My Ratchet story

{Chapter One}

I sat on the curb, my arms wrapped around my fragile body in an attempt to warm myself. I let out a breath, and watched curiously as it misted and drifted off. My eyes fluttered, blinking away raindrops falling into the blue depths. I shuffled further back under the bridge, shuddering from the wet clingy clothes unlike that of my regular armor. I pondered why I was under this bridge, why I had run from the base. Oh, yeah, I got in a fight. With my best friend, of all bots. People, I scolded myself. We're no longer cybertronians, now humans, somehow, and again responsibility surfaced as I reminded myself that it was my job to find out how, and reverse it.

I stood up with a sigh, something in my chest expanding and retreating, like waves. Lungs. That's what they were called. Shielding my face, I strode up the short hill back to civilization, and onto the paved path. Giving the area a quick glance around, I came to the conclusion that I was lost. Sadness clawed at me, and something else prickled at me, a mix of fear, desperation, and panic. It was the feeling you get when your lost. I picked a direction and went with it, clutching my clothes tighter around me, staring hard at anything that could lead me back to the base. Back to him, and the others. Not that he would care, mind you, but the others were surely worried by now. A car went and passed, splashing frigid water onto me, and I shivered. I felt like i was not cut out to be a human. Which, I wasn't, I was supposed to be myself - a Cybertronian medic.

I found the odd number of people staring at me, gossiping when they thought I couldn't hear. A couple giggled and said; "he must be homeless," and "that or he's brain-dead". A few other snippets made their way to my ears, and I hurried past them. I was growing uncomfortable. I splashed along, and froze upon a reflective surface inside of a store. My green shirt was sagging, my jeans were black with water, sneakers a walking lake. Looking at my face, plastered by a wet mass of brownish green glop, I saw my blue eyes gaze back into me through a human visor perched on my flat nose, and saw my sad loneliness. One fight, made me look like this. Why did it affect me so much? I never felt this bad about something in my life, minus the war.

I shook myself out of it, huffed, and trotted along, trying my best to puff myself up, to appear bigger. I will not look weak - my time for self wallowing should be over. I held my head high, sighed, and scanned the area, trying my best to get oriented. Coming up to an intersection, I took a glance at the street signs. I didn't immediately recognize them, however, I thought the one saying 'Maple Avenue East' sounded familiar. Wiping my soggy hair out of my face, I crossed and followed it for awhile, until I came to 35th street. A dim remembrance came back to me, and I recognized the gas station flickering in the rainy night. Looking both ways, as Lennox had taught us, I crossed the street yet again, and found myself face to bumper with a yellow camaro, who in turn beeped at me and opened the passenger door. Sighing, I climbed in, only to find Sam gazing at me in concern before giving a little chuckle. I shot him an 'Im-not-amused-and-you'll-pay-for-it-later' glance which made him shut up and give me a towel.

"Where were you, Doc? We've been looking all over for you." He said, before shifting gears and pulling it out, manually. I snorted to this, before trying desperately to dry myself. Pulling out he glanced over before driving off. "Well, most of us. Turns out Bee can't drive himself in human form. You should see it. Its funny." He trailed off at the end due to my glare. I sighed, and lowered the towel. "Turns out I got a little further than I expected. And no, it's not funny Sam.. I got to get us back to our normal forms." I frowned, and fiddled with the towel. "We're too vulnerable this way." Sam snorted, and eyed me briskly. "Yeah, well, welcome to my world."

I scowled at him, before sighing and shaking my head and and turning to look out the window. The street lights streaked by, smeared in appearance from the rain pouring across Bee's window. Dully, I started to reminisce about the time he lost one of his door wings. Sam seemed to like it, and it barely kept me from losing control of my emotions. When I was done, Sam decided to tell me more of the driving experience Bumblebee failed to experience. Snorting here and there, to appear I was paying any attention, I did my best to overlook the argument I just had with my battle partner.

It all began with me working too late in the night, and Ironhide coming in late from a patrol. As per normal, he had an injury. Same old, same old. One snappy comment led to another, and we seemed to be arguing about nothing. Until he decided to point out the fact that I was failing at everything. Jazz was still in bad condition from when Megatron ripped him almost in half, the fact that we were still human, and he kept falling apart. That made me go over the edge, before snapping on the fact that he was the one who lost his former lover, chromia. Oh, did I pay for that. I closed my eyes as regret flashed across my vision. Even then I felt bad. I knew it was never his fault. I claimed I was sorry as soon as I said it, but he simply shook his head. The look of hurt.. despair.. betrayal.. the look he gave me.. I can't forget it. Cannot get it to stop from haunting my thoughts. And I believe that I never will.

Sam snapped me back out of the memory. "You okay?" I jerked my head up, before nodding. "Fine. Just... Tired." I had to push that last part out. It tasted dry. Sam whistled. "Something must be worse for you to admit that. You never tell us you're tired." Not you, anyway, I thought. I sighed. "Fine." Sam gave me a look. Irritation never seemed to leave me, as I turned and dryly covered my aft. "I'm soaking wet, cold, tired, and still human. What do you expect?" Sam relaxed before giving a relieved laugh. "Okay, okay... Just making sure."

I shook my head just as we pulled into the base's garage. Not even a second pulled by, when Bee jumped onto himself, grinning from ear to ear. Sam screeched like a little girl, before hitting on the brakes. He got off, laughing silently, before coming around to me. I sighed before tossing the wet towel at Sam's head and hopping out. Bee gave me a sad, knowing look, while Sam complained about something as usual. "You should think to pay more attention to your separated bodies," I scoffed, diverting his attentive gaze. He simply grinned, before handing me another pair of the clothes I'm currently wearing. I nodded my thanks and grumbled.

Trotting off, Sam got out and started chewing him off. I shook my head once again, and squelched my way inside the human sector. Closing the door behind me, I grimaced, knowing these shoes would call all kinds of attention I didn't want. I bent down, and removed my left muddy green runner, water rushing out like a tap was turned on. The same happened with my right, and I opened a small closet near the entrance before tossing them into the corner. It landed with such a gross sound I don't feel like remembering.

Holding the clothing awkwardly away from me, so I don't get them wet, I shuffled back to the medbay. I frowned, shivered, and shoved my human visor higher up my nose. My room - scratch that - our room was most likely 'hide's territory. Walking into the deserted medbay, it seemed my theory was correct. I sighed... Detachedly, I noticed it sounded, again, lonely and sad. I shook my head, as it seemed to be a new habit of mine, and tossed the clothes on the closest berth. Dragging my pedes - no, feet - towards the concealed bathroom at the end, I started stripping off my shirt. A wet, clingy, process that made it difficult yet relieving to get off. Entering, I took off the rest of my soggy clothing, and took a shower from one of the wash racks used for cleaning the dirt off of injuries. I sighed, and shuttered my eyes off -closed?- and leaned into the warm, soothing water. I stood there, up against the wall, head bowed, and let the steamy substance roll down my shoulders, and the rest of my unrefined frame.

-/-*-/-*-/-*-/-*-/-*-/-

I awoke stiffly, yet relaxed, on one of the births in the medbay. Looking up at the digital clock I kept in there to keep track of time, it appeared I had slept in. I groaned, and fell back onto the hard metal surface. Nothing's right anymore, I silently complained. I had a dim recollection of taking a shower before getting dressed and collapsing on the berth. Sighing, and considering the fact that I never slept in, I stretched out all my limbs, one by one, and stood. Stifling a yawn, I shuffled my way out of the medbay and towards the general Rec room. My stride became increasingly normal as my systems began to reboot. Or.. Ah, well, it's too early for that right now.

Blinking my eyes to better adjust to the environment as I walked in, I could immediately sense the tension in the room as I spotted Sideswipe and Bee hushing up on the couch, and by the energon dispenser, Optimus with...

My eyes widened slightly, and my breath left in a swoosh, and as he noticed my arrival I instantly snapped my head over to where the young ones were, and headed over there instead. 'Bee seemed uncomfortable and squirmed slightly as I approached, but Sideswipe slid over closer to the anxious 'bot and pat the spot beside him. Grateful, I took the seat without hesitation, and pulled out my research on our human bodies. Despite the occasional comment from Sideswipe and 'Bee about the work I have done, there was only a silent murmur on the other side of the room which I did my best to ignore.

Every few minutes or so, I could feel his gaze burn into the middle of my back, briefly, before it returned to our leader. It didn't once remind me of how friendly our friendship once was. I had just started reading up on the fact that humans do not require energon to be fueled, and instead fuel up by 'eating food', and was in the middle of answering Sideswipe's inquiry's of 'if we already consumed energon, how would it affect our human bodies', when I felt a rather large and familiar hand on my shoulder. My clever sentence stuttered into silence, and realizing this I jerked free of it and spun around to face my once closest friend. "Ironhide."

His piercing blue eyes did just that, his shorter, squarish nose flamed, ebony black hair ruffled as he tilted his head forward slightly, strong broad jawline clenched, peppered eyebrows swimming close to his eyes.. Over all, Ironhide was not impressed.

"Ratchet." Short, curt, and held no hint of the friendliness I once knew, I barley noted the fact that Sideswipe and Bumblebee had jumped out of their seats and were pretty much hiding behind Prime. I stood to meet his height, and slanted my head slightly to the side. He'd know it meant to continue.

Eyes narrowing even more, he growled the last part: "We need to talk."