Ratchet grumbled as he picked up the data pad off his lab table and started looking it over. It was another late morning filled with tedious repairs and endless notes, and his patience was already wearing thin. The faint 'ping ping ping' echoing from the comm system made his optics narrow in annoyance. Setting the pad back down with a little more force than necessary, he headed over to the human-made monitor that was barely holding together.
"What is it now?" He muttered, pressing the button to accept the incoming signal. But as the words blinked across the screen, his irritation snapped into alarm.
/IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. HUMAN IN DANGER. COME IMMEDIATELY./
Ratchet's optics widened. It originated from a Decepticon comm line! Following the message was a set of coordinates that led to the middle of nowhere.
"Optimus!" Ratchet called out. "Come look at this!"
The heavy thuds of pedes echoed through the base as the Prime made his way to Ratchet. Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee followed close behind, abandoning their tasks without a second thought.
"What is it, Ratchet?" Optimus asked, his deep voice laced with concern.
Ratchet pointed to the screen. "A distress signal. A Decepticon distress signal." Everyone looked at the monitor and read it for themselves.
Optimus stepped closer, optics narrowing. "Where do the coordinates lead, Ratchet?"
"To the middle of a forest somewhere in Canada," Ratchet replied.
Arcee's expression darkened. "Do you think it could be a trap? Something the Decepticons set up to lure us in?"
Bulkhead crossed his arms with a metal clang against his chest plate. "Wouldn't be the first time they've pulled something like this."
"Perhaps," Optimus said carefully. "But if this distress call is genuine, and there are indeed lives in danger, we cannot disregard it."
"They could just be saying that because they know we would want to protect the human." Arcee retorted.
Ratchet tilted his helm thoughtfully. "We do know that they have a human in their custody. As far as they know, we have no idea about him. They don't know of our connection to Nurse Darby. It would be a very strange ploy to bring it up if they assume we were unaware."
Optimus straightened. "Even if the human isn't there, this is still a distress signal, and someone could be injured. We cannot allow doubt to compromise our values. If there is even a chance that this call is real, we have a duty to respond."
Ratchet sighed, pinching his temples with his servo. "Still, we need to be prepared for the worst. If it is a trap, it may require immediate evacuation."
"Agreed," Optimus said, glancing at the team. "Ratchet, Bulkhead, Arcee. You're with me. Bumblebee, I need you to remain at the base and monitor the groundbridge." Bumblebee gave a beep of affirmation before turning to the console.
"I'll prepare for medical emergencies," Ratchet said, already pulling his travel med kit from the shelf nearby. "I suggest we stick together. If this is a Decepticon ploy to trap us, the last thing we need is to be separated."
Optimus turned towards the portal. "Bumblebee, activate the groundbridge."
The scout pulled down on the lever, and the swirling green vortex whooshed to life, "Let's hope this is nothing more than a simple patch job," Ratchet muttered.
With that, they stepped through the portal, weapons ready. The distress signal flashed ominously on the monitor behind them.
x
Danny's breath was caught in his throat. He didn't know who these guys were or what they were here for. His eyes darted between the group and back down to Starscream, whose spark chamber was exposed to the open air, bleeding energon faster than Danny could mend. This is not good.
He reached for the ecto blaster on his belt, the one that he had just used to weld a part of Starscream's spark cabling back together. Danny didn't have the energy to fight these bots right now. But at least the blaster was something.
All four sets of optics snapped to Danny and Starscream instantly, some weapons faltering before being pulled back up at the ready. "Optimus, is that Starscream?" The blue femme asked, her optics flitting from Danny to the Seeker and back again.
The largest mech —Optimus— paused, his gaze more focused on Danny than on Starscream. "It is indeed, Arcee," he answered, tone unreadable. Optimus… Optimus… Danny knew that name! Why did he know that name? His brain was so frazzled. Danny probably looked like a terrified deer in headlights right now.
Arcee stepped closer, her blaster still raised. Danny practically growled at her. She paused, raising an optic ridge in response. Danny looked over her again. He recognized her. Then it suddenly clicked. She was the one who had attacked Knockout for that piece of tech all those months ago. Which means…
"You guys are Autobots," Danny said. It wasn't a question. Who else could they be? The blaster creaked under Danny's grip. He wasn't sure he could hold off four Autobots, especially with Starscream in such critical condition. Any stray blast that hit him would be devastating.
The Autobots were the Decepticon's mortal enemies. Danny had seen the damage they deal out in their fights, the amount of Vehicons that don't come back from the mines after an Autobot attack. He had seen the results and pain left behind. He couldn't let them hurt Starscream.
Optimus stepped closer. "We are," the mech confirmed, his voice deep and resonant.
Danny narrowed his eyes, arms quivering slightly. He couldn't tell if it was from fear, exhaustion, or both. He hadn't slept in over twenty-eight hours, and every muscle in his body screamed for rest. But he stood his ground. "Don't come any closer," he snarled, grip on the blaster tightening but not aiming at anyone yet. He really didn't want to escalate this.
To his surprise, the big mech stepped back, respecting his warning. Danny didn't expect a bot that size to listen to a human, especially one so clearly on the edge of collapse.
Danny's weakened core pulsed protectively. "I won't let you hurt him," he snapped, planting his feet more firmly, ignoring the sound of the energon squishing under his shoes. The Autobots exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable, but Danny could sense something in their fields—something close to shock or maybe confusion.
The big green bot at the back let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "The human's protecting Screamer? That's hilarious."
Danny shot the mech a venomous glare, his teeth grinding together in frustration.
Optimus tilted his helm, his expression hard to read due to the battle mask he was wearing. Bright blue optics scanned over Danny. It was the same look his sister, Jazz, gave him when she was trying to figure Danny out, trying to find out why he was doing something. But right now, It just made Danny feel exposed and analyzed.
"—Starscream is also losing a significant amount of energon." A new rough voice cut through. Danny's eyes snapped to the speaker: an older mech with worn, battle-hardened blue optics. His armour was orange and white… But the medical symbols along his forearm plating were unmistakable. He looked like a walking, janky version of one of Knockout's travel medkits.
A flicker of hope sparked in Danny's field. "Are you a medic?" His voice cracked, betraying his desperation.
The Autobot nodded. "I am."
Danny's throat tightened. "Can… Can you help him?" His words came out more pleading than he intended, but he didn't care. He was out of options. Starscream was dying, and so far, Danny wasn't doing enough to keep him online. This medic was the only chance he had left.
The Autobots hesitated. The pause stretched on for what felt like an eternity, and with every second, Danny's flicker of hope dwindled. They didn't want to help. Of course they didn't. Starscream was their enemy, the second-in-command of the Decepticons, and now they had him vulnerable at their pedes. One blast right now and…
Panic clawed at his chest, but he forced himself to speak. "Please." His voice wavered, "Please, he's really hurt. There are no other options. He's lost too much energon, and I—I don't know what to do. Just help him, at least get him stable. I'll get you enough energon to replace whatever you use, plus more. Just... don't let him die." The words tumbled out in a desperate rush. Danny wasn't even sure if he was making sense anymore. His head spun, exhaustion weighing him down, but he couldn't stop. This was their only chance. Starscream's only chance.
For a moment, the Autobots remained silent, their expressions unreadable. The tension was unbearable. Danny could feel Starscream's EM field weakening, slipping further away, and his own core pulsed harder in response, trying to reach out to him in some way, in any way.
Then, finally, the medic cleared his throat. "I'll see what I can do, kid," he said, stepping forward.
Danny let out a deep sigh of relief, but his muscles tensed instinctively as the medic approached. The bot paused for a moment, studying Danny with an unreadable expression before continuing toward Starscream.
Danny watched as the medic's pede squished down into the ever-growing puddle of energon soaking into the dirt below them. Danny grimaced, the sight unsettling, but the Autobot didn't seem to care, fully focused on Starscream's injuries. Arcee tried to step closer as well, weapons still raised.
"Only the medic can get closer," Danny snapped, his voice hard despite his exhaustion.
Arcee's optics narrowed into a glare, but Optimus held up a servo, motioning for her to step back. "Ratchet will be fine on his own," He said, his voice calm. "Starscream is in no state to cause harm."
The big green mech huffed. "You can't be serious, Optimus. We're taking orders from the kid now?"
Danny ignored the comment, focusing back on the medic—Ratchet—. Danny stepped back slightly, positioning himself protectively over the Seeker's vulnerable spark. Ratchet's optics widened as he took in the extent of Starscream's injuries, placing his medkit down next to him. "By the AllSpark..."
"Yeah," Danny replied bitterly.
Ratchet immediately set to work on the worst of the gashes and leaking energon lines. "How did this happen?" Ratchet demanded, tone slipping into the same one that Knockout used when he was in a serious surgery. It was clear he hadn't even noticed the missing wing yet.
Danny's teeth ground together. "Megatron," he spat, venom dripping from every word. "The fragging bastard he is."
Ratchet glanced up briefly, his optics meeting Danny's. It was hard to read the bot's expression. After a beat, Ratchet's gaze flicked over Danny's body and to where he stood in Starscream's open chest.
"Get out of there," Ratchet told him, his voice firm. "You're too close to his spark."
Danny didn't budge. "No. I'm not leaving him unprotected. If I move, you have an open shot at his spark. I'm not letting that happen."
Ratchet stared him down. "Kid, it's my job to heal and protect. I'm not gonna—"
"—You're also in a war," Danny shot back, his voice rising. "Being a healer doesn't mean you can't hurt someone. It just means you know the best ways how. So forgive me for being defensive over my friend, who's seconds away from offlining because his sociopathic boss beat him within an inch of his life for trying to protect me! And now we're surrounded by enemies—enemies who've been trying to kill him and his entire faction for thousands of years. So no. I'm staying right here."
For a long moment, they stared at each other, tension crackling between them. Danny's core pulsed, refusing to back down. To his surprise, the medic finally broke eye contact and looked back down at Starscream's injuries.
After a brief pause, Ratchet sighed and shouted over his shoulder, "Optimus! Bulkhead! Help me lift him. We need to get him back to base and plugged into spark support immediately."
The two mechs moved without hesitation, their massive frames looming as they approached. Danny's field spiked defensively.
Arcee, however, was less convinced. "We can't bring him to the base!" She protested, her tone sharp. "Can't you do the work here?"
"He'll offline in a few clicks if we don't move him now," Ratchet replied, his voice leaving no room for argument. "We'll restrain him if necessary, but right now, getting him stable is the priority. Optimus?"
"I trust you, old friend," Optimus said.
Bulkhead leaned down to help grab Starscream by the arms. He noticed Danny still standing in Starscream's open chest. "Come on, kid. Get out of there." He grumbled, waving a massive servo toward Danny.
Danny crouched down further, shielding Starscream's spark with his body. "No. I'm not moving."
Bulkhead looked to Ratchet desperately for guidance, but the medic just shook his helm. "Leave him."
Ratchet directed the others on how to lift Starscream without jostling his injuries too much. The moment the Seeker was lifted from the ground, another gush of energon poured from the gaping wound where his wing had been torn off.
Danny's eyes widened in alarm. "His wing—it's over there!" He pointed toward the spot where the severed limb had landed when he'd phased them through the Nemesis floor. "Please tell me you can reattach it."
Ratchet's optics widened as he took in the new injury. "Let's focus on keeping him online first," he said grimly. He glanced back at Arcee. "Grab the wing and any other pieces you can find."
Arcee hesitated for a moment before transforming her weapons back into servos and moving to collect the pieces. Optimus reached up to his audial, sending a com. "Bee, open the groundbridge."
Danny stared as the glowing green portal appeared just where it had before. The Autobots took no time rushing through the groundbridge. Danny placed a shaking hand on Starscream's plating. "You'll be okay, you'll be okay... Please—Please be okay." He whispered.
Authors notes:
Beta read by Arvensia!
The Autobots are here! Though nearly all of you guessed it. We're getting into it now! Heck yeah! So much more to come!
Thanks so much for the support! Sorry for all the cliffhangers, but then again, how else am I gonna be sure you make it back next week? (this one isn't too bad tho). Also, I may have accidentally made this fic like 30-40k words... My bad.
Leave a comment, and have a great week!
(also, funny convo between me and my beta in the comments about the chapter. XD)
