Title: Hippocratic Oath
Author: odd_stick
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Hasbro.
Rating: PG (I'm playing it safe…)
Characters: Command Trine (Starscream, Thundercracker, & Skywarp) x Ratchet (Bayverse)
Pairing(s): Relationships, both past and future, are hinted at and include: ScreamerxTCxWarp, StarscreamxRatchet, and TrinexRatchet.
Summary: Request fic for shadow_ribbon on LJ; prompt was "Command Trine/Ratchet – tattoos"
A/N: Story kind of got away with me, though I was still able to include a reference to the actual prompt. LOL. Also – there are footnotes….yeah, I dunno. .
The only warning Ratchet had was the telltale flicker that danced over his sensors and the accompanying sounds of the teleportation. He was roughly grabbed from behind and pulled to a broad chassis before the NEST compound vanished from his sight, the startled cries of his allies echoing in his audials. The abrupt displacement made his tank churn and his spark drop, but he was given no time to recover as he was roughly pushed forward.
The feel of a short blade digging into the seam of his back strut urged him onward, but didn't keep him from opening his mouth. "We hadn't realized that you had made planet fall Skywarp. We were even considering the idea that you may have been deactivated since you had not been seen with Starscream."
A clawed hand came to rest on the CMO's shoulder, gently directing him towards their destination. "Wanted to keep it a surprise, though I guess I kinda spoiled it back there."
Ratchet could honestly say that he had no idea where they were. Some kind of disrupter field had been set up to keep him from linking to Earth's satellites in order to pinpoint his location while also blocking any communications he tried to send out. The structure they were in was cramped and littered with several maze-like passage ways, but it was definitely human in origin.
"Did you harm any humans when you appropriated this place?"
A rough shove to his shoulder caused the Autobot to nearly lose his footing, but the act lost its edge when Skywarp laughed. "Don't worry about the squishies. You know how Starscream dislikes needlessly killing civvies." 1
The chartreuse mech would have turned and given the Seeker a firm lecture on the hypocrisy of such a stand when their leader had no such qualms, but was cut off when they finally entered their destination. The room was terribly unremarkable, aside from the pool of still glowing energon that led to two more Seekers.
Thundercracker's optics lifted from the slack face of their Trine Leader. "'Warp, you got him," the blue mech pointed out, his words betraying his exhaustion.
Ratchet rushed over, his training taking over. He was already setting out his field med supplies next to the heavily injured Decepticon, when he demanded, "How long has he been like this? It's not from the battle with the Fallen…"
The blue Seeker ran the backs of his claws across Starscream's cheek ridge. "C'mon Star, you've got to come out of recharge now. We got help."
Optics on his brothers, Skywarp supplied the medic with an answer. "No, it's not…Megatron lost his temper with what happened in Egypt…and before." The black and purple mech turned his attention back to Ratchet, watching the Autobot work with a detached fascination. "We finally got him away a few mega-cycles ago. We took turns sharing our energon reserves with him, but it's not enough. TC had to stay hooked up to him while I went to find you." The dark Seeker knelt next to his exhausted brother and stroked his helm reassuringly.
Nervous silence settled as the CMO diligently worked, the brightly colored Seekers watching his every move. An eternity later, only Ratchet's naturally steady demeanor while working kept him from jumping like the two Seekers when Starscream let out a static filled moan and what could have been an aborted scream. His panicked optics darted across the room before finally focusing on his Trine Mates. The Autobot didn't even acknowledge the whispered reassurances and ill concealed data bursts sent between them, and instead finished replacing the fuel lines in the Air Commander's midriff.
Caught up with what had happened since he's slipped into stasis lock, Starscream visibly relaxed his frame and turned his helm to better see Ratchet. "I can honestly say that it's good to see you Ratchet. It's been a while since you were performing repairs on me."2
The Autobot exhaled a puff of air from his vents. "Just don't make it a habit. I ignore factions when anyone is in need of my expertise, but I am still an Autobot." After closing the last panel, Ratchet activated his scanners and ran them over the supine form of the Seeker. "I've done all I can without access to my med bay, but you'll survive. Take it easy and let your self repairs do their job."
With part of his processor painfully remembering how the two of them used to call each other friend, Ratchet reached out and ran the fingers of one hand down the paths of the intricate tattoos adorning the Seeker's forearm. "I thought they were just painted on. Did you really carve these into yourself?"3
Starscream stared at the drab room's ceiling, avoiding all the optics that were watching him. Even his Trine Mates had not yet had a chance to ask him about his new adornments, having arrived on Earth too late for the Fallen's battle and just in time to rescue him from a likely deactivation. "I needed to remind myself what I was fighting for. "
"Well, I think they're neat," Skywarp piped up, refusing to let anything dampen the good mood that blossomed from the revelation that his brother wasn't going to join the Well of All Sparks any time soon.
Thundercracker nuzzled in close to Starscream, his hold having never lessened. "I agree. They're very ferocious, yet dignified. Maybe Skywarp and I could get matching ones?"
Ratchet's head swung to a tilt, a habit he'd picked up from the humans when they rolled their eyes at a situation. Putting his last bit of supplies away, he stood up and blatantly ignored the creaking in his stiff joints. They had just returned from a strenuous mission when he'd been spirited away and he had not yet had time to remove the bits of shrapnel that had caught him.
"Skywarp, I would appreciate being returned to where you found me," the CMO said, attempting to catch the Seekers' attention before they became so involved in one another that they forgot him completely.
The dark Seeker frowned at the Autobot, but rose to his pedes anyway. With a warning glint in his optics, Ratchet wagged his outstretched finger at the entire flock. "I mean it. Let him rest…even if he asks for it."
Starscream's laugh almost shifted into a cough before he caught himself. "Sure you don't want to stick around and watch to make sure I don't over exert myself Ratch'? If I recall correctly, due to your vocation, you're hands are extremely sensitive. Care to remind me?" The Seeker let his leer show proudly, doing an effective job of covering his exhaustion and pain from how very close he had come to going offline.
Ratchet grabbed Skywarp's arm, readying himself for the teleport. "If you decide not to go back to Megatron, you know where to find me. I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement." Then with a load snap of displacing space and matter, the two Cybertronians were gone from the room. Only Thundercracker was there to witness his friend/brother/mate break into a type of relieved and happy laughter that he had not heard since before the War.
1 Reign of Starscream pg. 35; The scene in the comic can be interpreted several ways, but I like to think that because the humans are scientists/unarmed/not a threat/etc. he doesn't want to needlessly kill them as it's a waste/unhonorable/whatever. Think "Predator". Yeeeesss.
2 Defiance pg. 5
3 Alliance pg. 23
