For those who wanted more, you got it. It's Ratchet's history. Prepare for
sadness.
Kup walked into the repair bay. It was a few days after the disastrous mission and Ratchet was tinkering with a laser scalpel, his back to the door.
"Hello there lad".
Ratchet tensed when he recognized the voice, his hand clenching around the medical instrument in his hand. 'Go away. Leave me alone.' That thought repeated in his head as the memories came flooding back to him.
~~Flashback~~
Wingnut and Deadbolt worked in the perfect synchrony only a few types of Transformers could. They were bond mates who had a third, the young medic Ratchet. He was working frantically on another, but not as critical, patient in the trench further away from the front lines of the fight. They had been bonded long before there were any hints of war, but they had taken Ratchet as an apprentice, and later as a partner. The three had become some of the best field medics in the Autobot army. They had been assigned to an experienced squad under the leadership of a teal veteran named Kup. While being known as a good commander, his squad always came in with the most casualties and was also known for sometimes leaving Bots behind. The casualty count was the reason why Deadbolt, Ratchet and Wingnut were assigned to the unit. The fact that they never let anyone stay behind was a good thing too.
At the moment the squad was in a vicious fight with a horde of seeker drones over an energon stockpile. The three medics were in their element, doing fast repairs to keep the soldiers going, and stabilizing the ones that couldn't. The front was moving steadily close to the trench in which Wingnut and Deadbolt were working together on a life or death case.
Kup stumbled into the trench Ratchet was working, energon leaking from a wounded shoulder.
"There's too many of them! Pull back!" he shouted over the comm. lines.
"We can't move our patient! Give us five cycles!" Deadbolt shouted back, explosions nearly drowning out his voice.
"Leave him! All units pull back!"
Ratchet stared at the teal veteran in shock. Abandoning a comrade, a wounded one at that, went totally against the Autobot code.
"No. You leave him, you leave us as well." The finality in Wingnut's voice stunned and worried Ratchet.
You can't be serious! the medic sent to his mates.
We are was the double reply.
The rest of the squad was already retreating and Kup grabbed Ratchet's arm. The old mech tried to pull the white medic away from the fight, and his partners. This action was greeted with an almost violent reaction, as Ratchet yanked his arm back.
" NO! I'm not leaving either! " His impulsive response was verbal as well as link sent.
"Come on lad, I won't loose all three of my medics in one go. Get moving!" Kup's shouting was ignored in favor of the transmissions the white medic was receiving.
Go! Don't worry about us! Deadbolt insisted.
But...
A wave of calm swept through Wingnut's part of the bond. Go, beloved. It is our time, not yours. You will heal, and find another.
Ratchet couldn't believe what he was receiving. I won't... he argued weakly.
Yes you will. Now go. With that, Wingnut silenced his end of the link, but did not cut it off completely.
Kup had lost all patience with the younger mech and yanked him by the arm again. This time Ratchet lost balanced and as he fell, Kup transformed and caught him in the flat cargo area of his vehicle mode.
Ratchet watched as the front lines were left behind. He saw Wingnut and Deadbolt climb out of the trench to protect their ultimately doomed patient. Only Deadbolt looked back at the last retreating members of their squad.
See you on the other side kid.
Then the seekers were upon them.
~~ End Flashback ~~
That was the last time Ratchet had seen them alive.
"I'm sorry about leaving them behind lad."
He was SORRY?! After intentionally abandoning them to save his own sorry hide?! How DARE he!!!
"Get out", Ratchet growled lowly, dangerously.
"What was that lad?" Kup asked.
Ratchet turned his head to the side, still not looking at Kup. "I said get out. And I don't want to see you in this bay or near me ever again, murderer."
The veteran bristled. "Now see here kid..."
Ratchet snapped. He whirled on the other, optics blazing with unholy fury. He threw the laser scalpel at the other and it embedded itself in the wall an inch from the side of his face.
"GET OUT OF MY MED BAY!!!!!!!" he roared.
Kup stood shaking with shock for a moment, then he started to back towards the door, slowly and as unwilling to turn his back on the medic as he was a 'Con. After a few steps he turned and ran out the door like Megatron himself was after his hide.
~~~~~
"I wanted to kill him for...a long time 'Jack."
"I know Ratch, I know. I felt the same way after Charge was killed."
Ratchet looked over at his closest friend. The entire recounting had been spurred by some gentle prodding from the engineer. Actually, it was more like Wheeljack essentially saying to him:
"I told you why I was an emotional wreck when we met, now it's your turn."
Ratchet sighed. "But for you it was the 'Cons. I wanted to put an Autobot into stasis, permanently. A commanding officer at that." He looked down at his hands as if they didn't belong to him.
Wheeljack leaned over the table and lifted the medic's chin, gazing at him optic to optic. "Did you? No. Listen, you lost two thirds of yourself that day, no one can blame you for your actions.'
They stayed that way for a few moments before Wheeljack leaned back into his chair and grabbed the energon cube he had been consuming before the story had started. After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Wheeljack broke it.
"Do you believe what he said?"
"Who?"
Wheeljack gave him a sideways look. "Wingnut."
"Yeah, and I think I found the one I'm supposed to be with."
Wheeljack's 'ears' flashed with amusement. "Who, Perceptor?"
"No," Ratchet said seriously, "you."
Before anything else could be said, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walked into the bay carrying Bluestreak, who was in vehicle mode. The Datsun's entire front end was crumpled and various other gouges were leaking energon.
"Primus! What happened?" Ratchet demanded.
"Long story" Sideswipe said.
"We got time," Wheeljack said as everyone settled down for a long repair and tale.
Kup walked into the repair bay. It was a few days after the disastrous mission and Ratchet was tinkering with a laser scalpel, his back to the door.
"Hello there lad".
Ratchet tensed when he recognized the voice, his hand clenching around the medical instrument in his hand. 'Go away. Leave me alone.' That thought repeated in his head as the memories came flooding back to him.
~~Flashback~~
Wingnut and Deadbolt worked in the perfect synchrony only a few types of Transformers could. They were bond mates who had a third, the young medic Ratchet. He was working frantically on another, but not as critical, patient in the trench further away from the front lines of the fight. They had been bonded long before there were any hints of war, but they had taken Ratchet as an apprentice, and later as a partner. The three had become some of the best field medics in the Autobot army. They had been assigned to an experienced squad under the leadership of a teal veteran named Kup. While being known as a good commander, his squad always came in with the most casualties and was also known for sometimes leaving Bots behind. The casualty count was the reason why Deadbolt, Ratchet and Wingnut were assigned to the unit. The fact that they never let anyone stay behind was a good thing too.
At the moment the squad was in a vicious fight with a horde of seeker drones over an energon stockpile. The three medics were in their element, doing fast repairs to keep the soldiers going, and stabilizing the ones that couldn't. The front was moving steadily close to the trench in which Wingnut and Deadbolt were working together on a life or death case.
Kup stumbled into the trench Ratchet was working, energon leaking from a wounded shoulder.
"There's too many of them! Pull back!" he shouted over the comm. lines.
"We can't move our patient! Give us five cycles!" Deadbolt shouted back, explosions nearly drowning out his voice.
"Leave him! All units pull back!"
Ratchet stared at the teal veteran in shock. Abandoning a comrade, a wounded one at that, went totally against the Autobot code.
"No. You leave him, you leave us as well." The finality in Wingnut's voice stunned and worried Ratchet.
You can't be serious! the medic sent to his mates.
We are was the double reply.
The rest of the squad was already retreating and Kup grabbed Ratchet's arm. The old mech tried to pull the white medic away from the fight, and his partners. This action was greeted with an almost violent reaction, as Ratchet yanked his arm back.
" NO! I'm not leaving either! " His impulsive response was verbal as well as link sent.
"Come on lad, I won't loose all three of my medics in one go. Get moving!" Kup's shouting was ignored in favor of the transmissions the white medic was receiving.
Go! Don't worry about us! Deadbolt insisted.
But...
A wave of calm swept through Wingnut's part of the bond. Go, beloved. It is our time, not yours. You will heal, and find another.
Ratchet couldn't believe what he was receiving. I won't... he argued weakly.
Yes you will. Now go. With that, Wingnut silenced his end of the link, but did not cut it off completely.
Kup had lost all patience with the younger mech and yanked him by the arm again. This time Ratchet lost balanced and as he fell, Kup transformed and caught him in the flat cargo area of his vehicle mode.
Ratchet watched as the front lines were left behind. He saw Wingnut and Deadbolt climb out of the trench to protect their ultimately doomed patient. Only Deadbolt looked back at the last retreating members of their squad.
See you on the other side kid.
Then the seekers were upon them.
~~ End Flashback ~~
That was the last time Ratchet had seen them alive.
"I'm sorry about leaving them behind lad."
He was SORRY?! After intentionally abandoning them to save his own sorry hide?! How DARE he!!!
"Get out", Ratchet growled lowly, dangerously.
"What was that lad?" Kup asked.
Ratchet turned his head to the side, still not looking at Kup. "I said get out. And I don't want to see you in this bay or near me ever again, murderer."
The veteran bristled. "Now see here kid..."
Ratchet snapped. He whirled on the other, optics blazing with unholy fury. He threw the laser scalpel at the other and it embedded itself in the wall an inch from the side of his face.
"GET OUT OF MY MED BAY!!!!!!!" he roared.
Kup stood shaking with shock for a moment, then he started to back towards the door, slowly and as unwilling to turn his back on the medic as he was a 'Con. After a few steps he turned and ran out the door like Megatron himself was after his hide.
~~~~~
"I wanted to kill him for...a long time 'Jack."
"I know Ratch, I know. I felt the same way after Charge was killed."
Ratchet looked over at his closest friend. The entire recounting had been spurred by some gentle prodding from the engineer. Actually, it was more like Wheeljack essentially saying to him:
"I told you why I was an emotional wreck when we met, now it's your turn."
Ratchet sighed. "But for you it was the 'Cons. I wanted to put an Autobot into stasis, permanently. A commanding officer at that." He looked down at his hands as if they didn't belong to him.
Wheeljack leaned over the table and lifted the medic's chin, gazing at him optic to optic. "Did you? No. Listen, you lost two thirds of yourself that day, no one can blame you for your actions.'
They stayed that way for a few moments before Wheeljack leaned back into his chair and grabbed the energon cube he had been consuming before the story had started. After a few more moments of comfortable silence, Wheeljack broke it.
"Do you believe what he said?"
"Who?"
Wheeljack gave him a sideways look. "Wingnut."
"Yeah, and I think I found the one I'm supposed to be with."
Wheeljack's 'ears' flashed with amusement. "Who, Perceptor?"
"No," Ratchet said seriously, "you."
Before anything else could be said, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walked into the bay carrying Bluestreak, who was in vehicle mode. The Datsun's entire front end was crumpled and various other gouges were leaking energon.
"Primus! What happened?" Ratchet demanded.
"Long story" Sideswipe said.
"We got time," Wheeljack said as everyone settled down for a long repair and tale.