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The Prime
The battle had finally ended and much to the relief of the Autobots there was very little damage done. Optimus Prime took the most damage himself to his right arm. He used it to shield himself from a direct blast to the spark before he was able to transform and get away. The Decepticons had not been so fortunate. They had been relentless in the attacks this time without the usually hit and run.
Ratchet repaired the damage to his arm and now it was only a minor throb. He was on duty watching for any more activity while the others were in recharge and the humans left long ago. Rarely was headquarters ever this quiet. He let his processor wander. His thoughts went to a more pleasant time. He thought about the first time he met Elita vorns before the war began.
“…and then there was the time when I blasted him right in the shoulder. You should have seen the look in his optics as he grabbed it and fell to the ground. Brother? Cybertron to Orion, Is anyone home?”
Megatronus had been talking but Orion quit listening long before. He was far more interested in the data pad in his hand. Orion had been easily distracted lately. Not that it was it was hard to do. He had listened to his elder brother tell the stories of his victories in the arena more times than he could count and to him they were all the same. The silver mech always spoke of how one day he would use his skill fighting and take over Cybertron and fight injustices. Orion didn’t like politics and learned to tune Megatronus out. This day it was easier to do than normal. “You’re amazing brother. If strength was all it took you would be the next Prime in a sparkbeat…” He said. It was becoming the almost rehearsed line that Orion used whenever Megatronus got on his rant. He looked up again and noticed the rose colored femme looking at him.
“Hi,” she said as she approached him. “It is Orion, correct? My name is Elita.” She sat down beside him.
“Yes,” He confirmed. “May I help you, get you some energon or an oil cake perhaps?”
“I have my own credits thanks” she answered smiling. “Two oil cakes please.” She told the waiter in front of her. She turned her attention back to Orion. “Unless I am mistaken I believe you are the one I have been seeing around the archives. I have been at the docks but I will be working over there soon. I thought it would be nice to know someone before I started next decacycle.”
The waiter served the Oil cakes and Elita handed one to Orion. “You didn’t expect me to eat both of them did you?”
Orion nodded. “Thank you” he said taking a bite. Megatronus approached them with a look of jealousy in his optics. Orion noticed as he stormed out in a fury. He shook it off. His older brother had been acting like that a lot lately. “To answer your question, yes, I work with Alpha Trion. It will be nice to have fresh energon over there.” They spoke of arcive work and changes that were happening and some ideas that Orion had.
“If anyone in my clan pulled off change it would be Megatronus…”
“Believe in yourself Orion. You have great things ahead of you. Change is possible and I would get behind you. There is more to leadership than strength. You have compassion, something that most hardened warriors lack. If change comes you will bring it. I will see you next decacycle.” She smiled and her optics shown with something that made Orion’s spark race.
That had been a very good orn and it seemed like only a few decacycles ago instead of vorns ago. Then the war started and he made the worst mistake of his life.
“Elita, sweetspark, you must get off world as quickly as you can. Please take your sisters with you. The cons won’t take prisoners, especially not you. Megatron will kill you just to get back at me. He is a coward and always has been.”
“He won’t! Optimus, please I want to come with you. I want to join the cause. Please my Prime!”
“No, Elita.” He said again as his spark lurched. Please take the shuttle. I will be in touch. I love you. We will be together again. I promise.”
They left and went separate directions. He heard the explosions and could only see debris. He commed her but heard only static.
Optimus thought of that loss. He had not heard from her again, but he held out hope she somehow made it and heard his transmission. He longed for the day he would see her shuttle. He thought of the others that he knew the war had cost him. He struggled most recently with Cliffjumper’s death more than he had before with others due to the great impact it had on his small team. He had to stay strong. The others were leaning on him looking to him for their own strength. He was sure everything would crash under him if he showed any doubt. He was distracted from those thoughts by the sound of the door opening behind him.
“Ratchet, what are you doing? You don’t have to take over yet. It is still early.”
“I have recharged all I am going to this evening, Optimus. I have decided to come see how my patient is doing. I know you aren’t over doing it.” He noticed Optimus was still favoring it a little bit. “It still bothers you.” It wasn’t a question. Ratchet was far too perceptive when it came to his leader and long time friend.
He flexed it a bit trying to convince the medic he was fine. He knew it would be useless. It did ache. “I am fine now, thanks to your skill.” He knew Ratchet would get his way. He was the only mech that ever stood up to him. It was a privilege he earned over the vorns.
Ratchet scanned it and grabbed a small tool. “Give me your arm. I need to make an adjustment.” Optimus hesitantly obeyed. “That should ease the ache off, but you are far from fine. What is on your processor this megacycle?”
“I am tired old friend. This war has dragged on far too long. It started as sibling rivalry and has escalated to involving the whole planet and now others. This should never have happened.” He recounted an old memory of what could have been the start of the rivalry.
“Sire that is so unfair. Orion gets to go off world with you all the time. He never gets called out for missing his required assignments. That spoiled little mech has always been your favorite. He is your and carrier’s perfect little mechling. “ Megatronus screamed at his creators with his eyes glowing a deep shade of purple.
“Megatronus! No bot ever said anything about fair. Never and always are absolutes that simply don’t exist. Now worry about yourself and not Orion. He is younger and I have to watch him more. You should be the more mature one. You are the eldest and supposedly more responsible. He is not making this trip this time either. See to your brother and carrier while I am away and stop being ungrateful.”
He fought back the sobs and walked off almost knocking over Orion who was sitting in the floor.
“Megsy!” Orion called out oblivious to what happened.
“Don’t ever call me that again!” the larger mech huffed. “I am sorry.” He said after noticing his creators scowl. “What do you want?”
“Take me up Megs..Megatronus. I want to fly!”
“Fine,” he said transforming. “Get on.”
They had been in flight for about a breem when the femme noticed them. “Mechs get down now before you injure yourselves. You will be the death of all of us. Megatronus, you know better.”
“It was Orion’s idea..”
“I don’t want to hear excuses, Megatronus. You know better.”
The evening ended with Megatronus getting far worse consequences than Orion and he was bitter the rest of the night.
He paused. “Ratchet, Megatron-“
“Won’t ever change and you know it.”That is what is bothering you. You keep hoping you wont have to-“
“Kill my brother?” He finally spoke out loud. “You’re right Ratchet. I hate the thought of it. But I am not blind to reality either. I will not let it continue but deep in my spark I know that I will not be the one to actually do it.” He turned away trying to hide the doubt now in his spark.
“Optimus, if you need anything…”
“I know. I am to comm. you.”He stopped and looked back at the wall. “Yes, I know you mean if I think I am loosing it again. Understood.”
Their EM fields brushed slightly as Ratchet turned to leave for the remainder of the shift. He knew Prime well enough that he would do whatever was necessary. He knew too well thought the difficulty of making life and death decisions for others, especially if the others were ones you loved dearly.
The Medic
Ratchet knew he had given his CO some comfort but he had a hunch he should wait a moment longer. He cleared his intakes as he stood at the door. Optimus was predictable. The CO thought he was perceptive, but it was more of years of simply noticing things. He remembered the first time they met.
The clinic was busy that day and the young medic had just two more patients before quitting time. He didn’t recall seeing them before. When he stepped out to call them back he saw the youngest pacing the floor nervously. Great, just what I need this evening… he thought.
Megatronus was laughing. “Orion is afraid to fight me and now he is scared of the medic’s. You are such a coward, brother!”
“I am not!” He protested. “I just don’t like other bots that close to me. I like my space, exams, repairs, fights, ugh” He rubbed his right arm. “It is preferable to talk your way out of fights anyway Megsy.”
“I told you not to call me that, Mech!” He limped over to where Orion was pacing.
“Megatronus, leave Orion alone. You only encourage him. You are going to damage your leg further and you have already done enough damage to Orion’s arm. Just be still. These stunts and the resulting fights will end up in the termination of both of you. You are much stronger than him. Act like you have a functioning processor.” The femme told them.
Ratchet shook his helm and introduced himself. He instructed them to follow him. There was something about these younglings that would stick with him.
“Good evening, doc.” The femme said. “My mechs have decided that they would fight, in mid air. Orion likes to stand on Megatronus when he is in alt form. He transformed, flipped and then hit Orion injuring him. He landed wrong injuring himself.”
“Let me see.”
“You first Megsy.” Orion said as he looked in the large mech’s optics and sank back into the corner.
“Fine can we just get this over with? It is worse when I try to transform. I would have rather flown over but I had to wait with them.” He sat impatiently on the exam berth while Ratchet worked swinging his free leg. Ratchet found the damage in the joint and along the transformation seam and repaired it quickly.
“Okay, Orion let me have a look at that arm.” His soft optics seemed to smile at the young mech despite his exhaustion and frustration. “It is hard to fix if I cant touch it or even see it you know. Come on, take your armor platting off and I will show you something cool.” He gave the mechling a quick anatomy lesson and showed him how to weld tears in armor. He was finished after a few klicks. “See, Perfect!”
“Thanks doc!”
“I am not doc!” He said more harshly than he intended. “The name’s Ratchet, remember. You’re welcome, Youngling. Be careful. You’re frame type isn’t meant to be in the air.” He watched them leave. Why do I get the feeling that I will see them again. More often than I want too? He asked himself again.
Ratchet knew he earned Optimus’s trust that day. It would be one defining klick vorns later, however, that would cement their friendship and trust. He saw Optimus again several times before the war began but it was at the Battle of Tiger Pax when he went from being a field medic for the Autobots to being Prime’s CMO, friend, and personal physician.
“We need a medic here now! Someone, help me with him.” The blue and pink femme said as she ran in with the scout. “Megatron is personally responsible and I am surprised he is still with us. I fear it won’t be much longer though. I have done what little I can. His chassis and throat took the most damage. I stopped the bleeding and did a quick transfusion He suffered server loss of energon. We found his as the battle ended. I assume Megatron thought he was offline already.”
“Put him here and get me energon for transfusions.” He looked down at the scout. “Hang in there you will be fine. Rest now.” He assured the yellow scout as he initiated stasis.
Surgery lasted the rest of the afternoon and through the evening to the early morning hours. Ratchet was able to completely repair the extensive damage to his spark chamber and the rest of his chassis. His helm was more difficult but was done without much scaring. He was unable to make any repairs on his voice box. The scout wouldn’t speak again but he lived. It bothered Ratchet and he was troubled about it when Optimus came in.
“Doctor, report!” came the voice of the commanding officer.
“He is stable and should recover but he will never speak again. I was unable to repair the extensive damage to his vocal processors. I am sorry.”
“You saved him Ratchet. He will be grateful. I know I am. Arcee gave me the full report. You are amazing and one of the few I trust. I would ask you to join my team permanently, as an officer. Please, Ratchet, be my CMO.
“Optimus, I am honored but I am not sure I can.”
“Think about it. What you have done for Bumblebee today and what you have done for me in the past. You are one of the very few I can actually trust.”
“Fine. Just don’t be offended when I say I hope my commission is short. This war needs to end. It needed to end vorns ago.”
“Thank you old friend.”
“Ratchet,” Optimus vented softly after some hesitation. “A word with you.” It sounded more like a command than a question although he had no intention of it co come across that way.
Ratchet turned and faced his commanding officer. “What is it Optimus?” He knew it was more than his arm, more than just about Megatron. He was trained to se hurt and fix it but it was all easier with Optimus.
“You would tell me if you thought something was off, if my leadership abilities were compromised, right?”
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting Optimus to ask but that sure wasn’t it. “Of course that is part of my job after all, as your CMO, personal physician, and most importantly friend. And to answer that, no. You are definitely aren’t losing it. However, we have a couple of megacycles before the shift ends and one on one chats never hurt anyone. What is on our mind, besides the fact that your big brother is your mortal enemy?”
He looked at the floor. “I am beginning to question things Ratchet. I simply cannot afford to second guess my decisions. We were fortunate no one else got injured. I can’t afford to have more questions than answers. I am the matrix bearer. I am supposed to have answers. If I am not okay then they are not okay and I need them to be okay. I need them ready when the battle comes. When the opportunity to terminate Megatron comes they need to be ready, and so do I.” He looked at his friend in the optics. “I make decisions and they follow. Sometimes to their death. I ask them to die for me and they do. They die in an extension of my battle, my fight with Megatron. I can’t help but feel responsible. Sometimes I even question the counsel’s choice to give the Matrix to me “
“Optimus,” Ratchet started out gently. “I know there is far more to it than a simple sibling fight. Megatron would have found any excuse to do this. He alone is responsible. They follow you because they believe in you. I follow you because you give me hope. The matrix is rightfully yours. You know that in your spark. It wasn’t given to you by the counsel It came to you.” Ratchet could see doubt still in his commander’s optics. “If it was truly theirs to bestow it would have made far more sense to give it to Megatron. He wanted it and you were arguing his case with him. When it was given to you, you could have handed it over. Why didn’t you? Because it is yours. You are the Prime.”
“Yes but…death. Ratchet, the Matrix doesn’t make those calls. I do. I keep the fighting going. Our numbers here a falling and I can only hope others will hear the call and come. But I ask why would they? Why would they die for a planet that isn’t Cybertron? Will Elita come? No Ratchet. I made those calls, not the Matrix.”
Now it was Ratchet’s turn to pace the floor. “you…you think I don’t know about making that kind of decision?” He was trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. “I don’t have access to Primus, or the wisdom of the ancients through a matrix. I have only my training and experience. That is it! I have way too much experience with death. I spent way too much time trying to decide who I was going to try to repair and who wouldn’t make it. I spent many orns trying to play Primus. Sometimes I make the wrong choice and I have to deal with two deaths. I wonder if I could have saved the other. It is part of the job of being in charge of a unit.” He got close to Optimus and leaned in his face. “I second guess myself for a nanoklick and I move on. I know many others a depending on me . It doesn’t make it easy and it isn’t fair but it is necessary. Optimus in understand about Elita too. I am going to tell you something that few others know. I am telling you because you understand with it is like and I want you to know the real reason I was hesitant to be CMO when you asked at Tiger Pax.
He was seeing patients in the medicenter in the middle of downtown Crystal City. The war had been going on only a few orbital cycles and he was sure it would be over soon. He had not even considered enlisting on either side. The most important reason for this was he was a pacifist and a healer. He hated the fact that bot sides were so willing to kill each other of ideology. He finished up a young decepticon and was on his way to the next exam room. He checked the chart outside the door. He was to do maintenance on a council member. Suddenly his audios were assaulted by the sound of an explosion and the building shook from its foundation. There was no time to react before chaos broke out.
“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. Someone 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 Blaze, 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 Blaze. 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.
I am leaving the city. It is my war now and it was the Decepticons who are responsible. I am joining the Autobot cause today.
Optimus looked at his CMO in disbelief. “Ratchet, I am sorry. I never knew.”
Ratchet simply nodded. The tow officers set together in silence for several klicks. Finally Ratchet broke the silence. “Do you know what I think?” he asked trying to lighten the heaviness that fell upon them. “Now you are going to think I am crazy but I think your creators knew something was unique about you two when they named you. I also don’t think it was coincidence that Alpha Trion became your mentor. Lets just say that out of any two modern Cybertronians there is more to the two of you than meets the optic.
Optimus was not about to tell even Ratchet what memories he regained when the Matrix was given to him so he just nodded. However, it never ceased to amaze him how perceptive his friend was.
“Primus, Ratchet are you saying you think we are the ancients reincarnated?”
Hummmph maybe, maybe not. I am just saying I know destiny when I see it. And I saw it the first time you came into my clinic after the round of Jet Judo with Megatron, sorry Megatronus. I warned you that you would think I am crazy.”
“Sometimes crazy works” was all Optimus managed to say before laughing.
The sun was coming up and the others were beginning to stir. They heard loud music outside as a human driven vehicle passed. …I get knocked down but I get up again/ aint nothing gonna keep me down/I get knocked down… Both mechs laughed. Humans and their music.
“Well I guess that is a sign” Optimus said. “Thanks Ratchet. I am glad to know you get it and that I am not in fact losing it.”
“Just doing my job. Speaking of which your shift is over and you are under pede.
Optimus nodded. He left but not before welcoming the embrace of the medics EM field. Both of their sparks were a bit light than before. The burden of responsibility for life and death was easier when each knew the other didn't bear it alone. It wasn’t about cohorts or C.N.A that makes brothers. It is shared experiences that makes the bonds and that is true brotherhood.