spark bond. Optimus Prime stood in the doorway, his pale azure optics wide and just staring at Ironhide, gaze searching the black and crimson warrior's face for something and found it.
It was rare that Ironhide would speak out loud at length to another about his feelings for the Prime.
"I love you." Optimus Prime whispered, instantly coming to stand before the larger mech, standing between his spread knees, his hands stretching out to caress tenderly against both cheekplates tenderly. Helm dipping, the mech's forehead lightly touched against Ironhide's, their lips brushing in an intimate caress. Palms were slowly sweeping across the back of his helm, taking his time to trace the line of every scar and mark on the large mech's shoulders neck.
Ratchet just watched the two mechs, a part of him grateful that Optimus had someone and part of him screaming that First Aid should be close to him. Even though it had barely been an hour that they had been apart… he craved the closeness of his beloved.
Suddenly, Ratchet's entire body jolted, his body halting midstride as he suddenly became aware of images and sounds. It was rare that so much would be given through a spark bond, Ratchet's entire awareness had been sucked through their link. Ratchet staggered, his balance immediately thrown, dizziness sweeping through him as he tried desperately to interpret the world that First Aid was projecting directly into his optical relays. "Aid?" His voice was a choked whisper, his optics shuttering tightly, yet he could still see the vivid images. The presence of his bondmate was like a rush as intimate as a full spark merge, it felt like the mech was literally within his frame, filling every inch of him with heat and such sensation that he felt as if he would explode from the intensity of it.
'Ratchet.'
A shiver of pleasure rocketed through the medic and he did sway and drop to his knee joints, optics closing as his head tipped back and he let out a shuddering sigh of delight. This was all he craved.
"Ratchet!" A voice was puncturing through the cloud of pleasure that stormed through the white and crimson medic, immediately a scowl came to Ratchet's lips in response.
"What?" He snapped harshly, only becoming aware after a few moments that he was actually on his aft on the floor. Several alerts were going off in his processors, his fingers rubbed at his temple lightly, his vision blurring between the input he was receiving from his bondmate and his own sensor net.
'Listen. Ratchet… listen!' First Aid was desperately attempting to pull Ratchet back into the link.
"The Government of the United States offers to you and your fellow Autobots a gift."
Suddenly something small was being proffered out to First Aid's holoform, it was small, no larger than a beach ball. Yet, it made everything within the medic freeze and explained exactly why the medic had been attempting desperately to drag Ratchet into the bond with him.
There was a sense of deep horror radiating out of First Aid as the metal sphere was lifted to optic level, the brilliant glow from within it radiating out through the semi-transparent parts.
'Ratchet, here now! I don't care about security… I need you, bring the life support equipment!'
And Ratchet had already picked up the equipment he needed, bolting from room with both of the other mechs on his heels, calling for him to tell them what was wrong.
The White House, Washington D.C., Earth
Glass shattered as First Aid's frame came through the large windows into the auditorium where the humans and others had been gathered, guns immediately going off the moment he appeared, bouncing off his armour and dropping thankfully to the floor. Though they stung, they didn't puncture anything vital and he was already diving towards his own holoform, both hands lifting the sphere upwards, running a thousand different scans across the spark stasis pod.
"Agent Fowler!" First Aid yelled over the automatic weapons' fire, "Tell them to stop! I need peace…"
A startled sound escaped the medic as he recognised the spark contained within the minimally powered stasis field. "Jazz." Disbelief edged his tone, but he was already withdrawing an emergency generator out of subspace. Lines were already being connected up and the power restored to the badly damaged stasis unit. First Aid clasped it close, his palms pressed against the smooth metal, fingertips stroking in soothing circles, allowing a slow flow of his natural empathy to slide over the agitated spark, letting out a soft reassuring sound. Low whispers of Cybertronian escaped him.
People truly were panicking now as a GroundBridge suddenly opened inside of the room, Ratchet rushing through his blue optics wide as Optimus Prime and Ironhide came in after him, weapons running hot.
"Clear this room!" Ratchet snarled, quite willing to give orders as he was glaring at all of those who had dared to harm his bondmate, still feeling the sting and would have gone after each and every human that had dared to raise a weapon against an unarmed medic. "Get every human out of here, Fowler." Denta were bared, blue optics flashing with embers of a spark deep rage before he was dropping to his pedes beside his bondmate.
The mech's fingertips tenderly caressed his bondmate's cheekplate, the sizzle of heat between them palpable. Ratchet reassuring himself that all was well with his bondmate before turning his attention to the spark that was fluttering wildly in response to the presences it felt around it.
Both Ironhide and Optimus were clearing the room of everyone but Agent Fowler who looked as if the world had just exploded into flames around him. However, Optimus's head turned towards First Aid, confusion actually evident on his features. "Jazz… my scanners are picking up…"
"He's here…" First Aid's voice was straggled with pain and suppressed anger at the state the spark was in. "By Primus… he's starved… but… where did they find him? Where on this planet could they find a spark in a stasis sphere? It could only have been removed a few orns from its main power source… but… where?"
"Jazz was assigned to the…"
Silence filled the space as all four Autobots shared one look.
"What…? What in the blazes is going on?" Agent Fowler demanded.
"That is what your government needs to tell us. This can only be from the Ark." Ratchet's optics were narrowed on the human. "There is no other ship equipped with this type of stasis sphere, I would know because I was the one that built them."
Fowler's mouth opened and then shut again, unable to answer as he was suddenly placed into a situation that made him the target of the anger of four rather large impressive beings from outer space. It seemed someone in the government would have a lot of explaining to do.
XD I bet MECH has something to do with this maybe XD or a hidden Sector Seven lurking around somewhere. I'm quite up for taking suggestions for this! Or what people would like to see in this little story before I continue on to the next pairing. Next chapter will definitely have Jazz and maybe even Prowl in it. Would people like that? Jazz and Prowl? Or Bumblebee and Silverbolt?
