Alright, here's to my second fan fic. Be gentle, I pretty much never write in first POV so I'm terrified this is going to bomb.
My first fan fic story for those who don't know is Nightspark, that's not in fist person POV so if this isn't your thing, try giving that story a try.

Anyways, since this story kind of popped out of my head without warning I feel it isn't fair for my first story to suffer so the updates on this one won't be as often as Nightspark which means you'll have to be willing to deal with irregularity here.

Now, I don't want people to start throwing things at me for what Ironhide says in his part so let me clarify this immediately. I have utmost respect for all military, especially for my country and what I wrote here does not reflect my personal views towards that. I don't think I wrote anything offensive but I just want to make sure it's known, no harm intended. This is just how I think an outsider's point of view would be, especially an alien's. I had a friend of mine once say something similar to this and that's where the idea came from originally.

Well, I hope this goes well so enjoy as best you can.

Ratchet:

Why do I always get myself in these situations? Seriously, I enjoy kicking Decepticon aft as often as the next Autobot but I'm not Ironhide, seriously, why?

"Ratchet, what is your location?" Optimus responded on the comm.

"Too slaggin far way," I answered at first, thinking it quite a logical answer but knew what Prime really wanted, "Thirty miles west of our intended meeting area."

"Sit tight, we are on our way. Bumblebee and Acree are dealing with a problem of their own at the moment and I had to send Prowl their way."

"Problem?" I asked. I was desperate for a distraction from my own misfortune, "what kind of problem."

"The same problem you're having only it starts with a B and ends with a Cade," Prime told me and I can pick up that he was slightly annoyed I was asking something totally irrelevant to my own position instead of focusing on surviving.

"Just one problem?" I laughed, "I've got three."

"Slag it Ratchet, why didn't you say something sooner. Who is it?"

I could really hear the concern in his voice now.

"Oh, just the usual, Starscream, Soundwave, and Skywarp," I answered and cursed when a few pieces of blasted off rubble rained down on my head; not that it hurts or anything, it was just a close shot.

"Hang tight, Ratchet, we'll be there in a few minutes."

"Right," I muttered and dared to peek out from behind my shelter, big mistake. With a yelp, I fell back behind my shield gripping my smoking leg. Fragger got luck with that shot but I know it's not serious. It will hurt for a few days but nothing near life threatening. Thinking about injuries, that gets me worrying about Bee and Acree. Barricade is a nasty Con spat out from the depths of the Pit itself. The Selene police car has a dirty style of fighting, more so than usual among the Decepticons to the point where it became well known to all in the war. It's also no secret the slaggin Con is one of Megatron's best interrogators as well. I shudder to think of the battle between Barricade and the young innocent Bumblebee and slender figure of Acree. It is pretty devastating in my mind and the only thing that keeps me from rushing out to find them is that I know well to not underestimate the femme and that Bumblebee is more than a capable fighter with the personal training he gets from Ironhide.

Instead, here I am, hiding behind this rock having to wait for Optimus, Ironhide, and probably Inferno to show up and save my aft yet again. I guess it's the price to pay for being a medic. Built to save others but not myself. Maybe I would have to take Ironhide up on his offer to install a new weapon system on my frame, after a complete and thorough inspection of the equipment first of course.

Finally, a couple of minutes later and I'm breathing easier once they show up on my scanners. Yep, the three I originally thought. Giving me renewed strength, I forced myself up on to my injured leg and peeked out even slower to survey what's going on now. I see Starscream and Skywarp but no Soundwave. Maybe he's rushing out to meet the three incoming Autobots to give the chance for these two slaggers to take me out. Unfortunately for me, it's a common Decepticon tactic that tends to have a high success rate.

Putting my attention back to what I was doing I notice Starscream pauses and calls for Skywarp to cease-fire. I'm truly confused, what in the pit is going on? They're just crouching there, looking at me while Starscream is smiling as if Megatron himself just came over and appointed him the new Decepticon leader.

My answer comes soon enough when I hear a crunch of gravel behind me. With a curse I try to spin around in time to defend myself in some way but it's too late. Hot sharp searing pain flashes through my frame and all I see next is darkness.

Ironhide:

I was relaxing; quite nicely thank you, at our meeting point before it all went haywire. I had been the first to reach the destination near an hour early and decided to stretch out in my bipedal form under the sun till the others showed. We each had our simple missions around the world and were finally coming together again for the first time in a year. Boy did I miss a few of these mechs. I never realized how lucky I was to be in the Cybertronian army and not America's. Man these guys have more rules than a femme has for those around her newly created sparkling.

I mean we are military all the way. Ratchet is a medic, yes, but for the war he is a battle medic, a soldier as well. Then there's the youngling, Bee, he's a spy but a spy for the Autobots. It seems that maybe we give way to a little more personality in our army compared to America's. After all there's no "every one looks the same" thing with us, we aren't all green camo painted mechs walking around. And this strange "don't ask don't tell." I had to get Will to explain that to me, and what a shock. Mech on mech is pretty often in our race, we don't really specify gender but if we were humans it would still be the same. On top of that, inter military relations are frowned upon? What does that even mean? There are plenty of bonded in our army and we've never had a problem, some times Optimus even encourages us to find someone. Their army is pretty strange, but you know what, it's not really my place to tell them it's wrong. It works for them, pretty well I hear, so a gold star to the military.

There are a few things I do wish we would pick up. Required weapon qualifications. I mean, most of the soldiers that are in the action keep up with what they need to stay in top fighting condition but there are exceptions. It's not a requirement for any Bot, just an assumption he or she will do what is right. After basic training, which I am glad every soldier must go through, you can just pretty much kick it to the side. As in Ratchet's case, what he knows now is the same basic routines from basic training. Predictable moves that Decepticons already know like the back of their hands making medics such prime targets. I've tried and tried again to get the medic to change his routine, get some new ideas and more practice but Ratchet isn't one for orders and seems to really only listen to Optimus, one of the main reasons why he is the Autobot CMO. No one is above a medic's orders. I'm just glad that the young one, Bee listens to me and is in top condition for his own field. Heck, with the personal training I'm giving him he's even pretty good to hold his own in a normal fight, well in a normal unfair fight with Cons that is.

This is one reason why Prime sent us out across the country, a few going international, to learn to cohabitate with the humans and to possibly see if maybe they have done a few things that might improve our own way of living. I'm going to defiantly mention what I found out to him. He owes me that much after being stuck on a Primus forsaken base in the middle of nowhere with only Will to keep me company. The guy is great, really he his, a kindred spark but he had the luxury to come and go and wasn't always there. I nearly begged the general once to give Will clearance to take me with him once when he got leave but I just couldn't see the genius in a twenty six foot tall robot falling to his knees to plead with a man who barely topped six for some time off. Instead, with the suggestion from Will, I put in a request and of course the answer was no and I was stuck with processor numbing boredom. Geeze, no wonder I miss even Prowl's silent presence.

So here I am, half an hour to go and my scanner picks up two inbound Autobots, Prime and Inferno. I hop up as the two come rumbling in. They had met yesterday when their paths cross and decided to come together. Optimus is always suggesting we travel in pairs but we never really take it seriously. I quickly gave Optimus a very brief overview of my year with the American military and was nearly done when the first call for help came in.

"Special Agent Bumblebee calling in a priority alert," Bee called to us. It came on all our comms as standard procedure for any distress messages.

"Go ahead, Agent Bumblebee," Optimus answered immediately, dropping the casual tone he was using with me to the tough and hardened one of a leader.

"I've met up with Acree but we've got a little problem here. Barricade is on our afts and isn't going away anytime soon. We could keep up a chase normally but he clipped Acree pretty badly and it's gonna be a matter of time before we have to give pause and fight."

"Understand, Bumblebee. What is your location?"

"We're still on the Interstate 10, I didn't think it wise to lead him back to our destination incase he is just leading more to launch a full out attack on all of us."

"Is there much traffic?"

"Surprisingly, not really, a few truckers but no other vehicles."

"Alright, get away from the humans and off road it. Head south east of our destination by five miles. We'll meet you there."

"I'll do my best to keep Acree going but I can't make any promises. I'll let you know if anything changes."

And with that, Bumblebee was done, now focusing on his problem. I was already in my alt mode, revving to go and wondering why Optimus was still waiting.

"What's going on?" Inferno asked, also ready to head out and help.

"I need to call the others that aren't here yet. Maybe one of them is closer to help before we can get there."

"Can't we drive and do that at the same time?" I asked impatiently, Bee is in serious trouble. Barricade is not a Con to be taken lightly and the youngling sounded as if he would be fighting single handedly with the condition Acree was in.

Optimus glared at me for a moment before his optics dulled and I knew he was hailing his scattered soldiers on private comm lines.

"Another attack on Red Alert but he says he can handle it and Hotshot is nearly there to assist," Optimus sighed, flickering his optics when the connection ended.

"How do the slaggin Cons know about us coming together right now?"

"Well it wasn't exactly secret was it?" Optimus snapped and I was silent realizing I was pushing his patience.

"This is Chief Medical Officer Ratchet calling in a priority alert," my and Inferno's comm rang out since Optimus' is still tapped on to private comms.

We immediately froze. Ratchet, our medic was in trouble without anyone near him as well. In truth he is in the most deserted section of the area.

"What is the situation, Ratchet?" Optimus asked, immediately dropping whatever conversation he was silently having to talk to his old friend and soldier.

"Slaggin Cons caught me by surprise."

"Cons?" I asked in alarm, so far all the other Autobots had been attacked by only a single Decepticon.

Optimus too seemed worried.

"What is your location?" Optimus asked quickly.

"Too slaggin far way," I nearly snorted at his response, rely on Ratchet to be sarcastic in even the worst of times, "Thirty miles west of our intended meeting area."

"Sit tight, we are on our way. Bumblebee and Acree are dealing with a problem of their own at the moment and I had to send Prowl their way."

So that's whom he had been talking to, made sense now. Prowl wasn't one for public conversations.

"Problem?" Ratchet asked, "What kind of problem?"

There was Ratchet again thinking of others instead of himself. Optimus seemed to think the same thing I am thinking and shook his head but answered.

"The same problem you're having only it starts with a B and ends with a Cade."

"Just one problem?" the medic laughed nervously, "I've got three."

I felt as if my spark was going to freeze with fear. Three Cons against a medic not built for such a brutal outmatched battle? It was suicide. We have to move now.

"Slag it, Ratchet, why didn't you say something sooner. Who is it?" Optimus yelled, clearly beginning to lose composure, as I knew for sure he was thinking what I was.

"Oh the usual, Starscream, Soundwave, and Skywarp," Rachet replied casually as if he was having a cube of energon with them.

Before Optimus responded we heard close by weapon's fire and a curse from the medic but without Ratchet voicing any complaint we knew he was still fine.

"Hang tight, Ratchet, we'll be there in a few minutes."

With that the conversation is over and we are racing towards him.

I must be in some kind of shock because I feel nothing but fear and dread on the drive over. It is defiantly a feeling I am not accustom to on the battlefield and have never felt it before. I've always been the emotionless one when it came to blasting apart Decepticon aft. Is it because of Ratchet that I am like this? Sure the medic had gotten into scrapes before but this one seemed different. I kept seeing flashes of him ripped apart lying across the desert ground rush through my mind. It's a toxic and overpowering image. I think even Optimus realizes something is wrong with me, but I'm not saying a word. No need to show weakness.

"I'm picking up three Decepticons straight ahead," Inferno alerted a few minutes later.

"They're retreating," Optimus said, sounding confused for a moment.

"Good," Inferno said but I thought otherwise. They were retreating; they had done what they had set out to do. Panic propelling me forward; I went even faster, out pacing Optimus and ignoring his yells to fall back into formation.

I slammed into a halt as I came upon the scene. This is worse than my imagination.

Ratchet, our medic, the best slaggin CMO the universe would ever have, is on the ground slashed open and draining energon onto the hard, dry ground as if it is water.

Optimus stopped growling curses at me when he finally saw what I saw.

Moving slowly, almost as if I was in a dream, I walked over to kneel next to Ratchet.

"Oh, Ratchet. Not like this," I hardly recognize my voice in its strangled whisper and reach out to pull the medic's broken frame into my arms.

I can't bear this war anymore. Too many innocents have been killed, too many of those who don't deserve it. Why should he be the one to go? Ratchet was a pure spirit sticking to his programming too well, helping even when Decepticons were in need. Now he is gone, forever.

Optimus came to my side and laid a hand on my shoulder, but to give comfort to me or support for himself, I don't know.

I scoop Ratchet up into my arms, ready to carry him on the long walk back to meet our comrades when my scanner suddenly detects a small strange energy flare. Pausing, I double-check the reading…spark energy?

"Ratchet?" I ask, unable to believe what I'm seeing. I have to look down at his exposed spark chamber to verify it.

As if answering to my voice, his optics flash on and he arches his back pitifully, giving a strangled cry of pain.

"Ratchet!" Optimus gasped.

Ratchet is hanging like dead weight in my arms, but nonetheless I know he is alive when his optics lock onto mine as he gasped for air, any air. Primus, Soundwave has really done a number on him.

"Relax, we'll get you to base soon and First Aid will patch you up."

He shakes his head weakly.

"You need help!" I argue.

"Won't…make it…" he tries to explain.

"Tell us what to do. Tell me what to do, Ratchet."

"Spark is weak," he whispered, his optics are dulling and I know he's falling towards recharge, or worse, stasis.

"Do you know how to strengthen his spark?" I ask Optimus immediately, almost desperately I'm surprised to say. The Autobot leader shakes his head sadly but thank all the gods of the universe as suddenly Inferno speaks up.

"I do."

Looking back down to give Ratchet the good new I see he's already off line. Slag it, I don't need medical knowledge to tell me he's in stasis.

"Tell me, hurry."

"I've heard of this happening. It's the one sure way on the battlefield to help strengthen a spark to buy more time for them to reach a medic's help."

"What is it?" I really am getting desperate. This medic has grown on me. I'm going to have to change that.

"Spark bonding."

The word hangs in the air and I can't help but look at Inferno like he's gone and blown his processor. That can't be right. Spark bonding is the medical secret to surviving this type of situation.

"It's the only thing that is solid proof," Inferno said as if he could hear my thoughts.

I look over at Optimus, waiting for an order. I just can't compute anything any more. My own processor is frozen.

"I can't," Optimus sighed, and it sounded as if those two words were the most painful thing he has ever spoken in his life.

That simple response brings me back to reality as I wonder why. But then I remember and I can't blame him. No one could ask Prime to do this. He was already bonded to anther and to eliminate that bond to create another would kill his current sparkmate. Such a request was too high and ludicrous. When you think about it what's the gain? Optimus would essentially be trading one life for another. And that other life would be one he deeply loved.

Next to me, Inferno shifted uncomfortably thinking he was the next in line for the question but I all ready knew and accepted what was going to happen. Every one knew Inferno and Red Alert had their optics on each other and I couldn't take that away from them. It would be cruel.

Me, on the other hand, I'm Mister Solitude. I have no one in my life and when I think about it, I'm probably the only other mech in the entire universe that can handle the medic. So I guess it's decided. Primus help me, I'm going to be Ratchet's sparkmate.

What did you think?

Reviews are much appricated and tell me if I'm on the right track or not.
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