Bang. Bang. Even louder now. BANG! No, no, no. Just a little longer. Please. BANG! He knew he had no choice. Grumbling, he got out of bed. He opened the door of his quarters. It was Ironhide. Ironhide was a big black mech and the weapons specialist.

"What do you want, Ironhide? Can't a bot get a wink of recharge around here?" He complained.

"Morning, Ratchet. Cheerful visit for you." Ironhide commented, sarcastically. "Remember?"

"Remember what?" Ratchet growled, still sleepy.

Ironhide face palmed. "You were supposed to come in a joor ago for a weapons check."

"Oh…yeah." The yellow medical bot recalled. "Sorry. I didn't recharge too well over the night."

Ironhide rolled his eyes. "Come on."

He followed the black mech to the weapons bay. Once they arrived, he transformed his hand into a saw.

"Spin it." Ironhide ordered.

Ratchet obeyed. It spun easily. Nothing was wrong with it. Besides, what was the point of a weapons check when he was a medic?

"It seems alright to me." Ironhide seemed to read Ratchet's thoughts. "Okay, you can go now, Ratchet."

And he did. He went right back to his quarters to sleep for another joor. His shift in the medic bay started in two joors, so he had time. He lay down on the bed. He closed his optics.

He was startled out of recharge by a loud, shaking sensation. A noise and a feeling of movement. He didn't open his optics. He didn't want to. More shaking. Screams now. Crumbling noises. Walls?

He had to find out what was going on now. He blinked his optics open. His quarters were destroyed. Walls missing, ceiling fragments everywhere, no door, items all over the floor…the list went on and on. What was happening?

Another shake was followed by more yells and screams. He raced through a hole in the wall next to where the door used to be. The rest of the ship was beat up and covered in holes as well. Umm… Bots were pushing each other, trying to get to a safe place.

Ratchet grabbed the nearest bot and pushed him against a wall. "Sideswipe, what's going on?"

"I don't know." The mech shrugged. "I think we're-"

"-under attack." Sunstreaker interrupted.

Ratchet looked at Sunstreaker. Where had he come from?

"We need to get out of here." Sideswipe finished.

"Okay. Best idea of them all." Ratchet rolled his optics. "Let's go."

"Wait, Ratchet." Sunstreaker piped up. "Shouldn't you help any trapped or injured bots?"

"Duh!" He spat impatiently. "You two go, and, yes, Sunstreaker, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

The two twins raced off and vanished into the crowd of panicking Autobots. Ratchet spun around, heading the other way. He heard somebot call his name. "Ratchet!"

He glanced around. "Where are you?" He yelled back.

There was a yell of pain from the same bot that had called him. "Under a damn wall!"

Ratchet saw him then. It was Jazz. He was at his side in a nanoklik. He threw pieces of the Cybertronian metal off of the silver mech. "You alright, Jazz?"

"I am now." The mech answered with a nod. "Thanks."

"Not a problem at all." He answered back.

There was another shake. "Whoa!" The two bots chorused.

"I'm going to find Optimus." Ratchet said out loud.

"I was looking for him till that wall decided to crush me." Jazz snorted. "Let's go."

They raced off towards the bridge of the ship. They raced in. Only the Prime was there. He was trying to keep the ship in the air. Keep it from crashing on Cybertron. "Ratchet! Jazz!"

"How many engines are left?" The medic asked.

"Two. They can't hold us up." The red and blue mech answered.

Jazz raced to the Prime's side at the controls. "Do we still have the spare engines?"

"No. They were hit too." Optimus answered. "We're going to crash."

"Oh no." Ratchet murmured.

"I have a job for you." The Prime told him, handing him a microphone for speakers that went all over the ship. "Tell them to evacuate and that we're going to crash."

"No problem." He answered, taking the microphone. He spoke into it:

"Attention all Autobots. Medical Officer Ratchet speaking in place for Optimus Prime. The ship is going to crash. Evacuate as fast as possible. I repeat, evacuate quickly!"

He stopped speaking into the microphone.

"We're going down!" Jazz shouted.

Ratchet saw several ships flying away. Not enough to hold all of the bots. Some were still aboard. He sighed. Bots were going to die.

"Cut the power!" Optimus yelled.

Ratchet raced over and turned off the ship's power. "Power is cut, Optimus!"

"Brace yourselves!" The Prime shouted.

Ratchet grabbed the microphone.

"Brace yourselves, we're crashing!"

He shouted it into the microphone as soon as the bridge hit the planet. The bridge was in the front of the whole ship. He dropped the microphone, flying into the glass that they used to see out of. He heard a loud thump as the rest of the ship hit the planet.

Ratchet's optics closed themselves as pain shot through his metal body. He felt something heavy on top of him as he was sucked into darkness.

He opened his optics. All he felt was pain. All he heard was metal crumbling and screams of pain. All he saw was the metal on top of him.

"Ratchet!" He worried yell of Optimus came. "Where are you?"

He couldn't find any words to say back. He started pushing up on the metal, trying to free himself. He felt it move up slightly. He pushed on it with all of his strength now. It only moved a few inches higher. Then, his energy seeped out of him. He couldn't hold it any longer. It fell on top of him. "Oooof!"

He heard Jazz say something from closer by. "I think he's over here, Optimus."

Ratchet felt the metal lifted off of him. He rolled onto his back, looking at the two mechs. "Ouch." He grumbled, getting up.

"You alright?" Optimus asked.

"Am I alright? Am I alright? That's the stupidest question anybot could ask. We just crashed! No, I'm not alright." He growled. "Let's round up the survivors."

"Alright, let's go." Jazz agreed.

"Fine." Optimus nodded.

The three mechs raced off looking for survivors of the crash. Suddenly, Ratchet noticed something. "It was the Decepticons." He told the other two mechs. "There are some trying to pick us off." He pointed at a few Decepticon jets flying in the sky.

"Oh no." Growled Optimus. "We got to move. Now!"

The other two mechs nodded in reply.

Then all three of them raced for cover, to look for survivors, hopefully unnoticed.

Ratchet ignored the burning pain that covered his frame. They had to keep moving. Had to save the others that were still okay…for now, anyway. No giving up.

"See anyone?" Jazz asked none of the other mechs in particular.

"Nope." Optimus answered. "Wait…yes!"

"It's a Decepticon! Get the frag out of the way of it!" Ratchet spat.

"Heads!" Shouted the silver mech.

All three Autobots ducked and the shot that had come from the Con' missed them.

"You guys keep going. I'll hold him off." Decided the yellow medic.

"What?" The Prime was angry.

"Do you want all three of us to die to this piece of scrap?" Ratchet asked, his own anger rising. "You two go help the others. I got this, okay?"

"He's right, Optimus. We have to go." Jazz cut in before the red and blue mech could say anything. "He'll catch up."

The Prime heaved a sigh. "Alright then, Ratchet." He raced off followed by his first lieutenant. They were going to be alright.

Ratchet turned back to the Decepticon that had now landed in front of him. It was Skywarp, twin to Thundercracker and Starscream. Oh no. The Decepticon snarled with a cocky grin.

"You're going down, you punk!" Skywarp spat.

"Just because I am injured doesn't mean that I'm weak." Ratchet retorted. But deep down, he knew that the Con' could be right. "I'll take you Decepticon scrap on any day!"

The Con' rushed at him. He sidestepped the attack, transforming his hand into that wonderful deadly saw. He started spinning it, and then launched himself at the Decepticon. He landed squarely on its back, satisfied at the growl of surprise he earned. He started going for Skywarp's neck, but the larger bot grabbed him and tossed him off, angrily.

Ratchet quickly got up and started thinking of a strategy, while he dodged attacks. There was no good strategies for taking on the larger bot. Well, maybe he could go for his legs.

He didn't have a choice. He charged at the Decepticon, head on. But, a foot away, he ducked into a sliding position and got a few hits on Skywarp's legs. Then, before he could recover from the attack, Ratchet jumped on his back and started punching the back of his head.

The angry Decepticon grabbed Ratchet and threw him into a rock. He saw the Con's hand transform into a gun. Ratchet got up and charged again, dodging bullet shots.

To his sudden surprise, he felt one of the suckers hit him in the shoulder. He ignored the pain and stayed on his feet. As soon as he got up close, Ratchet hit his saw into the Con's chest, knocking him to the ground. Ratchet went down with him. Skywarp whacked him in the face with his cannon and then punched him off near the same rock. Ratchet got up, charging at the annoying enemy.

But, before he could attack, he heard another familiar voice behind him. "Hello, Ratchet."

"Oh no." He grumbled. He forced himself to turn and look into the deep red optics of Soundwave. Now he was in trouble.

He took a few steps back, running into Skywarp. He sighed.

He heard the Con's gun reload from its last shot. He looked back at Soundwave. He had a crazy idea. He walked into the middle of the two bots, making them have an even chance of getting to him first.

They charged. Ratchet dove out to the side and heard the satisfying bang of the two Cons' colliding. He turned back to them, transforming his second hand into a saw. He spun both at full speed.

He raced towards them, not slowing as he neared. He attacked the bots each with one arm as he went in between them. He heard one of them hit Skywarp, but the other got grabbed by Soundwave.

The Decepticon pulled him back and put his arms around the Autobot's neck in a headlock. Ratchet transformed his hands back to normal and tried to loosen the enemy's grip on him. A strangled noise came out of the medic's throat. Let go, damn it!

His struggles grew weaker and more desperate at the same time. The Con' let go of his neck, but shoved him onto his back on the ground. Soundwave put a foot on Ratchet's chest, looking down at him.

"Not so tough anymore, are you?" Boasted Skywarp with an evil chuckle.

"Let go of me!" Ratchet finally spat.

"Ratchet!" It was Sunstreaker, followed by Sideswipe.

The two bots charged at the Decepticons, who raced towards them. Ratchet was relieved. He scrambled to his feet, spitting out some energon.

His hands returned to saw form and he raced towards them to help. The two Decepticons were overwhelmed. They fled from the three Autobots.

Ratchet watched them go, breathing heavily.

"You alright?" Asked Sideswipe.

"I am now." He answered through gasps.

"Phew." Sunstreaker looked at Sideswipe. "Looks like we found him just in time."

The three bots returned their gaze to the sky. All of the Decepticons were gathering. Leaving. Ratchet watched them fly away.

He looked at the twins. "Let's go help find some of the others."

The Autobots had regrouped now, counting off the ones who'd died. So many. Too many. Jolt, Arcee, and the other medics, including Ratchet, were checking the wounds of the survivors. So many bad wounds. But, thankfully, all of them would live for now. Live to fight another day.

Ratchet looked upon them. Time to get their strength and pride back. Time to reorganize the disordered team.

Time to prepare and go finish the war, once and for all.

Go Autobots!