Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Beginnings: Wheeljack
Approximately four vorns before the war for Cybertron…
"Necessity is the carrier of inventions" the large green and grey mech told his not so young anymore mech of his. It was a phrase Wheeljack heard as far back as he could remember and he reminded the young mech of it once again. His Mech creator, Roadblock, was constantly tinkering with things and finding ways to improve life in their medium-sized apartment outside of Iacon. "It sparked Cyberton's greatest inventions from the atmospheric and weather controls, to the unique and beautiful architecture of Polyhex, and even interstellar travel itself. When you need it inspiration will always come."
Wheeljack listened intently his optics wide watching his creator in his makeshift lab. He liked the stories about the inventors and discoveries for the planet. He heard them thousands of times but they never got old. He would one day be a part of all that.
"Hopefully it will help carrier with her assignment in the city too" Roadblock had already improved the elevator in their apartments and made adjustments on bridges for the increasing number of grounders. This time, however, Roadblock was working on redesigning engines that could use less energon but still have the same energy output, and hopefully later be adapted to be used by the bots themselves as adaptations on their own internals. So far the small lab had not exploded in the attempt. Wheeljack could only hope he wouldn't have to call in Lifeline this time.
Blaze, Wheeljack's femme creator, was a chemist in Iacon and was at work in the city more than she was at home. Her current assignment was on ways to counter the inescapable fuel shortage that was bound to happen. There were too many bots wasting what energon they had and tensions were growing among the classes, her own working/middle caste was feeling it, even more so than they had in the past. She feared the worst but kept her concerns at the lab and would not let her emotions affect her at home. She laughed with Roadblock and encouraged Wheeljack to follow his goals and attend the academy of Science and Engineering in Iacon. 'He definitely had the interest and was at least as talented as his sire'. She laughed quietly to herself as she prepared to leave for the evening. She walked in on the conversation about Roadblocks work and Wheeljack leaving for the Academy.
"Just be careful. Energon can be volatile and I am sure Lifeline is off duty. She will not want to come piece you and I back together." Wheeljack finally said.
"Yes, yes. I know. I wouldn't do anything dangerous. Especially with you sitting right here Jackie. I'll give you a vorn or so if you even need that long. You'll go off to the academy next lunar cycle and come up with better things than I ever will or better than even Blaze's discoveries."
"No doubt he will! Glad to see you are taking precautions with Wheeljack in the room." the femme's voice answered as she came in the lab. "Been working hard too, I see? I hope you are closer to a solution on your end than we are." She smiled but her voice
dropped. "The politicians are getting restless."
"They stay that way, carrier. The answers lie in science and technology not in politics anyway. Mainly because all the politicians care about is themselves not making Cybertron better for all bots. It is necessary that we find something, so we will. Necessity is the carrier of inventions". Wheeljack repeated smiling optics and fins bright. There is a reason Iacon is front and center here and will be for vorns to come."
Blaze only smiled and shook her helm. "You are absolutely right my young mech. What will we do while you are away at the Academy next Orbital Cycle?"
"What you always do." He said as he left the lab to go refuel and read some before recharge cycle. He watched the bustle of bots leaving the city and heading out into the suburbs as evening turned to night. He watched the stars and was suddenly hit with anxiety. He knew that the answers would come in science and technology as he told his creators before but what if they didn't come soon enough? What if war did come over something like energy reserves? Would they rust away to nothing or die in battles trying not to rust? What if the answers came but no one cared to listen? He had to be prepared for anything. He would continue to seek the answers and enroll in the Academy as he planned next Orbital Cycle but he would take combat classes too somewhere. He would be a warrior and an engineer if he had to be. Somehow that thought brought him comfort and he reclined on his berth and fell into a peaceful deep defrag level of recharge.
The following solar cycles and vorns passed without incident. Wheeljack did well in his studies and was getting ready to graduate from Engineering School. He surprised himself with only a few explosions and because of that found himself a new friend who happened to be a medical student there at the Science Academy who was a year ahead of him.
"I swear Wheeljack you alone are going to be my case study. No doubt you are becoming a brilliant engineer but somehow I don't think creative ways to get to the Well in hundreds of pieces are going to be required in your line of work. My professors laugh when I tell them my field experiences all come from the same patient. They want to meet you. You are becoming quite the celebrity in Medical"
"Whatever, Ratchet, just fix the hand okay." He really liked the soon-to-be-Doctor but today it was getting on his last circuit. "This one was actually going to work. I was sure of it. The energon was almost-"
"Energon! You were blowing up your own fuel?"
"No, doc, I was trying to make it last longer. An ongoing experiment that my family started vorns ago. I thought I was getting close"
"Well that is one way not to do it, and don't call me Doc."
"Lifeline said the same thing to my creators, well Roadblock in particular."
Ratchet paused and looked him in the optics. "Of course, Wheeljack, it makes sense now. You are not as fragged up as I thought. At least you come about it honestly. I have heard Lifeline's stories. One day you will have a breakthrough or you will break through to the Well." He continued with the minor repair. "Wheeljack, be careful." He finished up. "You can go. Maybe you should take that experiment of yours and sneak it into the senate"
"Shush Doc. You don't want to be overheard saying that. Not in these times."
"Yeah I know. Good thing everything in this room is confidential now get."
"Thanks, doc, I mean thanks sunshine."
He left the infirmary and went back to class. Things went on like that and he kept up with Ratchet now that they had acquaintances in common and therefore more to talk about than just being accident prone. Shortly after he graduated it all began. It started with a communication from Blaze that there had been an attack on Tarn and Polyhex. Roadblock had been in Polyhex and was captured by the Decepticons. War had started. It was too late.
Ratchet
The young mech stood at the doorway of the Iacon Academy of Science and Medicine as the golden gleam of the spires reflected the rising Cybertronian sun. This was what he had waited for and prepared for for so long. Today was the day he would begin repair school. He would become a doctor and had no doubt he would be the best as it was written in his CNA being from a line of healers dating as far back as his clan could remember. There were plenty of things that could be considered unjust happening in society but he was fortunate enough to be part of the healing class and while not the wealthiest class he definately was never wanting for anything. Now he was to fulfill that calling.
"Hey what are you standing there for, mech, you're going to be late or at the very least make every one of us late."
The voice of the large green and yellow mech leading the group of third orn students standing behind him shook him out of his daydream and he went in. The atrium was huge and he finally made his way to the front to get his class schedule and a map of the building. (not that he needed one. He had been here thousands of times and knew it almost as well as he knew how to navigate his own home.)
He glanced at his schedule quickly and headed of to his first anatomy class. Lecture passed quickly and he found himself in Lab. Lifeline, the professor, spoke softly almost as if they were in a temple. "Here before you you will find the frame of what was one a living venting generous fellow Cybertronian. In joining the Allspark he decided to continue his generosity giving his shell to allow you to learn. You are to study, learn all you can, but do not under any circumstances show any disrespect."
Ratchet looked down at the white and green frame before him. He vented deeply found himself choking back emotion that he didnt realize he had. One that the same professor tried desperately to convince the class they didnt need. He didnt understand it anyway. He never knew this mech before him yet there was something about. him. "Alright focus, to work we go" he told himself and his attention once again to his professor.
Lifeline met him after class. "I saw your emotion earlier, Ratchet. You need to watch yourself."
"Professor, Im sorry. I thought I hid it well. I dont know what happened. It wont happen again."
"No, Ratchet. That isnt what I meant. I think you get it better than most. You will feel. You will hurt. What I said in lecture about not feeling was not letting those feelings get to you. To feel but to focus. You did well. I will be hard on you young mech becasue I see potential in you. Not because of where you came from but because of who YOU are. I expect great things."
Ratchet simply nodded.
The soon to be medic shook himself out of recharge. Why did that memory surface? It had been two years. He was now third year and about to start full on clinical rotations. He checked his internal chronometer. "good" he thought. "I still have about three cycles left before clinicals start.
He heard his roommates laughing as he got up to refuel. A look of disbelief "What are you doing?"
"Practicing for Clinicals. On each other...you know anything for science."
"Yeah, okay. That is not any exam I have seen or wanted to see. Carry on but secure the door next time. Oh and you only have have a joor. You'd better not be late. Lifeline will not be pleased."
"What have you and Lifeline been up to, Ratchet?" the femme asked him grinning.
"WHAT? How dare you even think..." Ratchet was furious. "As if I would need to do such..."
"Come on" the other mech called. "It isnt worth it."
"No it isnt," Ratchet told himself as he prepared to leave. He would go to the library and read up one more time before his first real patient.
Ratchet stood behind Lifeline as he knocked and let himself in.
"Hi Wheeljack. Id like to introduce you to my student Ratchet. He will be taking care of you today. If that is okay. I will be here observing."
"Fine Doctor." Wheeljack managed to say through clinched denta. Hey Ratchet. As you can see I managed to damage my left arm and side. I was working on a new invention and well it didnt work, but i know what happened and I will fix it.
Ratchet noded as he walk up to get a better look. The smell of burnt wiring was strong and those from Wheeljack's shoulder joing were popping. He had a large scortch mark on his left side.
"What do you plan to do Ratchet?" Lifeline asked from behind.
Ratchet gave a detailed treatment and Lifeline nodded. "proceede"
It took all of about a joor and the repair was complete. "Nice work" Lifeline stated as he looked over the repair. "Lets go." They walked out and stopped outside before joining the others. "Wheeljack is a regular. His creators are chemists and engineers. What ever doesn't blow up in his face is usually magnificent. However those seem few and far between. You will likely see a lot of him in the next two years. He seemed at ease with you which is good. I have been his family's physician for a while now. He doesn't trust easily. It looks like you may ease my load with him." Lifeline laughed but only for a moment.
The days passed and Ratchet learned Lifeline was correct. He began to see and like Wheeljack..a lot. The last time Ratchet saw him as a student was interesting. The political climate of the planet was turning dark. The planet seemed to grow darker with it. Ratchet walked in after quickly reviewing his chart.
"What have you done?" His hand was almost completely detached and scorched wires were sizzling and popping from his wrist.
"it was going well but the energon was unstable and it exploded when i was tryin.."
"So You BLEW UP YOUR OWN FUEL?" Ratchet could hardly believe his audios. "We are slowly running out. if war breaks out we will have none. Why would you waste it like that? What were you thinking?"
"Easy there Doc. Had it been successful I would have found a way to never run out. However, I think I am going to need more work..."
"I THINK..." Ratchet started to say but Wheeljack cut him off.
"I think you need to fix my arm"
"As I was saying I think Lifeline was right. And that is definately not one way to save energon. Maybe we can take that experiment of yours and sneak it into the senate."
Shh Doc. that is not something to discuss out loud in these times. Not even in a private clinical setting. Thanks doc...I mean thanks sunshine."
"Dont call me that!" Ratchet said laughing. "youre good to go." That was the last time he treated wheeljack as a student the next time was in a much grimmer situation.
He was seeing patients in the medicenter in the middle of downtown Crystal City.Ratchet just finished up the Decepticon who was trying to convince him to join thier cause. He had seen his friend Wheeljack just before who had confided that he had joined the Autobots and was trying to convince Ratchet to join them. He told Ratchet that the Prime needed and CMO and believed he would be the best for the position. He declined stating clearly he had no business in the war and that it would end soon. That was when all Pit broke loose.
“The building behind us collapsed in an explosion. Hundreds were killed on impact and many more are critically wounded. We will need all medical personnel we can get.” Came the announcement over the comm. unit. Wheeljack ran in behind him. “They are on their way. Come on Ratchet we need you.” He instructed the counsel member on where to go for safety until the building was cleared and warned him to stay out of the way.
Ratchet!” someone screamed as the doors flew open. A light blue femme was standing there holding a red youngling about 6 vorns old and both were covered from helm to pede in energon. He felt his own energon run cold in his veins and refused to believe his optics for a klick. Chromia was standing there with Firebolt, the sparkling she had adopted vorns before.
“NO! Primus please not them. You have to help me.” Ratchet silently and desperately prayed. He began to bark at the students and nurses around him. “I need energon and coolant here stat!”
“Ratchet” Chromia whispered as her fans kicked on high and her vents backed up. “Don’t worry about me. Take care of Firebolt. I love you and will see you in the Well.
“No don’t. Hold on for me sweet spark. I will save both of you.
He looked at her and doubted he could save both but the youngling had youth going for him and with the necked optic his wounds looked far less severe. Chromia had used her body to shield him from the flying debris that pierced her plating. His medical protocols engaged shutting off his feelings and allowing him to focus on the patient in front of him without thinking about who it was. He worked steadily for breems and only paused when he noticed Chromia’s signal go offline. Now he had no choice but to save him. He repaired all the visible damaged and what his scanners showed but by the end of the solar cycle he too had offlined. Ratchet assisted the others and left.
This was personal now. It was his war. He contacted Wheeljack and joined the cause.