And here is the final chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy! Transformers still aren't ours.
Waking in the dim room, Starscream didn't know how long he'd been out or, immediately, where he was. He was alone, he could barely see, there were no stars visible... Even the planet's moon was hidden. No breeze... He was inside, inside... inside where? The cave? But he had been found, hadn't he? But then, where was... where was... the medic, right, Ratchet, where was he, they had interfaced, hadn't they? But where was he now? Starscream didn't even realize he was screeching as he tried to figure out where he was, what was going on. Screeching, curling up into a ball again, he was alone...
About a joor after he had retreated into his office, he was jerked out of his recharge violently. All the alarms he'd sat in case Starscream onlined, was distressed, or merely moved, had blared him out of his uneasy recharge. He felt almost worse than before the little recharge he'd gotten after overworking his processor with thinking and thinking and thinking. Gingerly he rose from his chair and made his way through the door.
Immediately he processed the frightened screeches and raced into his quarters where the distressed sounds were emanating from. Starscream had woken in a room with dimmed lights, which had been intended for his optics to adjust to the little light first, and alone, which had not been intended at all and had been a stupid idea to begin with. "Starscream," he whispered urgently, scanning the entire room to find the Seeker, curled up on his berth, a pitiful shivering mess of limbs.
A brighter light hit his optics from... a doorway? Yes, a door... He was being let out? Starscream couldn't make himself move, not even to crawl to the door, to the light. And there was someone standing in the door... he'd start laughing soon, laugh at his great, feared Air Commander brought so low, by something so simple, so STUPID... He'd laugh, but he'd also let him out, make him get fixed and go fly...
A puzzled look crossed Starscream's face. Had he gotten confused again? Another look towards the door, and Starscream realized that yes, he had gotten very confused. That was Ratchet standing there, the Autobot medic, and he was on the Ark... He was... was in the medic's own quarters, wasn't he? And he'd managed to stop screaming, but he couldn't uncurl, couldn't stop shaking.
Slowly and in the most unthreatening way he could manage, Ratchet crept closer to the berth where the Decepticon was still curled up about himself. But at least now he had stopped screaming, which meant that he would most certainly hear him now. "It's alright, Starscream. There's no need for you to panic. You're not caged here, in fact you can come with me and out of here right now if you only ask for it." He spoke in a gentle and reassuring voice which he hadn't used since he'd visited a colleague and his family unit a couple hundred eons ago. Starscream was as sensitive and jumpy as a sparkling right now, so he would have to treat him with just as much care and consideration as well.
"And go WHERE?" Starscream asked, flinching a moment later. A moment after that, he just kind of slumped down. "Slag... we're almost back where we started, aren't we?" He didn't want to be there, he wanted to be comfortable with the medic again, wanted to feel welcome again. Well... maybe 'welcome' wasn't quite the word... "Why did you stop letting me pleasure you?"
"Where? I've told you, wherever you want. Yet I did have a destination in mind. The rec room is waiting for you, after all your energon levels are drastically low and quite certainly need a boost." Ratchet had a few principles regarding his patients and one of those was that he wasn't their nanny! So the Seeker better lift his sorry aft and get his energon himself, thank you very much. "Well, I'd call you less scared, more cooperative and most of all capable of simple sight once again." He pointed out the differences to the time when he had coerced him to come out of the cave, but the Seeker still hadn't moved and it worried him a little. Yet the next question kind of blew his processor blank for a few astroseconds before he could answer the Air Commander.
"Because it meant nothing to you. I mean nothing to you and that's not the way I can deal with such things. I need there to be more than just simple necessity. I don't want you to grow dependent on me, knowing this will lead to nothing but sparkache. As lousy as it may sound to your Decepticon programming... I need a commitment." Where he took the patience from to explain all this to the Decepticon was beyond his own processor to comprehend, but at least he'd been honest with him and he would settle for nothing else. He despised lies and half truths, besides that would only hinder his patient's progress.
Oh... Ratchet didn't meant for him to leave the Ark... and Starscream was low on energon. He'd have to ask Ratchet where the rec room was, of course, but... "You do not! You do NOT mean nothing... THAT did not mean nothing. Not to me!" It had meant a lot more than he had thought it would, but that was beside the point. "You don't want to do this again... fine, I'll deal." Because he couldn't commit, he was a Decepticon, Ratchet was an Autobot, and the whole argument was just showing that were huge differences between them, a yawning crevasse that neither could, or would, cross.
The response he drew from the Air Commander was unexpected and quite surprising, but other than that, it changed nothing. Things would continue to be the way they were between them, strained at best. "Well, get to your feet then. The way to the rec room isn't too long, so I guess you'll manage," he ground out a bit gruffly, and those mechs that knew Ratchet would have known to be wary of him now, because a grumpy and moody medic was a medic preferably not to cross. And if one didn't have a very good reason to do otherwise, a medic to avoid until he was snarling and raving again. Turning into the direction of the door that connected his quarters to the med bay, he held one hand open towards them in invitation and guidance, showing the Seeker the way as well as urging him onwards to make the step himself.
He didn't even protest. Didn't say a word... didn't even acknowledge Starscream's outburst. And that hurt the Air Commander far worse than almost anything else Ratchet could have done. "Yeah. I'll manage. Why not, I've managed everything else..." Starscream muttered, standing. He forced his arms to hang naturally, his wings to be still and proud... Ratchet didn't want him to be weak, didn't want him to be anything other than the Decepticon Air Commander that both sides knew... so that was what Starscream would be.
They remained in this uncomfortable situation for the next few days, while Ratchet steadily worked towards bringing Starscream to optimal condition. Aside from the growing frustration of neither flying NOR overloading, the Decepticon couldn't remember when he'd last felt this good, physically. He was warm, the ship was dry, there was enough energon and no rationing, and his systems were being gone over with a carefulness that he didn't remember ever before experiencing. But he and Ratchet never really talked, not like they had the first day, not like what Starscream had almost gotten comfortable with. He was almost fully repaired now, and the Decepticon wondered if Optimus would let him simply walk away, or if Ratchet would let him go without even trying to clear up whatever it was between them.
Nothing had changed, that sentence had never been more true than since Starscream had ended up in his care. His repairs were progressing normally and few disturbed him during his work. Not that Starscream even could have disturbed him during most of them, seeing as he was offline for a good ninety percent of them due to the delicateness of the matter and his systems. Ratchet knew very well just how sensitive a flier's systems were and how touchy their temper during repairs was, the aerial bots had taught him that, so he was quite surprised that Starscream didn't complain once during the entire process, nor did he whine and ask when he could be released, which was odd, quite odd as Prowl, Jazz and Optimus agreed.
The solar cycle was drawing to a close and the daily spectacle known as sunset was taking place when Ratchet received an urgent transmission and froze within his movements. Prowl was alerting him to incomings from the previous battle. Slag it, but Ratchet hadn't even known that there had been a battle going on for a good joor! Dropping the arc welder onto a supply cabinet he quickly closed up Starscream's cockpit without having done what he'd intended and the Seeker threw him an understandably surprised look. Moments later, apparently the Air Commander had just decided to voice his growing confusion as Swoop and First Aid already reported to med bay, saluting him and asking how they could be of service.
"Prepare for emergency level 3," he barked at them and continued to do just that himself, sorting and resorting tools and supplies, rearranging some repair berths so that they would fit those injured. The second in command had told him that Ironhide and the twins were amongst the injured, not their specific injuries mind you, only a medic could ascertain those and most officers respected that, so they didn't voice their vague guesses due to only limited knowledge in the medical field. "Why are both of you here anyway?" Ratchet couldn't keep himself from snarling irritably, at least one of his apprentices, banned from the med bay until further notice or Starscream left the base, whichever came first, should have been there to pose as field medic should he be needed. Yet both of them had apparently remained at the Ark... most unusual.
Confusion gave way to concern. Starscream wasn't sure what to do. He didn't WANT to be in the medbay while others were being repaired, not unless he was being repaired at the same time, it just brought too many memories to mind. The fact that the injured were Autobots just made everything that much worse, and Starscream only noticed he was rocking back and forth when Swoop paused and gave him a very confused look. Regaining his hold on his processor, the Seeker threw the dinobot a smirk before standing and going to a clear patch of wall. Hopefully he would be out of the way here, because Starscream didn't want to be ordered away from Ratchet. No matter how strained things were between them, it was still the medic who had taken him under his care, and no one else was safe, not really, not even that music-playing Jazz. So he'd just stay here, stay out of the way, and hope things settled down quickly.
"This was no ordinary plant siege like usual. Ironhide and the others were ambushed during a training exercise, at least that's what Blaster told us before communications with them broke down due to the distance," First Aid answered him in a clear and collected way, only the slight trembling of his torso gave his fear away.
Nodding in understanding, Ratchet directed Swoop to split the incoming warriors into three groups, depending on their injury and resulting need for fast or immediate treatment. Swoop perked up at his given task immediately, going over to his regular area of the med bay. A queasy moment built up between the dinobot and Starscream, seeing as the Seeker was more or less blocking one of the dinobots repair berths. Ratchet knew he should have asked Starscream to either leave the med bay in favor for the rec room or even his office as the Air Commander stood up to lean against the wall with one of his less pleasant looks plastered onto his faceplate. Yet his reaction appeared to have calmed Swoop, seeing as it was something he apparently had expected from him. Ratchet was kept from intervening, as the warriors arrived. Optimus was missing his left arm from the shoulder joint downwards, Ironhide had to be supported by the twins, which he complained about loudly and with the worst pit spawned words his creations ever had to hear in med bay. Really, Ratchet could have a foul language, but Ironhide surpassed him like a mountain could tower over a sand castle.
The red warrior was missing his right leg and a big chunk of his torso as well, not to mention the cracked left optic and almost ripped of extra armor on top of his cranial unit. Prowl was missing a doorwing, which made him quite unsteady on his feet so that he had to lean against Jazz for support, who was the least hurt. He only had a few shot streaks on his paint job and his head lights had given out on him, probably punched through by the look of them. Bluestreak, jittery as ever after a battle, was worming his way through all of them, desperately searching the med bay for his lover. A quick glance and wave of Ratchet's hand had the gunner stumbling towards him, apparently his equilibrium gauge needed some work, which was a legitimate excuse to let him stay with First Aid due to medical reasons. Shooing him over, he went to the immediate cases, the twins themselves and Ironhide. No matter what the slagger said, he saw that he was in pain, the multiple slangs within his cussing had tipped him off on that. Sideswipe's armor was almost silver in a couple of places, apparently he'd gone down hard wherever from and his jet pack had been shot. Sunstreaker was complaining about his paint job as usual, but the hole in his cranial unit concerned Ratchet far more. Somehow the twins had once again managed to ignore every single direction given to them by the medics and had ended up dangerously close to Starscream. Making his way through a big chunk of his med bay, absently waving Prowl onto a berth in the middle, he watched with trepidation as Sideswipe's gaze fell onto the Decepticon Seeker leaning casually against the wall.
"Hey, ya lil' fragger. What's scum like ya doin' in here?" the red twin snarled, absentmindedly rubbing a patch of silver plating on his thigh.
"Probably posing as scrap and spare parts now that he ain't of use to his master no longer. I hear Skywarp has been promoted to Air Commander now that Megatron's little plaything is no longer available for the job," Sunstreaker sneered venomously, and Ratchet could see the Seeker's wings tremble at the tips. If he wouldn't blow up in the twins face then he would do something that was probably even more stupid. He had to stop this!
It would be wisest to ignore them, pretend they simply didn't exist... No, Starscream decided, looking at the red twin and trying to keep his expression calm and controlled. Weirdly enough, he recognized this personality, and knew that the mech would just keep bothering him until he gave an answer. It was the same thing that Skywarp would do. "'Warp? Have my job? Ridiculous, not even Megatron would be stupid enough to do that. Wouldn't give it to TC either... Ramjet would be a far better choice for the job, and wouldn't destroy the aerial forces from stupidity." Starscream delivered his opinion in a drawling and superior tone, and only his vaguely trembling wings gave away his discomfort. He desperately hoped the rumor was just that, a rumor. They might not always get along, but Skywarp was part of his trine, and if Megatron was terrorizing his trine like that... he just might have to admit to everyone what Megatron was DOING, and beg for their help.
Worry flooded his processor as Starscream turned his cranial unit to acknowledge the twins, but the reply calmed him a little. Ratchet wasn't certain if anyone beside him had realized it, but by the looks of it only Jazz had caught the term of endearment for what it was. The twins probably thought it to be a simple shortcut for a long name, but Ratchet knew better, for he knew the tone the Air Commander had used while voicing it. Briefly had he heard that tone being directed at him...yet then the Seeker had apparently gotten his processor straightened out again and had reverted back to the old Decepticon persona the medic had known for eons now, apart from the missing conversation.
He was tempted to use his arc welder to clear up the little commotion none the less though, but Ironhide had caught sight of him by now and was motioning Sideswipe to retreat. The twins didn't listen to their superiors all that much, but seeing as the warrior made it look as if he was just motioning them aside so that Ratchet could gain better access to his injuries they didn't bitch about it. Not that it would have helped them any. Partially shielding Starscream from the other's optics with his own chassis, he groused almost silently as the weapons specialist got into a heated argument with Sideswipe about who was the dumber Decepticon, Dirge or Ravage.
"I'm telling you, if that thing didn't know how to fly, if one can even call that knowledge valuable, it would be a mass of unmoving metal fer sure! Just as much of a scrap heap as that 'con over there." Sideswipe ended with a snicker and a pointed hand, making his twin loose a guffaw of laughter that was supposed to show him his superiority.
"If there is another 'bot that wants to be rebuilt as a pencil sharpener or paper shredder for Prowl's office, I'd advise him to just open his mouth and keep up the insults in MY med bay," Ratchet whispered icily, putting some special emphasis on the fact that they were all dependent upon him where they were. Ironhide looked at him with wide, startled optics not comprehending why he was defending the Seeker the way he was. It was custom for the twins to bitch around with him after battles and their antics sure made the medic threaten them repeatedly, but never like this. Most of the time it was more fun than earnest, yet Ironhide could see that his old friend was drop dead serious about his threat this time.
"Dirge," Starscream said into the quiet that descended from Ratchet's hissed threat. He smirked slightly at the confusion he'd created, explaining, "Ravage isn't stupid. If you think he is, he's done his job... but call him stupid again, and I'll tell Soundwave you did." Ratchet's earlier move to shield him hadn't gone unnoticed, and Starscream might have been touched by the medic's concern, if he hadn't already shown he preferred Starscream to be strong. As it was, the protection simply confused the Seeker, and was very nearly an insult. He was able to keep mostly calm, even talking to the Tormentors, only because they were both injured, harmless to him right now, and if he DID attack them, he'd probably have the entire med bay attacking him back. And... he rather hoped he could hear more, was Skywarp really taking his place?
Was that retarded mentally insane? Ratchet's spark burned with fury. Who would have thought that Starscream could be enough of an idiot to taunt the twins? It wasn't as if they would dare to hurt him while he was a patient in his med bay, oh no, that would come much much later. He had seen them do their jet judo before and he hadn't liked it. But now, knowing just how sensitive the Seeker's systems truly were... he would loath it even more he knew and he would quite probably even be angry at them if they returned from the next battle, boasting about how they had taken down the Seekers...
Ironhide threw him a strange glance as he didn't reprimand the Seeker for speaking up, yet threw a handy wrench at Sideswipe as the red mech tried to voice a reply that no doubt wouldn't have been friendly, commenting the move with one single word: 'quiet'. The scowl he received from both red warriors for his actions didn't faze him. He only hoped that he would be able to be himself again the next time he had to face the Decepticon's Air Commander on the battlefield.
Starscream's smirk never wavered, and his wings finally stopped their infernal trembling. He wasn't ignorant of the favoritism Ratchet had just shown him, but his self-preservation instincts were enough to keep him from making any bigger of a deal about it. Of course he would probably pay for his actions the next time he was in battle... Worry about that later, after he survived Megatron's wrath for his 'capture'. The Seeker was quite willing to fall silent... didn't want to piss off the medic he still depended on, after all.
After everyone had been tended to and his med bay was finally his again, well, apart from Starscream that was, he oversaw and checked how his apprentices had left their parts of the med bay. Some cleaning up of little importance had to be added at both workstations. It was nothing the two wouldn't have done the next time they came back into medical, but Ratchet preferred an out of use workstation to actually be out of use. No tool was supposed to be forgotten on top of it, not even a rag and so he put both away into their proper places before he recollected the last arc welder from the far wall, where it had embedded itself after helping him to successfully chase Jazz out of the door. He wasn't certain why he had fallen victim to such dramatic mood swings during today's repairs, but he strongly suspected a certain Seeker to be partially responsible. "Alright, where were we... oh yes, long range radar," Ratchet muttered to himself, reopening the internal diagnostic report of the Seeker in his processor and turning around to face the Decepticon.
"You have been working all day, and now you think I'll let you work on my systems?" Starscream protested, shaking his head. "No, you're going to rest and refuel before I let you anywhere near me." It was easier to cloak his concern for the medic in his expected arrogance, and would draw fewer questions. Missing Ratchet's mood swings has been impossible, and even though Starscream mentally cursed himself for it, he was still afraid for his rescuer's health. Pit, this had been the first time he'd seen the medic around any of his friends, and that couldn't be a good thing!
"You slagged up arrogant, obnoxious-" He didn't even finish his insult, instead opting to use the one method that never failed. The just recollected arc welder was once again turned into a projectile and served to immobilize the Seeker as he hit a point on his cranial unit underneath which a connection line of his CPU towards his motor functions rested. Slowly walking over to his patient he calmly collected the mech and put him onto a repair berth.
"The sooner I'm done with you the better. Why I even care to repair you fully if beyond me. Probably 'cause you've never been treated by a medic before. But why am I even talking to you? It's not as if you'll notice the difference anyway. One day outside of the Ark and all the work I've put in you will be ruined again. It's just the same with all of you, barely out of here you run off to battle and then there comes the day when you don't return." Ratchet just went on and on, talking all his fear and frustration away, never even noticing the washer fluid that slid down his faceplate. The Seeker wouldn't care either way, so why should it concern him? After repairs were finished he was no longer his concern, Prowl had made that quite clear.
Starscream was quite ready to live up to his name about now, but of course Ratchet had removed that possiblity from him. And people called HIM a coward! At least when HE confessed things, his listeners were able to talk back, respond in SOME way. But no, Ratchet was such a coward that he'd rather just babble it all out when he couldn't do anything, and afterwards... well, Starscream had the feeling he was supposed to just pretend this never happened. Did Ratchet really think he WANTED to go back, had the medic really heard a single word he'd said? He simply had to, that was all. In the same way that Soundwave protected his younglings, Starscream was protecting the air corps, even if they didn't know it. And Megatron was horrible, but he was RIGHT. HE was the one sending energon back to Cybertron, HE was the one restoring their homeworld, and HE didn't let his troops punish someone when they didn't deserve it!
Frustration nagged at his processor, those gauges were some tiny and tricky little fraggers. The breem Starscream had been caught immobile was up and Ratchet wondered just how long it would take the Seeker to notice that he could move again. Hands deep within his cockpit he reattached wiring and scanned the old codes that operated the gauge, adjusting the settings as needed. Were his optics deceiving him or was there a hair fracture in the gauge? Yes, there was a tiny little rip in the metal. Tracing the fracture with the tip of a digit he felt the metal giving way at the edges, splintering into itself. "It's no use, I'll have to take it out," he decided and did just that. Slag, why hadn't he seen that sooner?
"Ow! Slaggit, that... oh." Starscream noticed belatedly that his glossa was working again, and shut up. He'd wait until Ratchet had closed him up to confront the medic... and confront Ratchet he would, even if the Autobot DID want to pretend his little outburst had never happened. Right now, the Seeker wasn't even sure he could really stand up, and he'd prefer not to be at a complete disadvantage if he intended to make Ratchet angry. On the other hand... "I'm surprised you could see that with the amount of washer fluid you leaked."
"And I'm surprised you didn't crash at any landing with your equilibrium gauge in such a state," he shot back, absolutely unfazed by the implication the Decepticon could be hiding by bringing the subject up. Turning around partially with the broken gauge in hand, he squeezed it just a little too tight and it splintered into tiny little shards consisting of sharp edges. "That's what could have happened every time your frame fell victim to a jarring," Ratchet told the surprised looking Seeker. He didn't mention that a hit could have done just the same damage. Instead he just went over to a storage cabinet and retrieved a new gauge, copying the coding of the old into the new gauge and carried it over to his patient.
He hadn't realized it was nearly so bad... Starscream wasn't stupid, he had suspected before that there was something wrong with that gauge. Only rarely, and usually when pulling an already complicated maneuver, but it had seemed like some things were harder than he remembered them. But then, he'd had a hundred other things to worry about, pains to distract him, to excuse away the issues. "You still don't GET it, do you? You act like you think I WANT to be in this condition, like I WANT to keep fighting until I'm slagged and dragged in to Hook! I'm busy trying to keep myself and my dependents alive while ill maintenance slowly kills us, if outright attacks don't get to us first!"
"THEN WHY DON'T YOU CHANGE THAT?!" Ratchet hissed, thunderously bad tempered in his fury. He couldn't get it, it had been agreed upon during the early days that... but that was just it probably... the early days... most of his own faction were either too old or too young to remember them clearly, apart from him it seemed.
"The old treaties that were agreed upon during the first three orns of the previous war were reaffirmed during the first three breems of this war. Tell me, Starscream... do you even know about those treaties, or had Megatron left all of you in the dark about that?" he asked in a much calmer and somewhat sad tone. Could it truly be that none of the Decepticons knew that medics were still considered neutral, no matter the affiliation they stayed with for protection?
Starscream managed, barely, to keep from flinching as Ratchet got angry again. He had expected it, after all, and was ready to return in kind. Before he could, Ratchet continued speaking, and Starscream's anger vanished into total confusion. "I know there are treaties. Prisoners have mentioned things about them... What does that have to do with repairs? Aside from the fact I heard you invoke one of those things to repair me."
A long sigh preceded his response at that. Of course... none of them had been told, he should have known! "The treaties of old state quite clearly that any mech asking for help or asylum will be granted his request with certain restrictions as the faction leader sees fit. That would be the 'no hurting prisoners' part, which you know, I take it. But there is far more than just that. One of the most important aspects of the treaties of old ascertain that medics are neutral. Ergo we have no faction, no matter whom we stay with for protection or whose 'badge' we wear. Medics are, true to our training, purposefully present at almost every battle to take care of the injured, because we're the only ones that can. No matter which side you fight for, you can come to a medic and be treated if injured and go back the way you came without needing to fear to be shot in the back. So the treaty declares it and has remained as a fact ever since." Ratchet didn't like long winded explanations, but at the unbelieving look on the Seeker's face, he had assumed it as necessary to be as clear as possible.
"You mean... we don't HAVE to go Hook? All this time, we've had a CHOICE?" Starscream's voice was low and angry again, though the anger wasn't directed at Ratchet any more. Was it... oh, it very much was worth the risk. Megatron would be furious... but they might actually be able to... well, to deal with that. If enough of them got more functional, enough actually got into the optimal range... "We wouldn't attack you, won't. Or your friends, at least as much as we can get away with it. We... well, it's complicated, need to talk to them, see how much... but... We've had a slagging CHOICE?"
"Yes, Starscream. All the time you've had a choice that was denied to you due to lack of knowledge. The treaties of old were generated to prevent casualties in this war, no matter the faction. I can not believe you've never been told... none of you... Slaggit! All those times... all those prisoners... Primus, why didn't I..." Ratchet trailed off, pressing his palm to his faceplate in an effort not to see, not to be haunted by the sights of prisoners he'd repaired during their capture and later seen on the battlefield... as sparkless shells... They could've avoided all that if they'd just told them, told every single one of them about the treaties...
He still... CARED for Ratchet. Even more now that he'd shared this news, this wonderful... "You... didn't... You couldn't know. You mostly caught low ranked mechs, never anyone high enough to show what Megatron... does. You... Look at this! You've got me, the Decepticon Air Commander, COMFORTING you!" They would bring things... their own supplies, Starscream decided absently. Bad enough they were using the Autobot's medic, they weren't going to rely on the Autobot stores while they were at it. Not while they were fighting. And they would be fighting until... until Megatron wasn't around, at least.
"I don't need your comfort!" he sniffed angrily, turning away from Starscream so that he wouldn't see the washer fluid on his faceplate once more. Slagged up fragger. Why could he get underneath his plating so easily? Why was he making him realize things he should've thought about so much earlier? Wiping the fluid away he tried to regain at least some of his composure.
"Equilibrium gauge," Ratchet muttered to himself, snatching up the previously discarded gauge, checking and rechecking it with various settings of his optics and scanners. Not that he doubted that it was in optimal condition, he just wanted to be absolutely sure. Then he stepped back over to Starscream, motioning him to lie back down. "Will I have to disable your motor functions again or do you think you can let me do this without twitching?" He humored the Air Commander lightly, trying to make the conversation stay peaceful and last. It was good to be on speaking terms with the Seeker once again.
Obeying the silent directive, Starscream smirked. "Yes, I do believe I can put up with the tickling you'll cause." It couldn't possibly be harder than putting up with Hook's... well, okay, he shouldn't compare things like that. "It will be... nice, pulling simple maneuvers without getting dizzy. Or at least, as dizzy." And it would be nice to be able to sit up without almost sliding off the berth, but that had been his own fault for sitting up in the first place. "Do you know... HAS 'Warp taken my place? I mean, I... hadn't thought that Megatron might... try to replace me."
A little surprised at the apparent ease with which Starscream fell back into their earlier easy going relationship, before his crucial mistake of breaking the strictly professional line of his work, Ratchet took a moment to realize that the Air Commander had just teased him. Smiling a little ruefully at the admittance of just how much the defective gauge had troubled the Seeker, he began the delicate procedure of reattaching it into his systems, stabilizing the new piece in it's place and running diagnostics over the gauge and the surrounding systems to integrate it more smoothly.
"From what little Jazz has volunteered informationwise, and what I could squeeze out of Mirage before he left... yes, it does quite appear so. Also they have both mentioned that he seems more... exhausted and withdrawn... downright jumpy and almost frightened as much in battle as out of it. Prowl even expressed his concern at this new development and Optimus shares that opinion. Whatever it is Megatron is making him do... it's doing him no good." Ratchet acknowledged with a withdrawn look in his optics. Oh, he had noticed that Starscream was especially touchy when the subject of his leader came up, but he suspected that there was more to it than he was led on to believe. Yet he also respected his privacy, he would not pry if the flier didn't intend to share.
"Slag. Ratchet... please, I need to get back there. I appreciate that you want to get me back to optimal, but... Ratchet, he can't... I've been shielding 'Warp, he doesn't... he didn't KNOW what... We'll be coming to you, and when all of us are as good as we CAN be, we can get rid of Megatron, but I need to go back." Slaggit, he was shaking again. Good thing Ratchet had withheld his answer until the gauge was in. "SLAG him, why 'Warp? He's YOUNG, he was... innocent..." Well, that was why then.
"Hmmm... well I'm glad you're considering that. I should stock up on spare parts then..." He muttered absent mindedly, already creating a list of the things he knew he'd need aplenty then. "Inno-...?" A terrifying thought took hold of his spark at those words... Primus no! If the megalomaniac tyrant had sunken that low by now... "Please, Starscream, tell me you didn't mean to imply anything... anything at all by that," he almost pleaded in a shocked whisper, already knowing by the look he was given by the Seeker that he wouldn't be able to affirm that statement.
"I need to get back there, Ratchet. Hopefully before 'Warp looses that," Starscream answered, deadly serious. Well, he knew Ratchet would help them, at least. That was a very good start. "Listen, you... could you maybe suggest the others not shoot as us that much? Not to damage? The fliers and Soundwave, at least, and I can guarantee the fliers will be doing the same." Starscream was quite seriously ready to up and leave right now, or at least the moment Ratchet finished closing him up.
"I can try, but I'm not sure Prowl or Prime are going to like the idea much. But I can promise you that I'll personally threaten to disable the twins completely if they so much as think about jet judo." He could affirm at least that much. "It would probably be best if you talked it over with Prowl or even better with Prime himself… why not while I work through Skywarp?" Ratchet suggested gently, trying to stress the last part. The flier would need repairs if what Starscream had hinted at was true, and the Air Commander looked as serious as he had ever seen him.
Even if only the twins stopped, it would be a huge help. "I... could talk it over with them." He'd be alone, Ratchet would be busy... he could handle it. He had to handle it. "May I go now? I'll send TC with 'Warp, and I'm afraid I'm going to be damaged again next time I'm able to see you."
Sighing at the blatant way in which the Seeker was trying to flee, he considered his scanner's feedbacks for the last time, yet the gauge was working according to it's coding, so there really wasn't anything he could hold against Starscream's wish to leave the med bay, especially seeing as he only wanted to do so to help one of his fellow trine mates and not to flee from him. "Very well, but make certain that they open communications with us before landing. Ironhide is quite twitchy these days. I'll make sure that everyone remembers the treaties of old though, just in case," he assured the Seeker, closed the cockpit's canopy after gently sliding the instruments back into their proper places and allowed Starscream to sit up, while he turned to clean the arc welder with a rag. Unwilling to see the Decepticon leave his med bay, he just pinged Prowl and Red Alert over their comm. links, making sure that they would clear a path for the Air Commander to use without interceptions.
"Right, I'll..." Starscream cycled his vents and wrapped Ratchet in a hug from behind. "You've reminded me what hope is. Thank you. I... regret that I could do so little in return..." Releasing Ratchet, the Seeker stepped back, one final thought occurring to him. "Thundercracker will be able to care for Skywarp in that manner, if you would prefer to keep things purely professional." He regretted THAT, too, but not in the way or for the reasons that Ratchet probably did. There was no more to be said, and so Starscream turned, more or less running out of the Autobot ship and flying for the first time since he'd been put in that cave, and all he hoped was that he'd be in time to protect Skywarp.
Startled by the sudden and gentle emotion showing through the Seeker's actions, Ratchet froze up in both surprise and befuddlement. Before he could even say anything in return the Air Commander was running away from him, and it hurt to only see his back… moving away from him so quickly… regardlessly, even though he had thanked him. That was something a regular Starscream wouldn't have done… ever. It showed Ratchet that he had indeed changed something within the Decepticon. Maybe that was something he could build hope upon… hope for the future? No matter the fact that the obnoxious slagger had dared to hint at him… treating Skywarp in anything but a professional manner. He'd never interfaced with a patient before, hadn't ever contemplated the possibility and wouldn't ever want to again. Ratchet was sure of that now. Starscream had been a special patient, more special than any other he'd ever treated, and that would just have to suffice should Prowl inquire or Prime question his report.
It wasn't too long until just that happened, but it was Jazz that breeched the subject first with him. Brave as the special op's slagger was, Ratchet hadn't expected him of all mechs to speak up. Yet he was quite thankful to be able to confide into someone that was as level headed as Jazz was, if he put his mind to it of course. Usually Jazz was all games, but he could be achingly honest and almost as logically detached as Prowl was more often then not. After their talk, he felt loads better and actually had a vague idea of where Starscream could have come from and might stand in regards to him now. Filing an official request with Prime to be allowed to build an open med bay, at least as a side-breach, out in the desert where he could be approached by anyone in need of his aid, Ratchet had a hard time fighting his right through, but with the help of Jazz and Skyfire, he managed it in the end.
The process of actually building it didn't take as long as he would have expected, but seeing as Prime had made it into a joint effort by them and the human government, after convincing them that it would be seen as a peace offering to the Decepticons with whom the humans definitely wanted peace... it had been helped along nicely. Now, almost an orn after Starscream had left, the 'open med bay' as Wheeljack teasingly called it, was finished. Grapple had done a wonderful job, keeping to the blueprints exactly, adjusting anything and everything to Ratchet's personal specifications and requests. Yes, he would be able to work in here... maybe even work wonders and achieve what he had dreamed of since his own sparklinghood... true peace between Cybertronians that would lead them to a new golden age...
It was two whole trines that came to the new med-bay only shortly after it was built. Yeah, sure, they'd been watching and waiting. Who could blame them? Especially because both trines were working together, Thrust and Ramjet holding Skywarp up, while Dirge and Thundercracker supported Starscream. Both had obviously been patched, but both were missing their wings. Megatron had NOT been happy. "Ratchet?" Starscream asked, trying to at least stand on his own.
Not too long after he'd set up working in the open med bay, which Prime had made clear he was expected to do no matter whether he was on duty or not, patients had found their way to him. The first one had been little Bumblebee, who had come in with a blown tire, a rather embarrassing injury in and of itself and Spike really hadn't gotten the hint that it wasn't appreciated that he tried to hover over the entire procedure... Bumblebee wasn't a regular human built car after all, so the injury wasn't as easily repaired as he had acquired it.
Just after he'd seen the minibot off, he'd noticed approaching shadows on the skyline. So the Seeker would keep his word after all... It wasn't that Ratchet had expected him not to, he was just surprised that he would have bothered to notice when he would be able to. Readying the med bay in the way he did after battles, when he didn't know what kind of injuries to expect, but feared for the worst, he was ready for whatever they could bring to his attention. Apart from the sight that greeted him.
His optics narrowed noticeably as he became aware of the uncharacteristically wingless Seekers hovering around the entrance. Shock penetrated his processor and threatened to freeze it up, but he fought it down. "Once I get the glitched retards responsible for such unnecessary vandalism..." Ratchet growled and pointed both parties to two different berths with sharp gestures of his hands, his own frame rigid with tension.
"How much fuel, coolant and energon have you lost by now?" he asked, trying to calculate whom he would have to fix first, moving over to the cabinets to fish for some trinkets that would dull sensory replies and refine fuel so that it would sustain the mech longer, as well as grabbing two low grade cubes, he waited for the answer as he walked back to the still sitting patients. Yes, these were no Decepticons, these were mechs that had been hurt for no real reason, no justifiable reason and Ratchet wouldn't let that go unscathed. But it didn't mean that he would give them the pits for it, no, he would try to fix them as fast and as thoroughly as he could.
"Ratchet, relax. Hook patched the worst the same joor Megatron removed them. Work on 'Warp first, he... doesn't know how to handle it like I do," Starscream answered calmly, at least he hoped he sounded calm. He accepted the energon gratefully, drinking half before handing the rest of the cube to Ramjet. "'Jet needs work too, built for ramming or not... well, he's not let Hook into his circuits, probably a good thing. I'm still in good shape from last time, I just look bad right now." Thundercracker was over with Skywarp, Thrust helping the blue jet, both petting and murmuring soothing things to the youngest Seeker. They were all watching Ratchet closely, waiting to see what he would do.
"Patched? You don't look patched. You look as if that fragger just managed to hide some holes in your armor. That's not patching," Ratchet groused. "And don't consume it too fast, might cause your processor to freeze if ya do after too long of going without," he added with a concerned sweep over the conehead partially supporting the Air Commander. Starscream was quite a bit off balance due to the fact of his missing wings. "Right… how long's it been?" All kind of information would be helpful in this matter, so he needed all the mechs were willing to share. Placing one of the sensory dullers and fuel refiners onto the side of Starscream's neck joint, where the data ports accepted them to integrate them into his circuitry immediately, he noticed an almost instant effect as the Air Commander's optics brightened a little due to the fact that the refiner was cycling numerous different kinds of toxics out of his fuel.
Turning around, he strode over to the other berth with a confidence he didn't really feel in his spark. Part of him was afraid, these Seekers had bombarded him and his comrades on the battlefields numerous times, yet his programming overruled his fear. After a firm reprimand of his programming that these were his patients now, his spark settled down and worry crept up on him. "The lack of sensory data may startle you once I place the duller over your readouts, but it will only be applied for the repairs. Is that all right with you?" Ratchet took special care in asking the frightened looking Seeker for permission, giving him the opportunity to decline or affirm that he trusted him enough to at least let him help him. Partially he had decided to do so already, the fact that he had come here showed it. After a very hesitant nod from the flier, Ratchet took a step closer and slowly reached for his neck joint, slightly guiding Skywarp to turn his cranial unit to the side with light touches so that he could induct the duller into the ports appropriately.
"Patched, we're not leaking anything," Starscream insisted, relaxing as the persistent pain faded. "And... for me, well, how long have I been gone? For 'Warp, about half that, but he's never..." Noticing all the other Seekers were looking at him, Starscream stopped talking. Dirge had had some clue, but most of them didn't really know what Megatron DID to Starscream, this was their first time hearing it, their first time really noticing how blasé the white Seeker was about his state.
Skywarp gave a whimper, locking optics with Thundercracker. The blue jet nodded a little, "Medi- Ratchet. Is there some place I can be to still touch 'Warp without being in your way?" The three Coneheads were discussing something with glances and motions, and finally Dirge and Thrust moved a little ways out, turning their backs on the happenings inside the med-bay.
"An orn, you sophisticated slag heap. Which is by far too long to go without proper repairs," Ratchet growled lightly at the Seeker, turning to face the black and purple form of Skywarp. The wingless flier was clinging onto his blue companion and he knew it wouldn't do them any good if he let go.
"You can stay on the opposite side of the berth, but try to keep your hands away from his wing joints and…well, any scrapped plating in general," he ordered, and waited until the Seeker had complied, slipping smoothly onto the other side of the berth, supporting the other flier's lower arms with his hands, so that he could sit in a stable way. Placing the refiner onto the other side of his neck joint made him appear like a bad laugh at the human's Frankenstein, but Ratchet would give anyone the living Pits if they dared to say so.
"I'll see what I can do about your energon lines first." After a nod in acquiescence, he motioned for the Seeker to lie down onto his side. While Skywarp carefully positioned himself on the repair berth, moving slowly so as not to jar anything within his systems further, Ratchet went over the supplies he had of energon lines, sensor nodes, fuel lines and spare parts out of which he could manufacture some new wings for him. Finding everything apart from spare parts to be sufficiently stocked, he quickly radioed into the Ark for Wheeljack, asking him to have someone bring out some more spare parts.
Starscream stayed on the berth, watching Ratchet closely but otherwise relaxed. "Which is why we're HERE, Ratchet. I thought we had been over this. And if you're not going to look at Ramjet's circuits today, then I'm not sure when you'll get the chance. Dirge's trine is still in Megatron's good graces, and it's best for everyone if they stay there, so they'll have to leave in a couple joors." He wasn't trying to stop Ratchet's work on Skywarp, far from it, but the medic needed to know what was going on. "Oh, and when we do go back, Soundwave wants to check repairs to see if he'd trust you with his younglings. And..." Starscream and Ramjet began pulling stuff out of their subspace, whatever Seeker-specific parts they'd been able to get from Hook's stores. "'Warp and TC have some too, but yeah."
Shaking his cranial unit disapprovingly, he let the matter rest. It wouldn't do to admonish the Air Commander on literally scavenging their Constructicon's supplies. "I'll fix his wiring the astrosecond I have your wing mate in recharge," he acknowledged Starscream's request. "Put them into the supply cabinet or onto another berth, I'll sort through them later, might just be that I need some of those parts for your wings or thrusters… probably your cockpits as well," Ratchet mumbled absently and turned back to his patient. The Seeker shivered noticeably as he touched his plating, but the medic didn't let it deter him. Carefully he manipulated the scrapped and cut off wiring, sorting out what he would be able to salvage and what he would have to replace entirely.
Disconnecting and discarding wiring in his wake, clasping salvageable lines off so that the Seeker wouldn't loose fuel, coolant, nor energon, he checked and reapplied every clasp the Decepticon Hook must have put on. He found numerous faults in the way the clasps were applied. It showed painfully that the Constructicon wasn't a medic, but had been created to function and treated others under that aspect as well. Fuel couldn't seep through the clasps, but the way they had been attached had made them painful. Loosing and carefully resettling the clasps he noticed how Skywarp gradually began to stop trembling and almost relaxed on the berth. It wasn't as if he could blame him, pit he understood pain all too well. Thankfully, Thundercracker managed to keep the Seeker calm through the entire process.
Ramjet carried the parts to another berth, glaring at Starscream and practically daring him to move. Starscream glared back, but didn't leave the berth. He didn't understand why the conehead was being so... helpful. It wasn't like their trines had ever gotten along THAT well, after all... "Recharge, 'Warp. You'll be fine, everything will be fine. TC will be here when you wake up." Skywarp looked at Starscream with obvious fear, but obeyed his order anyway, slowly drifting off.
"Don't think we don't know," Ramjet said suddenly, not looking at anyone. "Never thought there was a reason for us not to be seen as friendly with you? But don't mind me. Ramming so much rattled my processor." Seeming satisfied with what he'd said, the cone headed Seeker went back to laying the parts out on the berth, wandering over and collecting what Thundercracker pulled out.
What the conehead said actually had more merit than Ratchet would have assumed at first glance. But then again, he had only recently remembered that the Decepticons they were fighting were just mechs like themselves. "I've asked you how long it's been since you've last consumed energon, Starscream, and I do intend to be answered. Got it?" He snapped at the Air Commander, aware that every online optic in the room turned to him at his sharp reprimand. None of them were getting it, were they? The time it took for them to internally bleed out… Ratchet didn't dare contemplate it. Continuing to work around the holes in the Seeker's internal linkages, he pulled out all fried sensor nodes and ripped wiring. The pile that task accumulated was frightening in it's size, but he shoved that thought to the back of his processor, instead collecting new wires and sensor nodes to incorporate them into Skywarp's internals.
"I DON'T know, Ratchet! Fraggit, I didn't know how long I'd been GONE, I'd-" Thundercracker interrupted Starscream with a glare.
"Three earth days, I think, since we got energon in you." Only slowly turning his gaze from his trine leader, Thundercracker continued talking, realizing he was probably the only one who actually knew this and could still put it in a sensible manner. "When he got back, Starscream took the time to tell us about the deal he'd made with you before he went to see Megatron. Good thing, because Megatron beat him into unconsciousness. That's when he lost his wings this time. It went that way for half an orn, Hook did what he could. Then 'Warp here suddenly decided to act the hero, tried to stop Megatron. Said something about now that he knew what Screamer was going through... Well, it didn't stop Megatron, but he did mostly leave them alone after that. We've just been waiting for this 'bay to be finished before bothering you, and had to convince Dirge to help us."
"I can't believe you acted so irresponsibly," Ratchet glared at the red and white Seeker. "We made no deal," he continued, looking Thundercracker dead in the optics and noticing the suddenly guarded look and tensing of his frame. "I merely brought forth some knowledge that should've come to your attention before this war ever escalated the way it did. The treaties of old always have been and always will be. It was quite stupid of you to wait with bringing them here. I could've treated them in the Ark and nobody would've minded," Ratchet groused on, trying to calm down and not throw things around. Pit but the Seeker's internals had never been intended to bear such such strain and had probably never been tested to do so before.
"Lay down, Starscream, I won't be risking you upsetting your systems any further. You might be used to the strain, but it's still not healthy. And if you don't know how much time has passed then you should've mentioned that the fragger blew your chronometer. Not as if that's anything important mind ya, it's only hosted right next to your pitforsaken fuel pump!" Anger coursed through him, barely managing to mask his internal worry. His hands though stayed eerily calm, never waving in the process of reattaching wires. After the energon cycle was finished he reinstated it instantly, noticing how the recharging Seekers fans evened out Ratchet calmed a little, apparently the fuel loss hadn't managed to upset Skywarp's systems too badly, otherwise they would've taken longer to readjust.
"WE would have minded," Thundercracker answered firmly, glancing at Starscream. What the pit was wrong with Ratchet, he acted like his was the only possible way of handling things and made NO allowance for circumstances or emotions, it seemed. Starscream shook his head slightly, and Thundercracker cycled his vents and let it go.
Obeying the order and laying down, Starscream smirked. "That's because the fragger didn't blow my chrono. I'm out of the habit of LOOKING at it because most of the time I don't want to KNOW how long a situation has lasted. Enduring something is easier if you don't know how long you've had to endure, if you can convince yourself it's not been that long."
A sharp glare at the Seeker was all with which he showed his irritation. Really, why were most mechs so… dense? It wasn't as if repairs would hurt them and it certainly wasn't as if anybody would hurt a wounded… well, apart from a Decepticon maybe. Not the nicest way to think about the other faction, Ratchet knew, but he'd had proof of such behavior before and wouldn't put it beyond them to expect no less from their enemies.
"Alright…I still don't want you to strain your systems. We agreeing on that one at least?" Ratchet managed to ask over his shoulder, while he reworked the fuel system of the black and purple F-15.
"If you're not going to rework Ramjet, his trine NEEDS to go," Starscream repeated. "We need someone to keep us in... survivable graces, just long enough until we're strong enough to KILL Megatron.." He'd thought he'd said this before... but he hadn't been so blunt. He hadn't thought he needed to, had forgotten Autobots weren't used to treachery and deception like his own faction was.
Fixing the Air Commander with an intense glare, optics narrowing, he dimmed his vision briefly before he swept his gaze over the conehead. "There's a berth behind you. Lie down and I'll apply some standard dampeners for the procedure. Should I worry about a refiner as well?" he asked in a clipped and clinical tone. Ratchet refused to share his opinion about the Decepticon's plans, but he would tolerate that they had finally realized what would stop the war... yet the means to achieve that weren't supported by him.
And now he had the medic glaring at him. Oh well... they'd have at least some time to work things out. At least Starscream thought they would. ...Hoped they would, honestly.
"I've been fueling fine. Just know I have stuff in my circuits from ramming everything," Ramjet answered calmly, laying back on the berth and appearing totally relaxed. It wasn't that he was ignorant of the silent conversation Ratchet and Starscream seemed to be having, but there was nothing he could do about it, not yet, so he ignored it.
Leaving the black and purple Seeker to his recharge and allowing his systems to settle with the new repairs, Ratchet went over to the last berth holding a patient for him. It was ludicrous, but on his very first day in this new medbay he was already treating more patients than he had had to deal with in his very first orn after gaining his mastership. Somehow it made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. The first thing he did as he reached the conehead was to place the dampener onto his neck joint. Seeing that most of his vital systems were hidden within his cockpit, which was integrated into his very cranial unit, Ratchet would have to work very carefully. Going over the various systems one by one he found that he had to replace and even disable systems at times. "Stuff in his circuits my aft... this is more stuff than circuits!" growling lowly he could barely refrain from snarking over the obvious neglect the jet's systems had suffered.
Ratchet's complaint was met with silence, the online Seekers deciding that it wasn't worth trying to defend themselves. Time passed, mostly silent, Thundercracker gently petting the recharging Skywarp, Thrust and Dirge keeping watch for anything that might try attacking, and Starscream watching Ratchet work on Ramjet. It wasn't that he didn't trust the medic, far from it. He simply liked watching Ratchet, and there was no harm in that. Even if there was, the white Seeker didn't care.
Time crept by and slowly he was advancing onto a point that was as close to a schematic base of action as it could be. Almost all connections had been disabled by him for now so that he could work up from the deepest recesses of the jet's circuitry, which had effectively forced his patient into a little stasis like recharge. Reconnecting wires step by step, he had to replace wires and ports as he went, but at least now it had a structure. Cutting some lines that were simply too long to fit into the whole picture otherwise, he optimized the energon circle to a marginally lesser entirety, as well as the data lines, hoping that it might gain the trine leader the added advantage he might just need to stay online. Once he was finished, he cycled air through his vents sharply and initiated the onlining process by dislodging the dampener from Ramjet's neck joint to allow him sensory access once more. Stepping back from his patient he gave him a few clicks to regain himself and then ran a light scan over him. "I can't find anything out of place that I included in this session's repairs. Does anything feel even remotely out of place to you?" Ratchet asked, jotting down some notes on a data pad and fixing the jet with a curious gaze.
Ramjet thought for a moment, taking the time to really decide how he felt. "No. Just different." He waited a moment longer, then nodded, "Thank you." He stood up, then then rejoined his trine. They talked a little between themselves, then waved at Ratchet and flew away, leaving Starscream watching Thundercracker pet an offline Skywarp.
"You're unhappy," Starscream observed. It was really very obvious, of COURSE Ratchet was unhappy. The mech had no reason to really be happy, after all, repairing mechs who were just going to go get themselves slagged. But they couldn't just change sides, he'd THOUGHT about that. Optimus meant well, but Starscream was sure it would end in disaster.
"Of course I'm unhappy! What else would you expect me to be with this?" he snarled in anger, gesturing to include the entire room. "You were in danger, all of you, all of this time and I didn't even know! I couldn't see it…I didn't care to see…" Ratchets vocalizer failed at the end, he was horrified with himself. How could he have ignored their pain the way he had done all these eons? How could he dare call himself a medic? He'd not kept to the treaties of old himself, he'd only looked after the faction he was staying with, those that were protecting him had appeared more important. No medic ever should have dared to value one life more than another, yet he'd done exactly that.
"And just how were you SUPPOSED to see? We kept you fair busy repairing the mechs on your own side, you don't know our systems, you don't KNOW how we ACT when we're less than optimal. You had nothing to base our status on but how we acted, and didn't really SEE how we acted to know how we were doing." And wow, Starscream wasn't sure he'd made sense with that sentence. "So really, being angry with yourself is just eating up resources that can be better spent dealing with life."
"Says the one who obsesses over Megatron," Thundercracker interjected, digits trailing over Skywarp's derma. In the absence of wings, that was the only place he could really touch on the younger Seeker that felt... intimate enough to him.
"It shouldn't matter whether I knew how your optimal operation status looked like! I've been around long enough to have seen fliers before this pitlike mess started, thank you very much for your confidence in my professionalism," he growled back, turning his back to the Seeker. How in the name of Primus was he supposed to stay calm when Starscream managed to get into his CPU like he did? Flailing for something to do, he grabbed another set of mid-grade cubes to carry over to Skywarp while he studied the analytical read-out of the coolant sample he'd taken from the flier. He'd have to ask Wheeljack to mix him a few gallons of the brand together if it turned out to be the same one Starscream's systems relied upon.
Starscream looked at Thundercracker, who looked like he was trying not to laugh. "If you're going to ignore me, Ratchet, could you possibly be a little less obvious about it? Because right now you are angry and tense, and I'm feeling like it might be a good idea to treat you like I do my wing-mates when they get like this." That statement shattered Thundercracker's self-control, and the blue Seeker started laughing, though he did try to keep it fairly quiet.
"Whatever," he snapped back, irritated with himself beyond believe. Why couldn't he simply stop? Why was the Seeker so adamant to make this harder than it needed to be? Hadn't they hurt each other enough? At least that was what Ratchet thought, he had probably hurt the Decepticon somehow, but whatever it had been, he was justifying that action with the fact that Starscream had hurt him just the same. Of course it wasn't professional to treat him the way he did, but pit take him if he actually showed him how much the meaningless of their interfacing had hurt him... "Do what you want, but stay on that berth until you're fully repaired. Understood?"
"Oh, I can do that. Just means TC will have to help me out a little..." Why was he so intent on baiting the medic? He'd been a good lay, but so were his wing-mates, and he... well, okay, Starscream had to admit that he DID bate them. But it was more than that, it was more... personal. Because the medic was so tense. Didn't appear to enjoy himself... That was it, he wanted Ratchet to enjoy himself, he wanted to be the one the medic enjoyed... as thanks? As simple thanks for repairing his chassis? No, that didn't make any sense at all...
"Sure, just don't overstrain yourself, I still need to repair a lot of your internal wiring." he mused quietly. Placing the mid-grade cubes into Thundercracker's waiting hands, he motioned at the still offline Skywarp, trying to will him to understand that he wanted him to get it into the other Seeker. He didn't stay to watch the consumption, all he wanted was to get back to his console and analyze that coolant so that he could order more from Wheeljack, so long as Optimus let him. It wouldn't do any good to show the Decepticons' Air Commander that it would hurt to see him be... treated, at least emotionally, by another. Ratchet didn't think himself strong enough to watch...
Thundercracker balanced the energon cube carefully on Skywarp's canopy, where it would be safe as long as the young Seeker didn't wake up. Then he came up behind Ratchet and wrapped the medic in his arms, plucking the sample from Ratchet's hand and putting it on the nearest flat surface. "You don't seem to have understood our Wing-leader. He doesn't let us walk away when we're ignoring him, oh no... And don't worry, I'll feed 'Warp in a moment, promise! As soon as I get your aft over there..." He motioned to the berth where Starscream was reclining, appearing mostly at ease even without his wings.
"Understood?" Ratchet asked startled, a little preoccupied with analyzing the sudden change. He was being encircled into a Seeker's arms and lifted, nothing new about that, not even the lack of aggression within the action surprised him anymore, yet what did startle him was the position. Starscream had lifted him before, cockpit to chestplate, now he felt a cockpit pressing into his back, but most of all...Starscream hadn't pinned his arms to his sides, rendering him almost completely immobile. Frankly, it scared Ratchet to no end to be helpless within his own med-bay, because it was so true, so close to reality that he wanted to cry over it.
"That's right," Starscream answered, smirking as he watched. "You should feel honored, Ratchet... you're the only grounder I'd even consider treating this way..."
Nuzzling Ratchet a little, Thundercracker began carrying the medic towards Starscream. "It's almost a pity I have to feed Skywarp... I wouldn't mind joining in! Screamer had such nice things to say about you..." He was careful in dumping the Autobot onto Starscream, the white Seeker WAS injured, and Thundercracker didn't want either of them to fall of the berth. Starscream just opened his arms and accepted Ratchet, already cooing softly.
He was torn between demanding a real answer and rounding on the Air Commander for sharing information that should've been kept hidden. Not that he could really blame him when Ratchet himself should have done that in the first place, but he still would. "What the pit are you referring to with 'joining in' anyway?" Ratchet had instead settled for snapping and he glared at the Seeker as Starscream just spread his arms and softly began cooing to him of all things! "Primus, quit it! I ain't no scared sparkling!" he growled now more angry than ever.
"You're acting like it," Starscream answered, moving to hold Ratchet and stroke him. "Trying to ignore it and hope it goes away? Life doesn't work like that, and more importantly, WE don't. Now I know I wasn't exactly sane last time I was here... Frag, one could argue I'm not sane now, and if you say it, I'm going shoot you, TC. But I'm not really satisfied with how things ended up... I would at least like to know WHY they went that way! And... Ratchet, really, what do you THINK we mean, join in?"
"How should I know what's going on in your processor?" Ratchet growled, barely managing not to hit the Seeker squarely upon the hinges of his jaw by balling his hands into tight fists. What the frag did he want anyway? "I don't and that's that, now let me go if you're sane again. No more need for charades seeing as that's the case." He did expect the Air Commander to at least react to the hidden fury in his vocalization, but he appeared quite non plussed by his words, as if they hadn't affected him at all!
"Ooh... you're CUTE when you're mad...! But you've not answered my question... We were doing fine, and then you suddenly turned cold...WHY, Ratchet? You say no charades... Sounds good to me. Let's be honest..." Hands, that was right... Starscream moved his own down to surround the balled fists and rubbing them, hoping he was doing the right thing... Well, at doubtful worst, the medic would order Starscream away, but he wouldn't leave Skywarp injured, so that was okay.
"I'm no-" he cut himself off and growled again, noting that he really was acting like a sulking sparkling, but unwilling to give the Seeker any more reason to rile him up. Ratchet truly wasn't cute, period. But really…was it so hard to understand why he was angry? And could they please not discuss this in the middle of treatment, openly in his med bay and with witnesses no less? Ratchet's optics snatched a glance at the blue Seeker, still close by, and quickly averted his gaze again. What was it about Starscream that made him unable to just brush him away? Why did he enjoy the hands lightly stroking his fists, causing them to go almost limp, his grip to slacken as the tension drained out of them, and with the tension went the anger he'd felt at the Air Commander. "Not cold….merely professional, as you'd mentioned you required it," Ratchet confessed in a low whisper, hoping that it would be enough of a precaution to keep the knowledge away from the other Seekers in med bay. He didn't trust them, couldn't trust them the way he did trust Starscream and he surely hoped that that trust wasn't just in vain, that he wasn't in for even more pain than he'd already dealt with.
"FRAG it," Starscream said, loud enough that he obviously didn't care who heard. "Oh, I won't deny the first time WAS need... I would be stupid to TRY denying that. But the second time... you took me to your room. I KNEELED to you, Ratchet! What in the PIT made you think that ... that it was a good idea..." Starscream's voice softened as he spoke. Thundercracker shook his head and went back to sitting on Skywarp's berth, petting the recharging Seeker.
Well, when the Air Commander put it that way he was certainly right. Not that it gave Ratchet any comfort at all that he had indeed analyzed Starscream's need for what it had so obviously been. But when had it been that he'd changed his processor? When had the Seeker decided that he wanted more than to quench his need... when had he decided that he had wanted Ratchet? And just because he had wanted Ratchet then certainly didn't mean that he still wanted him now. "I wasn't certain... I didn't know... I- I've never... Fraggit, what do you think I thought?! You were my patient, still are right now, I'm not supposed to take advantage like that!" He snarled, angry at himself for failing so thoroughly, for making such a miserable error in judgment. "I should've known it wouldn't end well..." Ratchet groused, his hydraulics whining angrily at him as he balled his fists close to the breaking point of linkages.
"I thought you wanted to enjoy yourself with me. I thought you knew I was a Seeker, what that meant... You know, this isn't getting us anywhere. There's too much... bad history and complications..." Starscream cycled his vents and looked away, anger draining into sorrow. "Maybe you're right, maybe I was asking too much." He gave a bitter smile and stroked Ratchet softly before continuing, "What can there be between an Autobot and a Decepticon anyway? At least you can make sure we're repaired, and I don't plan on... hum, being anymore more careless than normal?"
"You thought I wanted, I thought you wanted. In the end we both fragged up, now didn't we? By just assuming and thinking without talking." Ratchet realized with a sad smile. Starscream had sounded so decisive, so sad about something. It was over before it had even started, he had hurt him enough to push him away without even knowing that he had truly been in reach for him. "I don't know what there can be, all I know is what there was. Possibilities are endless, after all, or so it's said. You're right though, I should return to repairs," he admitted, hesitantly brushing over the digits that had stroked his plating.
"Possibilities..." Starscream echoed. "Endless possibilities..." He didn't say anything more, though... Things had just gotten peaceful between them, he didn't want to cause further problems... The war couldn't last forever, could it? And maybe when the war was over... There would be possibilities.
So, yeah. Please leave a review!