Chapter 65

-0-Firing line now

Something deeply buried in his programming awakened and sent a signal to Ironhide who received it in a part of his own information database that was basic and unused until this moment. The programming all Cybertronians possessed, some of whom would become genitors and creators that was designed to work in cooperation to protect a sparkling perceived to be endangered triggered between the bonded pair. As they stood in their respective places, Ratchet with his arms over his spark chamber and the humans gathering around laughing, a roar like a jet plane exploding erupted on the firing range nearby.

-0-Seconds earlier

"So building a repertoire of moves and counter measures really is the first duty of a soldier." A young soldier ventured, looking at Ironhide with something akin to worship.

Ironhide considered his words then shook his head, glancing at Epps and Lennox who stood nearby watching and learning themselves. "No." Ironhide looked at the young man. "Lennox, Epps. What's the first duty of a soldier?"

"You never leave a man or a mech behind," they both answered in unison.

"Slag yeah," Ironhide said. Then he startled, his expression changing from patience to something so startlingly angry that Lennox and Epps took a step backward. Turning around to look downfield where he spotted Ratchet, Ironhide clicked. Or rather more exactly, his programming clicked and he bellowed a roar that rattled the windows of an office complex and the merc's barracks nearby.

The soldiers who were transfixed by the spectacle fled backwards, mistaking his rage as directed at them. Only Lennox and Epps stayed their ground. They stared at Ironhide who had begun to march with fists and fury toward Ratchet and the mercs. The mercs, seeing the unholy figure moving toward them like a gigantic black Tyrannosaurus Rex, hurried away, stopping long enough on their patio to watch him come.

Ironhide reached Ratchet, gripping his arms with his servos as he examined him, even sniffing to ascertain Ratchet's condition. When he had exhausted his direct fears, a secondary blind rage took over as he turned slowly, his optics bleeding to white hot as his face announced his state of mind.

As he did, a Klaxon sounded at the Autobot HQ and for a moment time seemed to stand still. No one moved, nothing happened. Then it happened all at once in the blink of an eye.

At the door of Autobot HQ, half a dozen Autobots came running out, pulling up weapons. then heading toward the firing range at a dead run. A signal had been triggered.

Lennox and Epps who finally found their feet began to run, too, as they yelled at Ironhide.

Ratchet who was finally blinking off the initial blast of the programming that had alerted Ironhide had pinged a distress call to Ops Center. Ops Center getting the distress call from Ratchet of all bots had burst into action, Jazz and his team spacing their weapons to run as fast as they could go. The klaxon was the result of a localized distress signal from an endangered colleague, Ratchet, that drew dozens of Autobots to see what happened and to help.

The mercs who were suddenly facing the worst case scenario any of them would ever face in their lives felt the bottom dropping out of their souls. They stumbled back, tripping and clawing at each other in their haste to retreat as Ironhide, nearly four tons of white hot fury came snorting and growling in their direction, his servos balling into fists.

Optimus Prime hearing the klaxon himself, hurried out, peering this way and that until the running Autobots alerted him that the firing range was the scene of the disturbance. He hurried, too.

Prowl who was in his office with Bluestreak heard the sound, pulled his rifle from subspace and was followed by Bluestreak, himself arming as he ran.

Coming over the hill, climbing over the electrical fence, the twins heard the sound and rolled toward the scene as fast as they could go.

It was very, very fast.

Their swords seldom fully sheathed were full out and ready for combat.

Aerialbots who were waiting on the tarmac for new instructions heard the sound and in the absence of good instructions leaped skyward to provide cover for whatever altercation was happening on the ground.

Office workers, military personnel visiting and otherwise, soldiers, civilians, contractors, marines, airmen and sailors ran from their buildings, the docks, hangars, offices and other places to see what the ruckus was about, clogging the tarmac as they did.

Colonel Fulton who was running along behind Optimus hurried toward the firing range where the commotion seemed to be focused.

At the range, moving on the mercs, Ironhide advanced, his fury so complete he wasn't truly thinking about the carnage he could do. His programming was in control and he had to protect Ratchet and his sparkling. Ratchet who was still in the throes of the program watched Ironhide with satisfaction, his arms covering his spark chamber as he watched Ironhide move on the enemy.

The mercs turned swiftly and ran into their building to slam the door and as they did, Ironhide rushed forward to grip the roof, tearing it completely off. He threw it aside and looked in, breaking down more of the wall, rending it with his bare servos.

The men who were screaming and hollering ran into more rooms in the back, then shooting started as they futilely began to defend themselves with their own weapons.

The bullets pinged against Ironhide, not even leaving a mark as Ironhide rendered more of the structure into firewood, bellowing his rage as he did. It was obvious that the humans were done for against his impermeable armor and outrage.

Optimus reached the scene then gripped Ironhide's arm to pull him back.

Ironhide who was maddened beyond all reason turned around to swing on Optimus, clipping him across the side of his helm.

For everyone coming to the safest point to watch, the titanic struggle was mind boggling. To N.E.S.T. soldiers, it wasn't that uncommon a sight but to the 99% watching it was sickeningly scary. They were enormous and the rage flowing out of Ironhide was terrifying.

Prime was grappling with a force of nature who forgot more about close combat than entire armies probably would ever know. They were a swirl of color and blows that rang out even as Ironhide bellowed.

Everyone, Autobot and human moved back as the two behemoths traded blows. Ironhide landed solid punches as Optimus struggled to grip him. In the middle of it all, Autobots surrounded the two forming a circle to face out with weapons drawn, some pointing up and some pointing out. No one would get closer and hopefully, the two wouldn't get past them.

Until the situation was clear, they were ready to shoot anyone and anything. As jets overhead flew low and high, one hovering overhead, humans screaming and buildings splintering, Ratchet stood nearby watching, oddly calm and completely fixed upon Ironhide.

Inside his processor, this was correct. It was right. It was good. Ironhide, his bond was defending the sparkling while defending him. It was the way it was supposed to be.

Prowl who reached the scene stared in shocked disbelief, then turned to Ratchet to grip his arm.

Ratchet stared at him as if in a trance, then blinked. He looked around as if surprised to be standing where he was. He looked from Prowl to Ironhide and Optimus, their titanic struggle happening before him, then he jolted out of his stupor. "IRONHIDE!"

His shout rang out. Ironhide paused as it penetrated his rage, his fist cocked back to punch Prime in the face.

Optimus who was gripping his arm shoved the big behemoth backward, stepping away from Ironhide warily.

Ironhide's optics, white hot with fury began to return to blue, streaks of it threading their way back to him as he came to himself. "Ratchet!" he said, moving toward the medico to grip his arms tightly. "Are you hurt?"

Ratchet with a look of shocked disbelief on his face shook his head. "Ironhide, what happened?"

Ironhide who turned around in confusion looked at the destroyed barracks and flinched. "I don't … the mercs," he said with a sickened sound.

They came out from under piles of debris, from behind upturned furniture and from around the corner of the building where they had climbed through broken walls and windows to get out. They were there, bore only cuts and scratches and were shaken. Miraculously, no one was dead.

Ironhide, turning in a slow circle as he looked around himself saw the Autobots on his perimeter. He looked up, spotting Aerialbots. Beyond them were humans, some of their faces contorted with fear and awe while others were showing immense respect and humor. Some of them stared at him as if he were Satan come to Earth. He shook his head, mystified, then he spied Optimus Prime. He froze with a look of horrified realization overtaking him. "Prime..."

Ratchet moved to Ironhide, slipping his arms around Ironhide's broad waist, holding him with a defiant expression on his face.

"Ironhide, Ratchet, let's move out," Prime said, rubbing energon from a cut on his helm where Ironhide had planted a fist. He looked around. "Autobots, fall back."

They moved in precision, all of them falling back to Autobot HQ, Ratchet and Ironhide in the middle of the circle as they walked together stunned and confused. Ratchet clung to Ironhide's arm.

Optimus remained, talking to Fulton about the scene and when he had finished, he walked to Autobot HQ and his people. They disappeared inside, then the doors closed shut.

It was silent on the tarmac, then ambulances arrived to assist the mercs who were shaken with minor injuries but nothing major. The conversations would be widespread and constant for a few as the situation played out.

A lot of the military on station would have an immense respect for the bots.

-0-Med Bay

Ironhide sat on a med berth, his head hanging with rage fatigue. He felt drained and ill, something had happened and he was shocked and sickened. He'd beaten up Prime. He was Prime's chosen bodyguard, his closest friend, his mentor and his brother. He'd done this to his brother.

Ratchet stood next to him, his arm around Ironhide's shoulders and a dazed expression on his face. First Aid, running back when the Autobots had begun to leave the scene made things ready and both were hooked up to the monitors which were assessing them.

Prime who was getting first aid for his face looked at them, wondering what had happened. Prowl who was fielding communications from outside the HQ stood beside Optimus, glancing between Ironhide, Ratchet and Prime. "Optimus, Fulton would like to talk about this when you can come out."

Prime nodded but his eyes never left Ironhide. "I will. I want to know what happened first."

First Aid punched a couple of buttons on the screens and machines next to Ironhide and Ratchet and got the answer. "It was archaic programming."

"What do you mean?" Prime asked.

"There's an old program in all of us that syncs when couples bond. It's designed to protect carriers and sparklings from danger. It only kicks in when the carrier or the sparkling is in imminent danger. Apparently, Ratchet's program thought it was and kicked in, sending an alert to Ironhide. Ironhide reacted the way his programming is designed for him. He protected Ratchet."

"So this was involuntary?" Prime asked, slightly more mollified given the drubbing he'd gotten from a berserker Ironhide.

Ironhide looked up, his expression hopeful.

Ratchet was harder to read.

"Yes, it was," First Aid said. "He could no more control this than a human can decide to stop breathing. It will take over and control. We'd probably know more about it if there were more sparklings but it's been a while, sir. None of us are really very informed about this process anymore. It's no surprise that we were overtaken as well by this process."

Prime rose, shaking his head with relief and bruised angst. "You pack a punch, old friend."

Ironhide looked up, his expression stricken with horror and regret. "Prime," he began.

Prime cut him off, smiling ruefully at Ironhide's regret. "It was not your fault."

"But we have to explain it," Ratchet said looking miserable himself. "We have to make it clear that this wasn't Ironhide's fault, that we aren't irrational and dangerous and that it won't happen again. Hopefully. And we have to do it without telling them why, that he was protecting a carrier and a sparkling." Ratchet shook his head. "Daniels will have a field day."

"We will see," Prime said, his optics narrowing with fury. "I have just about had it with Daniels. If he wants to play rough, so can I."