A World Beyond Our Own | TFP AU

24 || Human-Place

The sun had risen high in the sky by the time Ratchet and Optimus reached the outskirts of the human-place.

Ratchet had been on high alert ever since the scent of humans entered his nose. While he wasn't normally this paranoid, the situation was what made things worse for him. He was worried about Taylor, but he was also worried about his well-being and Optimus's.

How would they know which humans could help and which couldn't? What if they reacted aggressively? The medic had heard stories of human weapons shooting projectiles that embedded themselves deep in the flesh and would rather not encounter one himself.

"How is she?"

Optimus's soft voice startled Ratchet out of his thoughts. He blinked and cast a glance over his shoulder. Taylor hadn't moved at all from her position between his shoulder blades. Her eyes were still closed, indicating that she was either asleep, which was unlikely, or unconscious. Ratchet let out a sigh and turned his head towards Optimus.

"I'm.. not sure." He admitted, lowering his gaze. "Curse my lack of knowledge about the human body. If I had just taken the time to—"

"Do not blame yourself for this. Neither of us could have prevented what happened." Optimus gently cut him off. He looked at Taylor for a moment before his stoic blue gaze returned to the path ahead of him. "Had she been injured in any other way, I know you would have done your best to help her. You are doing your best to help her now by taking her to her kind."

Ratchet wanted to argue, but found he had no argument. Optimus had a point. While it wasn't the way he had imagined, he was still helping Taylor. Still, he couldn't help but feel useless. What would happen once he handed her off to other humans? Would that be the last time he ever saw her? He shook his head to rid himself of that thought and huffed softly.

He needed to focus.

The two dragons padded in silence for a while. Ratchet occasionally checked on Taylor just to make sure nothing had changed. With every passing minute, the medic grew more and more nervous. They had to be close, right? He never thought he'd want to be in the human-place this badly in his entire life.

Optimus suddenly slowed to a stop, gesturing for Ratchet to do the same. In the distance, he could make out a building of some sort amongst the trees.

Ratchet narrowed his eyes as he studied the house in the distance. He knew that some humans preferred to live out in the woods, but that didn't mean one lived in that particular house.

"Do you think the home is occupied?" He asked Optimus, who was still staring off in the distance.

"One way to find out." Optimus murmured, padding forward once more.

Ratchet lowered his head and cautiously followed the Prime, still nervous that something dangerous would leap out at them. He wasn't so sure about this anymore, but he pushed his fear down. This was for Taylor.

As they grew closer, Ratchet could hear someone's voice coming from an open window. He froze along with Optimus once they neared the edge of the yard, knowing they would no longer have cover to hide themselves. While the undergrowth was still thick around the trimmed grass, they would still have to step beyond the forest in order to interact with the human inside the house.

"Set her down. I will watch her." Optimus spoke quietly from where he was crouched.

"What?!" Ratchet nearly shouted, but remembered to keep his voice down at the last second. He crouched down and gave Optimus a slight look. "You want me to speak to the human? You know I'm not a conversationalist!" He hissed, his eyes shifting anxiously between the house and the Prime.

"I do not think the human would appreciate my presence if I approached looking like this."

Ratchet let out a huff of annoyance and shook his head. He hated when Optimus was right sometimes. There was no way they would get what they needed with Optimus looking fresh out of a fight with those nasty gashes across his face. Looks like it was up to him now, unfortunately.

"Fine, fine." He muttered dejectedly, reaching around to gently grip Taylor by her sweatshirt with his teeth. He lowered her onto the ground beside Optimus and sighed. "You had better tell me if something happens to her."

Optimus offered a small smile. "I will make sure to inform you of any changes, old friend."

Ratchet rolled his eyes, returning his gaze to the house ahead of him. Much to his surprise, something unexpected just changed the plan.

There was another human; a young boy who looked to be about Taylor's age. He was out in the yard, seemingly messing around with something. So who was the human in the house? His mother, perhaps?

Ratchet groaned inwardly. "Why can't things ever be simple?" He mumbled under his breath as he slowly rose from the ground. The medic swallowed his fear and stepped through the undergrowth.

As soon as the boy spotted him, he let loose a scream of terror and scrambled backwards, kicking up dirt and grass. Panic spiked in Ratchet's chest as he frantically tried to think of a way to make the boy stop screaming before his mother came out.

Too late.

"Jack, what in the world are you screaming abo—" A woman shouted as she stepped out onto the back porch, her black hair tied back into a pony tail. Before she could finish her sentence, she laid eyes upon the monstrous beast that was Ratchet and let out a horrified gasp. "What is that thing doing in the yard?!"

Ratchet took a few steps back, confused by all the screaming. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, as his mind was still racing a thousand miles per hour. "Ah.. I'm... very sorry to intrude on your territory but—"

"Jack, get the gun! Get it now!"

"Wait!" Ratchet said louder than he had meant to, practically bellowing the word at the top of his lungs. He couldn't help that he was scared! Now that both humans were both presumably frozen in fear, he took a moment to breathe and gather himself. This was more stressful than he thought it would be. "I mean you no harm..." He continued in a quieter voice.

Seeing the looks on their faces, he figured they probably didn't believe him. He sighed and lowered his head, his gaze softening. "Look, there's no time to explain. We have a human who is injured and needs your help."

After a brief moment of silence, the boy slowly pushed himself to his feet and spoke. "W-Who's we?"

Ratchet opened his mouth to answer, but the rustling of bushes behind him meant he wouldn't have to. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Optimus's large frame parting through the undergrowth, Taylor carefully gripped in his jaws.

The woman visibly paled upon the sight of the much larger Prime, especially since he was carrying a human in his jaws. She wasn't sure how to react at all. She could only watch as Optimus approached and placed Taylor before her.

"Can you help her?" Optimus asked gently, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't spook her.

The woman stared at Optimus and Ratchet, then looked over at her son. She then glanced down at the girl who laid at her feet. The girl didn't seem badly injured, but she was obviously unconscious.

"Y-Yes, I can." She finally said after a moment's hesitation, her voice shaking a bit.

Ratchet let out a sigh of relief, allowing his shoulders to sag a bit. At least Taylor would be getting help now. That was all he wanted.

Now came the waiting game.