Here's the deal! All my TMJ oneshots will be posted here under new chapters so that i can keep everything organized.
that being said it will always be marked as complete. I'll change the title and summery as I need and the last chapter will be the newest one.
Finally got it done!
Ok, this is the 150th review oneshot for Teckmouse6533. S/he requested Ratchet's reaction to the first time as a field medic. And I finally got it done.
So first a few things because technically this could probably will be a chapter far far in the distant future. There for i have to explain myself a bit for this to make sense.
First off, yes chain of command is mess up and everyone seems OOC because this is very very early in the war. This takes place very shortly after the destruction of the Youth Sectors and in my head cannon, that is what officially triggers the War. Also at this point, Ratchet is not yet an Autobot, just a neutral medic dragged into the mess.
I've tried to write it that you don't need to have read The Medical Journals to understand it but that might be a good idea.
So, on with Ratchet's first time on the field.
Ratchet glared at the red and blue Prime and resisted the urge to smirk as the Prime squirmed under his glare.
He worked with the most stubborn and dangerous mechs on the planet. If his glare couldn't peel paint and make the toughest miner or gangster cowering in fear before him, then he might as well hang up his scalpels and call it quits.
"Please?" The Prime asked pathetically, looking more like the young mech Ratchet knew and less like the Prime he was supposed to be. Beside him, the slim light blue mech turned to stare at the Prime in surprise.
"Are you," Ratchet asked quietly, "out of you fraggin processor?!"
Optimus Prime flinched, gleaming armor tightening against his frame as he took a half step back and to the right, placing the other mech between him and Ratchet.
"Read my lips. Not on your life!" Ratchet snapped before turning and storming away. He had to go check on the medbay and his patients before anyone else on the pathetic excuse of a medical staff did anything stupid.
"I don't see why you don't just order him Sir."
Ratchet froze at the Towermech's cultured tone. With a low snarl he turned to glare at the slim mech. Kadylac, Second in Command of the Autobot forces and Head of Special Operations. One of the few mechs to survive the destruction of the Towers and one of the majority that didn't know Ratchet's reputation among the working class.
"Because I'm smarter than that." Optimus muttered, avoiding Ratchet's scathing glare.
"Because I would tell him to take that order and shove it up his aft." Ratchet snapped. The Towermech frowned. "I don't take orders from just anyone."
"But you will listen to your Prime." Kadylac continued, blue optics hard.
"My Prime happens to be a very young mech that should no way in any shape or form have to lead anyone in any kind of war. Civil or otherwise." Ratchet replied before glancing at Optimus with a shrug. "No offence."
"None taken." Optimus said only to wince when Kadylac turned his glare onto the young Prime.
"Then you know that ordering me anywhere is pointless." Ratchet continued with a scowl. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check up on our dear, sweet Chief Medical Officer."
With that he turned away, pit bent on getting back to Medical.
"Do you want the Youth Sectors to happen again?"
Ratchet went rigid in horror, his spark stopping entirely as his frame locked up.
All those grey frames. Oh Primus if they had gotten there sooner, they might have been able to save more than just the one youngling. It had been a massacre. All those younglings and sparklings slaughtered-
With a snarl, his frame vibrating in rage, horror and sorrow Ratchet turned back to face Optimus.
"That's a low blow and you know it." He hissed, servos clenched in rage.
"Megatron's my brother Ratchet." Optimus said with a one sided shrug. "We both know how to fight dirty."
"As low as that was," Kadylac said, sending the young Prime another glare. "He does have a point. We need all the field medics we can get. And your friend Quicklight said that you were used to working under pressure."
Ratchet scowled darkly.
"Remind me to thank him for putting me in the spotlight." He growled. "And that was almost seven metacycles ago!"
"But it was under a lot of stress." Optimus put in.
"I wasn't being shot at and bombed!"
"You'll be with our Elite squad. You'll be completely safe." Kadylac spoke up. Ratchet shot the slim mech a flat look even as Optimus cringed again, this time shifting away from the Towermech.
"From my experiences. 'Elite' and 'safe' have never belonged in the same sentence." He growled, armor flaring in warning.
"Trust me Ratchet, you'll be safe. You're leaving in half a klick." Optimus said with a smirk.
Ratchet's vents stuttered.
"Wait, when did I agree to this slag!" He demanded as Optimus and Kadylac tuned and walked away. "Orion Pax! You glitch!"
ooOOoo
Ratchet froze as soon as he walked into the hanger bay, still growling under his breath. The shuttle he was looking for, a big cargo transport, was in the middle of being loaded up. But it was the group of mechs at the base of the ramp that made his armor stand on end.
Or more accurately, the single, black mech that was laughing with another equally big mech. The Elite Guard.
He stopped so fast that Optimus walked into him and Ratchet stumbled forward before spinning on the young Prime with a snarl.
But the Guard beat him to it.
"Him?!" He sputtered, stalking over and deep blue optics wide with shock. "With all due respect are you out of your processor Prime?"
"I will not be in the same unit as him!" Ratchet spat, jabbing a digit at the Guard.
"Trust me medic, the feeling's mutual!" The mech snarled.
"Hold on Ironhide, you requested a medic yourself and Ratchet is the best at what he does." Optimus started to say.
"I will not trust my life to an Elite Guard!" Ratchet spat and Ironhide whirled on him in anger.
"What the frag is that supposed to mean!" Ironhide demanded.
"It means your kind slaughtered my friends!"
"Your kind are currently slaughtering mechs! Or did you forget what your friends did to the Youth Sectors!"
"And you didn't do the same thing to Straxis?!"
"Enough!" Optimus yelled, physically shoving the two mechs apart before things could get violent. Again. "Ratchet, Ironhide is not like the Guards you knew, trust me on that."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Ratchet snarled, flared armor slowly starting to settle but the growl in his engine remained.
"Ironhide, Ratchet knows what he's doing. As rough and violent-"
Ratchet shot the Prime another smoldering glare.
"-as he seems, he's a good mech and will do whatever he can for your unit." Optimus finished. "Besides, the Decepticons are doing a good enough job tearing us apart, I don't want to have to worry about you two trying to 'off each other."
Ratchet had to give the Guard credit for wincing. Even he felt a twinge of shame. Under Megatron, the Decepticons were more than a force to be reckoned with.
"Try not to terminate each other, alright?" Optimus asked again, glancing at both mechs. Ratchet turned to glare at Ironhide, sizing the black mech up. He had no reason to trust him, more so because of what he knew the Elite Guard was. He'd seen firsthand what the 'Prime's hit mechs' as they were nicknamed, were capable of.
But at the same time, after the mess with Sterling, it was common knowledge about his time working with the miners. And with half the Decepticon forces former miners, he had no reason to trust Ratchet.
"Fine." Ratchet grumbled, glancing at the young Prime for just a moment before back to Ironhide. "I'll stuck around to bail his aft out of trouble."
"My aft-!" Ironhide squawked as Ratchet turned and stormed toward the shuttle and his so called 'new unit'. "And just what in frag makes you think that we'll need to be bailed out of trouble?!"
"I have to put your unit back together all the time." Ratchet replied levelly as he walked into the shuttle. "Call it a hunch."
ooOOoo
"I'm going to murder that Prime!" Ratchet spat, ducking as something sailed past his helm. Whatever it was missed by more than enough but the fact that it had come toward him at all was nerve wracking enough.
"What's the matter medic?" Ironhide asked with a chuckle, crouching beside the bright yellow mech before quickly standing up to take a few potshots at a Decepticon that was getting far too close for comfort. "Scared?"
Ratchet didn't respond as he continued to stabilise one of the mechs in 'his' unit. Springer or something. Some hot-helm with no sense of self-preservation. The young triple-changer was unconscious, a gaping wound in his side from a plasma blast.
"Fraggin idiotic glitch…" Ratchet muttered under his breath, cringing as more gunfire ricocheted overhelm. "You said you'd keep fire away from me!" He barked at Ironhide.
"I am." Ironhide growled, glaring at Ratchet before ducking as another spray of plasma fire blasted past. Ratchet cursed as he continued to seal fluid lines to keep the young mech from leaking out.
"When is that shuttle gonna get here!" Ratchet demanded, glancing at Ironhide.
"Five klicks. He'd better be ready."
"Trust me, we both are." Ratchet muttered darkly before cringing as another explosion shook the ground. Ironhide chuckled before swearing sharply as a blast clipped the rubble by his helm. Ratchet snorted, rolling his optics as the Guard fired off a few more shots with a yelled curse.
A spray of gunfire, not Decepticon, had Ratchet cursing as he covered Springer's wound with his frame as dust showered everywhere.
"Shuttle's here!" Ironhide called sarcastically.
"Glitched pilot!" Ratchet spat as the mech landed the small shuttle as close to them as possible.
"Someone need a lift?" A cocky red and grey mech asked, leaning in the doorway of the shuttle as two other mechs, both Ratchet had seen in the medbay dropping off wounded, bolted out with a stretcher.
Within a few klicks Springer was back on his way to Iacon and Ratchet was cowering behind their shelter as Decepticon fire threatened to rip the rubble they were hiding behind apart.
"Can we please get back to safety now?!" Ratchet demanded. They had been separated from the unit as the so called 'Elite Unit' took off in every direction to charge helm-long into the battle. Figuring he stood a better chance with the gun-happy Elite Guard instead of a couple cocky hot-helms, he had stuck close to the black mech.
"What, ain't you having fun yet?"" Ironhide asked with a smirk, glancing at the medic. Maybe he would have been better off with the hot-helms.
The yellow medic growled before abruptly grabbed Ironhide's collar strut, yanking him down as a shot nearly took his hem off.
"Told you I'd save your aft." Ratchet said with a smirk as Ironhide jerked free with a growl.
"Don't think you're out of the smelter yet medic." Ironhide responded.
"All units in sector D-6! Prepare for airstrike!" Prowl's voice thundered over the comms.
"D-6. Isn't that us?" Ratchet asked dryly. Ironhide froze, his optics widening in realisation.
"Oh slag." Ironhide muttered just as the roar of Decepticon seeker engines got louder. "Run!"
Ratchet didn't need to be told twice as he lunged forward into his 4x4 altmode, tires spinning on the loose ground as he peeled out. Ironhide was right behind him as they tore off, Decepticon shots blasting past their flanks.
"Ironhide, I will strip you for parts for this!" Ratchet snarled as a blast scoured his side to the raw plating.
"What did I do?!" Ironhide demanded, swerving to the side to avoid a shot.
"Kept me from throttling the Prime while I had a-"
The ground exploded behind them and both mechs nearly lost control.
"-chance!" Ratchet finished at a yell.
"Well excuse me for doing my job as his body guard!" Ironhide shot back before abruptly slamming into Ratchet's side.
"What-!" Ratchet squawked as he lost traction and skidded sideways into a ditch, Ironhide on top of him. He transformed to throw the half-transformed mech off with a snarl.
"The frag Ironhide!" Ratchet yelled as the Guard also transformed. A split nano-klick later the ground exploded just were they had been and Ratchet ducked, throwing his arms over his helm as shrapnel rained down on them.
"You're welcome." Ironhide said with a smug grin, crossing his arms over his chassis and leaning against the half collapsed side of the ditch. Ratchet shot him a dark look before something slammed into the ground between them.
"Get out!" Ironhide roared but Ratchet was already halfway out of the ditch, self-preservation coding running at full power. He just managed to scramble out of the ditch before the shell exploded.
The blast threw him and he slammed to the ground hard, his helm spinning. He caught a glimpse of piercing red optics before something slammed into his helm and he blacked out.
ooOOoo
Slowly his systems booted up and Ratchet hissed in pain, his helm throbbing. He tried to get to his kneebolts only to realise that his arms were pinned behind his back with stasis cuffs.
The familiar, and hated, feeling shocked the rest of his systems online and he jerked, sitting up and wincing as gashes on his frame made themselves aware. He ran a quick diagnosis and was relieved to realise that there was no major damage, only shallow gashes and scraps that would heal themselves. It was at that point that he realised that something was leaning against him. Black plating caught his attention and he snarled, shoving Ironhide off of him. The black mech groaned as he hit the ground on his side and Ratchet gave him a good kick in the leg for good measure.
"You glitch!" He yelled as Ironhide jerked online with a curse.
"Wha-"
"I'm gonna fraggin' rip you apart if I ever get my servos on you!"
"What about that coding of yours." Ironhide asked dryly, shifting to sit up properly. "Can't harm another or something like that?"
"Codding be fragged! Where the pit are we!" Ratchet demanded getting his own legs under him to stand and glance around. They were in a dark room, the only light coming from a narrow barred window in the door and their optics.
"How would I know!" Ironhide countered as he also stood up. "I ain't one of them!"
Ratchet turned with a snarl but noise on the other side of the door caught their attention and both mechs froze.
"Ah, you're both online." A far too familiar voice said and Ratchet stiffened in alarm as the door slid open to reveal a familiar frame. The mech had changed his colors since he had last seen him but he would recognise Scrapper anywhere.
"What do you want 'Con." Ironhide snarled, taking a step back and placing himself slightly in front of Ratchet.
"Well, we were originally just happy to take you Ironhide, but then when we saw our dear old friend Ratchet," The mech said with a shrug before glancing at Ratchet with a smug grin. "Well we couldn't just leave our brother laying out there could we?"
"Brother?!" Ironhide squawked, turning to stare at Ratchet.
"Who's we." Ratchet demanded, ignoring the black mech sputtering beside him.
"Why, my new gang of course." Scrapper said with a vicious smirk.
"Didn't take long to replace Dusty and the others did you." Ratchet accused with a growl of his own.
"You're not the only traitor around here Ratchet. Lots of the gang are Decepticons and yet here you are with an Autobot."Scrapper shot back.
"Brother?!" Ironhide yelled louder.
"We were part of the same mining gang before this mess started. He and Longhaul transferred out." Ratchet growled, finally acknowledging Ironhide. "Guess things have changed a bit sense then."
"Just a little." Scrapper replied with a smirk. "I'd introduce you to the rest of the gang but they're a little busy at the moment."
"To bad." Ratchet growled.
"I knew you were a 'Con lover." Ironhide growled lowly.
"Oh get over it!" Ratchet snapped, shooting the mech a dark look.
"Oh trust me Autobot, he is not one of us." Scrapper growled. "Not anymore."
Ratchet flinched, the words hurting more than they should considering everything that had happened since he had first left Iacon.
"Megatron will be quite happy to get his servos on you." Scrapper continued, glancing at Ironhide. "And as for Ratchet. Well, as far as we're concerned, you're a traitor and, well, Megaton despises traitors."
"I'm well aware of that." Ratchet said nervously as the mech turned and left, slamming the door behind them.
"Great, we're as good as slag." Ironhide snapped. "Nobody knows that we're here and the 'Cons have some kind of grudge against you-"
"Ain't the first time someone's wanted me offline." Ratchet said with a smirk. "Politicians, gangsters, Enforcers, Decepticons…"
Ironhide stared at him blankly, optics wide in alarm.
"What the frag kind of medic were you?" He asked finally.
"A good one." Ratchet said with a smirk, trying to twist his arms in the cuffs. To his surprise, they were set at a much lower setting then normal and he was able to move his arms a little. Testing them out he was easily able to twist his wrists despite the sharp shock that was sent up his arms.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Ironhide muttered, glancing around the cell. "So what, you know how to pick a lock too while you're at it?"
"I'm a medic." Ratchet replied flatly, still trying to twist his servo around. "What makes you think I can pick a lock?"
Ironhide shrugged.
"You seem to be full of surprises for a simple medic." He replied.
Ratchet smirked, once again glancing around the cell.
"I guess your subspace is locked?" he asked.
"Course it is. Your's?"
"Yep." Ratchet replied,
"Well then what's the plan if I can't access my weapons and you can't access any of your tools." Ironhide demanded with a scowl.
"Who says I can't access my tools?" Ratchet asked, finally managing to get his servo far enough around to reach the thin strip of metal just under his bracer. Fighting the stasis cuffs sent bolts of hot electricity up his arms and he knew he would have to replace some of the circuitry.
But if he could short out the lock, he could-
"Got it." Ratchet said with a wince as the cuffs sent one more powerful shock up his systems before going dead.
"Got what." Ironhide asked.
"Cuffs are dead." Ratchet said with a grin as once again power was restored to his arms and he twisted the thin piece of metal free of the cuffs.
"You're kidding me."
"Nope. And…" Ratchet flexed his arms again and the cuffs creaked before snapping. "They're off."
Ironhide continued to stare at him in shock.
"Watch the door would you?" Ratchet asked as he sat down, using the thin metal to pick at his thigh.
"What are… you… doing…?" Ironhide asked in confusion, tilting his helm to the side.
"Getting my tools." Ratchet replied, focusing on finding that miniscule catch. "The door?"
Ironhide shot him a dry look before shifting over to the door to peer through the window.
"It's clear." Ironhide muttered as Ratchet found the catch and a second subspace popped up on his HUD.
"Ow." Ratchet hissed as the illegal upgrade reconnected and he accessed the small field kit he always carried in his thigh.
"How the frag…?" Ironhide stammered as Ratchet stood up with a wince, limping on that leg.
"Don't tell Prowl." Ratchet growled, sliding the thin metal back up under his bracer. "Or Kadylac. Or anyone else for that matter."
"Where the pit did you lean to pick stasis cuffs?" Ironhide asked again.
"Mech I knew in Praxus." Ratchet said with a shrug, getting to work on Ironhide's cuffs. "I put him back together after a bounty hunter tried to blow his helm off."
"Do I know this mech?"
"He's a 'Con." Ratchet said with a smirk and Ironhide scowled. "But yes you do. Meiser."
"Meiser?!"
With a pop the cuffs snapped off and Ironhide winced as he rubbed his wrist joints before spinning on Ratchet.
"Sit down." Ratchet ordered before the mech had a chance to say anything.
"You and Meiser are friends?!"
"I wouldn't exactly call it that." Ratchet said with a scowl. "It was just business."
"Business my aft." Ironhide growled. "And you expect me to let you hotwire my helm now?"
"Do you want your weapons or not. Now don't move." Ratchet ordered as he started working on reconnecting the mech's weapons systems.
"Don't move he says." Ironhide muttered. "I'm just gonna short your processor with a stick I pulled out of my protoform!"
"Under my bracer." Ratchet corrected, rolling his optics as he worked.
Ironhide continued to mutter under his breath until the sound of pedsteps had both mechs freezing.
"Frag…" Ratchet hissed, working as fast as he dared. Wiring was touchy stuff and if he mess up, he just might short out the mech's processor.
"Ratchet…" Ironhide growled, his armor flaring as the steps got closer.
"Working as fast as I can." Ratchet hissed back, glancing up nervously. Just as the door unlocked and started to open Ratchet snapped the mech's subspace panel shut and jumped back as Ironhide's weapons powered up to full strength in an instant.
The mech that opened the door didn't stand a chance as the blast ripped his chassis open. He slammed against the far wall before sliding down, energon everywhere.
Ratchet glanced away, his tanks heaving as he steadied himself on the wall, jaw clenched as his coding went haywire. This was wrong…
It was one thing to see the carnage after a battle, it was another to see a mech murder another in front of him.
"Come on!" Ironhide snarled, grabbing Ratchet's bracer and jerking him forward. "Your friends will have heard that shot."
Ratchet didn't even respond to the snide remark as he stumbled after the Guard, his optics locking on the greying mech slumped against the wall. Primus, how many had he seen greying out like that…
"Ratchet! Come on!" Ironhide barked, jarring Ratchet out of his thoughts.
"Yeah yeah…" Ratchet stammered as he followed Ironhide, the whine of his cannons the only sound in the dimly lit hall. Abruptly Ironhide stopped and whipped around, Ratchet almost walking into the mech. He started to back off but Ironhide grabbed his collar struts, yanking him faceplate to faceplate with the other mech.
"You need to focus." Ironhide hissed, blue optics locked on Ratchet's own pair. "You did your job now it's my job. Compute?"
Ratchet scowled before nodding. He'd faced worse. He would survive this as well. If only so that he could get back to Iacon and strangle Optimus.
"Good. Stay behind me and stay quiet." Ironhide ordered before turning back down the hall. Ratchet made a face at his back before rolling his optics and creeping after him.
"We'll have to make a break for it." Ironhide said quietly. "Find a way out of here and hope they didn't drag us to far from Iacon."
"You forgot something." Ratchet grumbled.
"What."
"I don't have my subspace." Ratchet replied with a sarcastic smirk when Ironhide turned to him.
"I thought you had that hotwired or something." Ironhide asked.
"No, that's a secondary much smaller and illegal subspace. It doesn't let me transform." Ratchet explained. "And it feels like someone's stabbing a knife into my processor when it's active. I've already disconnected it and if I'm lucky, will have full use of my leg in a few joors."
"Joors?" Ironhide asked stupidly and Ratchet resisted the urge to throttle the mech.
"Yes joors, it's an illegal upgrade! Of course it-"
Ironhide yanked him down as a plasma shot ripped through wall just by his helm.
"-Frag!" Ratchet spat as he bolted after Ironhide, a mech with the same purple and green paint scheme as Scrapper cursed violently.
"Well now we're defiantly fragged." Ironhide spat as he shoved Ratchet ahead of him, firing off a few rounds behind him. A few nano-klicks later, loud alarms blasted though the hallway and Ratchet winced.
"Well there went any hope of stealth." Ratchet muttered darkly, running after Ironhide as he took the lead again.
"Like that was ever an option!" Ironhide yelled over his shoulder guard. "Woah!"
He skidded to a stop and Ratchet collided into him, cursing violently before Ironhide slammed him into the wall, a servo clapped over his mouth.
"Shut up!" He hissed.
"What do you mean they got out! Find them!" A voice, Scrapper, roared after a few silent nano-klicks. "And make sure they're online! Forget Megatron, I'm gonna rip Ratchet apart myself for this!"
Ratchet cringed under Ironhide's servo and the mech smirked at him.
"Mech, you really need to make better choices in your friends." He said in barely there whisper. Ratchet gave him a murderous glare before jerking his servo away.
"Let's just get out of here." Ratchet growled, gesturing for Ironhide to take the lead. The black mech smirked before glancing around the corner and starting down it, his cannon primed. His back to Ratchet, he didn't see the yellow medic tremble before composing himself and following the mech.
"Could you re-wire your subspace yourself?" Ironhide asked.
"If I had the time, probably." Ratchet replied, keeping his tone level.
"Then we better find a place." Ironhide said.
A shot rang out and Ratchet cried out in pain as a plasma blast ripped through his shoulder guard. He went down to his knees, clutching his gushing arm as fire raced up his systems. He was so going to terminate Prime for this!
Ironhide instantly reacted, bringing his cannon around and taking aim at Scrapper's retreating form.
"No!" Ratchet yelled, jerking upright and slamming his servo into the bottom of the cannon. It went off but the shot went high and Ironhide cursed before grabbing Ratchet's arm and yanking him back to his peds, practically dragging Ratchet down the hall and around another corner.
Ratchet sank to the floor, gasping in pain.
"What do you mean 'no!" Ironhide roared in anger. "You glitch! He could have terminated us both!"
"He's my gang, Guard." Ratchet spat. "Like you would ever understand loyalty!"
Ironhide reared back like he had been struck and for a moment Ratchet almost felt sorry for what he had said.
"Ratchet, you and that Autobot are never going to get out of here functional!" Scrapper yelled.
"Wanna bet 'Con!" Ironhide spat angrily, flattening his frame against the wall.
"Make you a deal Autobot. Leave the medic and I might just let you get a running start." Scrapper said. "After all, Megatron doesn't know you're here and why would you care for a working class scum like him?"
At the look Ironhide shot Ratchet the medic thought for one spark stopping moment that the Guard would leave him. But then Ironhide scowled.
"Not a chance 'Con." Ironhide snarled, peering around the corner. "I may hate him but I hate you more."
"Gee thanks." Ratchet muttered, digits working to seal off the shredded lines in his shoulder guard.
"Too bad for that." Scrapper continued.
"Come on Scrapper, it doesn't have to be like this!" Ratchet called out, wincing as he sealed an energon line.
"You know it does Ratchet!" Scrapper spat. "You know firsthand what they've done to us!"
"Sterling's wrong and so is Megatron! There has to be a different way than trying to terminate each other." Ratchet continued.
"There is no other way! Get it through your processor!" Scrapper yelled, his anger reaching a new height. "You're either with us or against us!"
Ratchet flinched, jaw clenching in grief at what Scrapper was saying.
"Scrapper I'm begging you-"
"And I'm warning you! There will be War and you will be on the wrong side of it!"
Ratchet dropped his helm, his frame tense with grief as he reached for the back of his neck.
"He's got friends. I can sense them." Ironhide warned, his tone surprisingly neutral as he glanced at Ratchet. The medic didn't respond as he slowly got back to his peds, energon still dripping down his arm.
"I fixed my subspace. Let's just get out of here." Ratchet hissed, weakly clutching his arm. Ironhide nodded before rapidly firing off a few shots down the hallway.
"Come on!" He yelled and the medic shot forward in his alt form, energon dripping from his undercarriage. Ironhide took off after him and they bolted down the hall. At one point Ironhide shot past the medic to ram another purple and green mech.
"Those are the gates! We're almost there!" Ironhide called as they skidded around a corner.
Only for a huge mech to be blocking their way. Ironhide skidded to a stop, drifting to keep his bulk between the mech and Ratchet.
"Longhaul, you have to listen to me!" Ratchet pleaded again. "We were in the same gang you have to understand this isn't right!"
"Scrapper's in charge now." The mech said, his gun held loosely at his side. "The power's gone to his helm. But more importantly he's forgotten what mattered."
"You gave me the faulty cuffs." Ratchet said quietly.
"I will admit, I didn't think you'd free the Autobot." Longhaul said with a harsh chuckle. "But then again, you were always the odd one."
"Our gang was full of odd ones." Ratchet replied. "We were all bait-metal remember?"
"This is your last warning Ratchet." Longhaul continued. "And you can tell your Prime this as well. We will finish what was started. Or we will terminate trying."
"Longhaul-"
"I suggest you get going. I haven't seen that mech that mad in a long time." Longhaul muttered, deliberately turning his back on the two mechs to punch in a code on the locks. The huge doors slid open with a creak and he stepped to the side.
"Head due south. There's an Autobot base there." Longhaul said before priming his weapon.
"Shoot him." Ratchet ordered and Ironhide sputtered in shock.
"First you tell me not to shoot, then you tell me to shoot! Make you your fraggin mind!" Ironhide spat.
"He'll be charged for treason. Shoot him." Ratchet repeated, struggling to keep his voice level.
"Suit yourself." Ironhide said before he transformed, his cannon humming, and shot the mech.
Ratchet hissed as the blast ripped into Longhaul's hipbolt. It wasn't enough to terminate the mech but it would put him out of commission for a long time. The big mech howled in agony, collapsing as he dropped his gun and Ironhide launched back into his altmode, racing for the exit. Ratchet hesitated just a moment before he took off after Ironhide.
xxXXxx
Ratchet sat alone at a table in the recoom, a cube of medical grade sitting in front of him untouched. After the mission, they'd made it to the Autobot base, jumped on a transport and headed back to Iacon. Ratchet then proceeded to chew out Optimus before reporting to medbay to have his shoulder fixed.
The templating was still tender as he ran his digits over the fresh welds and considered having the cube the CMO had insisted.
But the images of Springer, of that Decepticon Ironhide had shot at point blank range, what Scrapper, his old gang member, had said kept repeating itself in his processor.
The last thing he wanted was to even think about touching the stuff. He'd seen enough energon this orn.
With a tired and grief filled groan he dropped his helm into his servo, hissing under his breath.
The sound of glass being set on the table caught his attention and he glanced up in surprise to see Ironhide settle into the chair across from him, a bottle of rich blue energon in servo and two empty shot glasses in his other servo.
"Figured you could use a real drink and not that medical slag." Ironhide said with a smirk, handing a glass to Ratchet.
The medic returned it, reaching for the glass as Ironhide poured the high-grade.
"You know medic, Ratchet…" Ironhide said before hesitating. "You're not so bad for a miner."
To his complete surprise Ratchet threw back his helm and laughed for the first time in what felt like metacycles.
"You're not so bad yourself Guard." He said, holding his glass up for a toast. Ironhide clinked his glass against Ratchet's but paused a moment.
"To monsters." Ironhide said to Ratchet's shock. "And the friends that chase them away."
Ratchet couldn't help but laugh again. It had been far too long since he had heard that toast.
"I still dont like you." Ratchet said firmly.
"And I still don't trust you." Ironhide countered with a laugh. Once against they clinked glasses before tossing the shots back and poured another round.
And for more clarification, feel free to ask all the questions you want, doesn't mean ill give you a straight answer ;)
Important notes,
-The Constructicons do not combine yet as I have my own ideas for that.
-As alike Ironhide and Ratchet are, there is no way i can wrap my head around the fact that they would get along right off the hop. And quite frankly, this is way more fun.
-and of course, hope you like it Teckmouse6533 :)
Hopefully I'll get the next chapter of TMJ:A up this Sunday but my muse just took off in another direction. Maybe with one thing off my plate I'll get back on track.