Title: Danger Zone
Summary: TF:A. Ratchet's job wasn't done after he and Arcee escaped Lockdown.
Disclaimer: Transformers is owned by Hasbro and Takara. I gain no profit in writing these short fics.
A/N: Even if Ratchet's mission was a failure, he would still need to get Arcee to safety right? If I remember correctly, one of the closing lines to 'Thrill of the Hunt' was, "Its not that I don't want to remember. I have to remember. For those who can't." It's my simple assumption that Arcee is still online.
Slipping in a few curses, Ratchet ducked low and used a steady hand to press Arcee back against the rubble they were presently using as cover. From the view of their temporary "shelter", Ratchet saw there was no shortage of conflict.
One of the more unfortunate places to be trapped in out on the battlefield was the territory borders. The opposite factions pressed hard against each other here, expecting to gain more ground.
Designating the exchange of fire as being ally or enemy was hopeless. The medic tried his communications line again and received the same static his earlier attempts had given him. His radio was dead and Ratchet, through some insufferable silent agreement, approved of Lockdown's decision. Capturing an enemy went much smoother when they couldn't call for aid.
Thinking of Lockdown, Ratchet thought how it was some extraordinary miracle that the bounty hunter had landed his ship on the border. Another precaution maybe?
Leaving his ship in that particular area meant faster access for Lockdown when he captured the "Intelbot". It also cut down on the threat of any Decepticons claiming Lockdown's bounty as their own.
As tough as the bounty hunter was, he was small by Decepticon standards and his ship could serve as a get away if he were betrayed.
Hauling Arcee away with him, Ratchet could only think about how much faster the journey would be if only he still had his treads. If they got back to Iacon, he would be picking out the pieces of his old treads for a good while.
"Where are-?"
"Shush!" Surprisingly Acree stopped her train of questions.
Fixing Arcee with a hard look, the corners of Ratchet's mouth dropped. The femme did not look the slightest bit scared or intimidated by the war zone.
Their precarious position left both Ratchet and Arcee far too open, and as ludicrous as the plan sounded, Ratchet knew that the both of them might just be forced underground again. He despised the idea, but this area was just too hot!
His other option was diving deeper into the action with hope of locating another group of Autobots. If he had been on his own, Ratchet doubted he would be weighing his options so heavily. Even if Ratchet could most likely hold his own he had to remind himself that he was not alone. He had a patient with him. And this patient was not like his other patients whom would grumble, ready for action if it was necessary.
No. Arcee was a blank slate. She was entirely dependent on Ratchet, barely moving a servo unless Ratchet physically guided her.
Ratchet wished Arcee was just being stubborn and would be back to normal within the next cycle making this whole episode just some cruel joke. However, this situation was the real deal and Ratchet knew the only way was underground. He would just have to be ten times more cautious.
Taking Arcee all the way through active battle had a greater risk than another possible run in with a Decepticon. If it came down to entering a battlefield with Arcee, then Ratchet would have his hands full. But if separation were to occur, Arcee would have no awareness to seek safety herself.
"Alright Arcee. We're heading underground again." Placing an arm around the femme, Ratchet led the way. "With luck, we'll be out of here in the next megacycle."
Arcee's string of questions started up again. Ratchet was at a loss for trying to explain his plan to Arcee, but he supposed it was more for his own comfort than anything else.
With Arcee secured against his side Ratchet tried hard to stay low. It was awkward going, but it was a must. Now Ratchet had to find an entrance to the lower levels.
Halting their movement when the very familiar sound of whistling filled the sky, Ratchet threw both Arcee and himself down. Ratchet grit his dental plates as the tremors of a missile hitting a nearby area fed his anxiety.
Good fortune must have really been with Ratchet. A few paces to the right exposed a near buried cavity with a rupture on the other side. Easing off to the right Ratchet activated his optic piece and glowered down into the dark. With a brief outline Ratchet made out a descending slope of debris. A terrible staircase, but it would do.
"Come on. You first."
Pushing Arcee forward, the femme slipped through the hole like a grease rag, as opposed to Ratchet's entrance. Ratchet's cost: large scrapings of paint off both the front and back.
A couple close missteps almost forced Ratchet to slide down the rest of the way on his aft; he didn't need any more paint off his frame. But paint off his frame was the least of Ratchet's worries when the whistling sounds of missiles rang loud again. Only thing was, this time the noise sounded extremely close and was getting louder!
There was a very high likelihood that someone had seen the two bots scurrying around outside and was hoping to bury them!
"Incoming!"
Acting with speed that Ratchet didn't think was possible for him, he drew out his magnets. The missiles hit the mark and detonated a body's length away from its target. The next thing they knew a heavy cloud of smoke and dust filled everything as the ceiling and walls crumbled.
After many cycles ticked by the dust started settling. Resisting the urge to laugh, Ratchet lay on his backside, his magnets shaping something that looked vaguely like a transparent pink sphere. Beside him Arcee was sprawled face down looking like some discarded doll.
At first Ratchet had been unsure if this trick would even work. The two bots were lucky that Ratchet had a new technique! Along with his ability to magnetically manipulate objects, Ratchet could now generate a shield. Ratchet would have to tuck this one away in his processor.
Focusing on his job at hand, Ratchet started easing down the rubble, and after some early warning signs of overheating in his arms, formed a shoddy dome. Little by little moving onto his side, Ratchet put extra care into each of his movements. The structure was terrible and the best plan from that point was to find a way out before he and Arcee really became buried. Arcee had remained completely still, her faceplate impassive.
Standing to his full height in the small structure was impossible so Ratchet would have to settle for moving around on his knees. In their dark space, Ratchet's hand traced out the walls around him. Snorting in defeat, Ratchet clicked on his headlights and activated his optic piece. When the tool slid into place, the medic was instantly rewarded with readouts of hollow space just on the other side.
Activating the magnetic shield again, Ratchet forced the dome larger and the wall blocking the new exit crumbled. Apologizing obscurely, Ratchet set a foot against Arcee's side and with a small kick directed the femme into the presently exposed tunnel.
Entering the tunnel himself, Ratchet made a face. Another tight squeeze and more paint off his frame.
Searching the tunnel with his optics, Ratchet recognized it as a minor maintenance shaft. One way was caved in and the other led off to who knows where. As a medic, Ratchet could spot a damaged piece of equipment; but it didn't take a medic to tell that this maintenance was no longer functioning.
Coming to a decision, Ratchet took Arcee and sat her against the wall. They would rest and he would scavenge for parts off the inoperative walls for emergency.
Ratchet's hopeless attempts at small talk remained ineffective. He could still only get questions from Arcee. Still, Arcee's questions were better than the silence laced with barely audible explosions.
With his subspace near filled, Ratchet kneeled in front of Arcee, took her temporary leg and gave it a once-over. Still in perfect working order, as far as makeshift limbs went. Noticing the absence of noise, Ratchet momentarily looked at Arcee. Her optics stared back at him.
Ratchet just about laughed at her. He didn't know why. "You can talk as much as you want." And Arcee continued on.
Taking a seat beside her, Ratchet felt his joints and cables strain. Touching the chevron on his forehead, Ratchet grimaced at the missing chunk and knew that he would have to wait until the end of the war to get it fixed. Repairs for vanity were unnecessary. A waste of resources. Soldiers were often allowed those treatments, but it was merely to keep up moral.
The two bots sat and waited. After the first megacycle passed, Ratchet manually powered down Arcee to conserve her energy. The medic spent the next few megacycles picking out his broken treads stuck in between armor plating and even timed the space between vibrations caused by explosions overhead.
When he felt it was time, Ratchet powered up Arcee. As he suspected Arcee took one look at him and started her questions again.
"Who are you?"
Ratchet choose to answer. "My name's Ratchet."
"Ratchet." Arcee repeated. Ratchet stiffened and hope flooded his spark.
"Where are we? What's happening?"
Ratchet's shoulders slumped. He felt foolish thinking that it was all over. He was a medic and he knew what Arcee's condition was.
Realizing something, Ratchet took Arcee's hand in his own. He didn't need to hush her. Arcee fell silent just like when he had held her leg. "Look Arcee, we're holding hands…"
The femme stared at the clasped hands.
"Keep holding my hand. If you let go, find me and hold my hand again." Ratchet spoke his instructions slow and clearly, watching Arcee's blank expression. There seemed to be no change.
Barely half a megacycle later, Ratchet and Arcee eventually came to the main tunnel that their maintenance shaft branched off from. While the maintenance shaft had been uncomfortable, the tunnel looked questionable. There were multiple breaks along the floor, walls and ceiling. It should have been no surprise, with the fighting heavy on the borders.
Ratchet soon discovered that trying to step lightly was virtually useless. His own weight was heavy, but with Arcee at his side, he could hear grinding from the structure with each of their steps.
"Arcee."
"Who's Arcee?"
Twisting his neck sideways, Ratchet gave the impression of being lucid. "You are. Your name's Arcee."
"Arcee."
A heavy tremor ripped above their heads and Ratchet felt dread. A large chunk of ceiling dislodged forcing Ratchet to summon his magnetic shield. The large mass struck the shield, lobbing off to the side and crashing through the cracked floor.
The floor began caving in. With a strong shove, Ratchet pushed Arcee out of proximity of the cave in. Like a black hole, the collapsing floor pulled Ratchet into the darkness. During his descent, he struck a beam causing him to cry out loud. But his plummet continued and he did not stop until he finally hit solid ground.
Groaning from the pain Ratchet rolled onto his back. He ran a self-diagnostic scan. Ratchet cursed when the readouts revealed his optic piece as no longer functioning. His magnets were still functioning. There was no damage to his circuitry. However, he did sustain one broken headlight.
The medic's expression twisted when he looked to his left arm. The magnet was not retracting due to a sizeable bend in the metal. This arm did take most of the blow when he hit the beam.
Turning on his headlight, he could make out a three story drop above him. Furthermore, he saw the offending beam he struck coming down.
"Arcee!" Ratchet's calls went unanswered. That wouldn't stop him from trying. "Arcee!"
Detecting movement Ratchet focused his light on the edge of the opening. He could only stare stupefied as Arcee peered over the ledge and down at him. Had she really come at his calling? His faceplate turned to horror when he saw Arcee start to pull herself over the edge head first.
Arcee's actions went uninterrupted by Ratchet's shouts for her to stop. She was staring strongly at Ratchet the entire time and her feet flipped over the edge and she started to fall. Magnetic energy shot forward and caught Arcee, carrying her form down carefully.
Easing Arcee on her feet, Ratchet thumped onto his back with a loud crash. When did he stand up? Offlining his optic, Ratchet waited for his whirling gears to slow.
His optic flashed back online when Arcee grabbed his hand. She was on her knees beside him and she repeated his instructions. "Keep holding my hand."
Ratchet groaned offlining his optic again. "I kinda walked into that one, didn't I?"
After instructing Arcee to let go of his hand, Ratchet pulled out the spare parts he had collected back in the maintenance shaft. He had really hoped he didn't have to use them and it appeared they would stay that way considering there was nothing of use. His left magnet would have to remain drawn out, unless he planned to pound the dent out with his fist.
With no repairs to attend to Ratchet had them move out again. The climb back up would be a waste and the tunnels on this lower level looked much more stable. In fact, the tunnels looked virtually untouched.
"Keep holding me hand." Ratchet repeated his command and Arcee took his hand again.
Megacycles later Ratchet stopped. His readouts flashed signals of low energy levels. Upon checking Arcee, the medic could see her energy levels were just above his own. They would both be running on fumes soon enough.
Ratchet estimated they had been MIA for 18 megacycles.
Surely Ultra Magnus would send search and rescue teams out for Arcee. If she were as important as the commander had said, then there had to be someone looking for her. It was too bad that the teams might not find them.
Ratchet concluded that they could go a little before he would have to pull out his reserve tank. By the spark, he didn't know how Lockdown had missed it. That spare bit of energon would keep them going somewhat further, but what would happen when they ran low on that fuel?
Focusing on their current problem, Ratchet dug his heels into the floor when he saw something miraculous. Just in his viewpoint were elevator doors. Scuttling forward with Arcee, Ratchet eagerly pressed the controls. Shaking his head at his own foolishness, Ratchet wondered why he thought these doors would open.
Ratchet jumped back when the elevator doors screeched open, but only enough to peek an optic through. His body was getting a real workout today.
Settling for a more primitive course of action, Ratchet wedged his bent magnet into the sliver of space between the doors. Why waste the energy with his magnets when he could just as easily pry them open.
The doors suddenly wrenched wide open with that same grinding screech. Recoiling in fright Ratchet fell to his aft tripping over his own feet. The unsightly noise echoed up and down the elevator shaft.
Looking around embarrassingly, Ratchet saw only Arcee's impassive face again.
Ratchet soon leaned into the elevator shaft and looked up. It was a straight shaft, but no elevator. He could make out a light up at the top. A four story climb. Every time the two seemed to get lucky, trouble wasn't far behind.
Since Cybertronian elevators didn't run on cables, there was nothing for Ratchet to hold onto.
Ratchet huffed hot air out his vents. "Now what?"
Staring angrily at his magnets, Ratchet made an effort to clear his thoughts and think of a plan. His magnets were good to slow himself when his was descending from a certain height, but flying was out of the question. Ratchet could picture stepping into the elevator and falling into the unknown depths below. Maybe, if that happened, he could throw himself against the wall and cling to the metal like the magnets on his arms.
Inspiration hit him and Ratchet redirected a pulse of magnetic energy away from the magnet and into his palm. Planting that palm to the inner wall of the shaft, Ratchet nodded satisfied when it stuck. Redirecting even more magnetic energy to his foot, Ratchet swung awkwardly into the shaft and pressed his lower limb to the inner wall. His grim expression shifted to something a little more pleased.
Wriggling himself back into the hallway, Ratchet looked at Arcee. He figured the old-fashioned way of carrying her would suffice. After a few cycles, Ratchet was back in the elevator shaft with Arcee hugging his back. Having the femme climb on his back was the easy part. Swinging back into the shaft with the extra weight was slightly tougher. The climb itself would determine their fate.
"Hang on! A fall from this height will do more than dent you." Ratchet didn't have any urge to see if his guess was correct.
Ratchet dipped into the reserve tank to keep his limps magnetized. They would split whatever was left of the energon when they reached the top.
It was slow going and Ratchet worried about Arcee the entire time. The solid hold she had around his neck eased his fears slightly. She wasn't going anywhere.
Stopping, Ratchet fixed his optic on the opening. For an instant it looked like something caught the light and reflected back at him. He waited and nothing happened. Ratchet turned off his headlight just to be safe.
When there was one and a half stories left, Ratchet paused shortly when he felt a strange grittiness underneath his hand. Curiosity was drowned out by his concern for Arcee and Ratchet pushed forward. They were so close to the top. He could already hear explosions in the distance. By the final story the grittiness had gotten much worse. Heaving the two of them up another pace Ratchet yelped when his hands and feet suddenly slipped from the wall with a horrid scrape.
'Rust!' Ratchet's CPU shouted.
Medics rarely came across such an abnormality in patients considering the Autobot alloy was virtually resistant to rusting. Ratchet himself had seen many samples, but waved them off to concentrate more on war wounds. He neither had the desire to stare at the stuff when it was decaying away the old buildings. Now it created a layer between the metal wall and Ratchet's magnets.
The rust that Ratchet had so wholeheartedly ignored was going to be his downfall! Not just his, but Arcee as well.
As quickly as he had fallen, Ratchet stopped, his front side slammed against the wall and jarred Arcee roughly. Her arms gave and she fell. Ratchet's hand shot out and captured Arcee's wrist.
Both Autobots hung suspended in the shaft.
Ratchet yelped again as the two of them were hauled swiftly upward and Ratchet was out of the elevator before anything registered.
Distressed, Ratchet frantically looked around. From his position Ratchet saw he was caught in the shadow of a great red and orange mech. The mech was kneeling.
Unexpected flashes of Lockdown flooded his memory banks and Ratchet panicked.
In a repeated performance, Ratchet was unceremoniously defeated. It was barely a fight on his part. He was pinned in a fierce hold with both arms locked behind his back.
"Easy on him! He's already battered enough!"
It was the large red and orange mech who gave the order. However, he was still kneeling, noticeably rigid. Most likely put on edge when Ratchet tried to attack him. Instead, Ratchet was being held down by another mech.
Twisting in the second bot's hold, Ratchet saw the Autobot symbol on their chests and relaxed heavily. He felt sheer relief and slowly the second bot released the medic.
The character that had pinned Ratchet was revealed to be a ninjabot. Off to the side, two more mechs sat stationed by what was probably once a window. Lookouts; One was green and the other white with an intimidating weapon hugging his side.
Arcee's voice captured Ratchet attention and he searched for her. She was lost in her train of questions again. She was still by the elevator, standing under the watchful optics of a tall and sturdy mech. Unlike most Autobots he actually looked like he was designed for combat and he was most likely the one who had pulled them out of the shaft. Arcee still had that impassive look on her faceplate.
"Sir, we have a problem." The sturdy mech had a pokerface on as he called the large red and orange mech over.
Moving over to Arcee at the same pace as this commander, Ratchet hung his head. They had made it. Arcee was safe. But she was a blank slate.
--
Ratchet positioned himself at Arcee's side. He poked at a few controls and a miniature hologram hovered in front of Arcee's optics. Tech specs hovered beside the image of the hologram femme.
"Designation: Moonracer. Function: Hacker." Ratchet was reading from a datafile he had on hand.
Arcee repeated the information. "Moonracer. Hacker"
"Says here you two were close. Hmm. You worked together on a lot projects. And..."
Ratchet fell into silence. He looked from the datafile to Arcee, a look of dismay upon his faceplate. She was laid out on a medical berth; her limbs were restrained on the berth and her helm was removed. There were various cables and all sorts of wires connecting to the exposed circuitry of Arcee's cranium.
All else on Arcee was fully repaired. The same couldn't be said for Ratchet. His chevron and arm still wore the signs of the experience Arcee and he had gone through. Now they were safely within Iacon. Deep in a private medical bay.
The team that had pulled them up was indeed a search and rescue as Ratchet had speculated. Although Ratchet later discovered they were more of a melee group, called on especially for that mission.
The door to the room parted open and Ultra Magnus marched in. Ratchet stood and saluted his commander.
Arcee watched Ultra Magnus in movement and the gears whirled in her CPU. "Hello Ultra Magnus. I am Arcee."
Ultra Magnus looked fixedly at Arcee and shook his head. The disappointment was reflected on his faceplate. "Ratchet, I think that your time with Arcee should end. Its time you returned to the field."
Ratchet deactivated the hologram, avoiding meeting Ultra Magnus' gaze. "Arcee's showing improvement. If I keep up with the sessions-"
Ultra Magus' expression hardened. "They show no progress Ratchet. It's been half a stellarcycle and there are no positive results. Cut your losses and return to the field. You're far more useful in that position."
"Sir, I-"
"No excuses Ratchet. You haven't had any flashbacks since you first returned." Ultra Magnus motioned to Arcee lying on the berth. "Your sessions are nothing more than entering information or commands into a computer to follow. And she is following them."
"SIR!" Ultra Magnus went silent, but Ratchet knew it was not out of surprise, simply inquiry into his next move. Ratchet made a disgruntled noise into his fist. "Sorry Sir. But as impossible as it might be, I want to stay with Arcee. I feel I owe her that much."
"You feel you owe her?" Ultra Magnus surveyed, his metal brow rising. A scowl grew on the commander's face before his change of tact. "I can't help but feel this devotion as nothing more than a selfish whim. Arcee sacrificed herself for the good of the Autobots. Perhaps you should consider that Ratchet and stop thinking of yourself!"
Ultra Magnus turned to leave, stopping short of the door and made a final remark. "One more medic can make the difference between an online and offline bot. But if you wish to remain in this facility, then please do so."
When the door whooshed close behind Ultra Magnus, Ratchet pulled up the datafile again and another hologram materialized.
END?
A/N: If the information on my computer files is correct, I've been working on and off again with this story since June 1/08. I was hoping to post it before the end of September, but that was a far off dream. My cousin Lolo was unable to edit for me because I work days and she works nights. I still love her.
The ending is meant to leave way for a sequel. There was also hint of a prequel.
Edited by CursedBlessing. Love you CB!