The Day We Hailed The Heavens

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Instinct

Transforming speedily and almost tripping himself up in his haste, Ratchet fell heavily to his knees and slammed his fist into the ground, wheezing. His spark burned and throbbed viciously within its casing and he could see the light eking from between the gaps in his armour, shedding dazzling rays of vivid blue onto the grass beneath him as he desperately conducted a self-diagnostic.

The scan told him that he was in perfect condition: his body was functioning normally, although he needed some energon to top up his supplies a little. But this was perfectly ordinary for the medic – he often sacrificed his own supplies in order to give it to others who needed it more, and he knew well enough that it should not affect him in any way, apart from making him feel a little fatigued. It was more important to have plenty of emergency backup energon, in his opinion, and if that meant less for him… then it would have to do.

He was trembling uncontrollably and he hunched over himself painfully, clenching his fists to stop his digits from shaking. His central processing unit appeared to be running at equilibrium and he could not understand why the scanners were not picking up on the way he could no longer see properly, and the way his spark was almost exploding with energy.

It was then that he remembered that investigating the inner workings of his spark required a different form of scanning. Mentally reprimanding himself for being such an inept medical officer when it came to his own body, he ran the appropriate program and waited for a minute or so, wishing that he could stop the shivers that racked his limbs and the hot, burning feeling of pleasure and pain that was erupting from his chest.

Whatever the slag had happened, he did not like it one bit.

Despite the fact that the pain in his spark was strong and, frankly, agonising, it was also sending an odd tingling feeling through him that was strangely satisfying. He put a hand to the armour that hid his life force from view, and was stunned to feel how hot it was around that area – he began to fear that the metal would be unable to cope if the temperature increased any further.

Finally, the results of the spark scan registered in his CPU.

Spark energy levels: optimum potential.

His optics widened in utter astonishment and he shook his head, still quivering, before he sat back heavily and wrapped his bulky arms around himself protectively. He had suspected this development as soon as it had happened, and he had hoped on hope for this moment for millennia… and yet now he wished that it had not come.

“Ratch’?”

Ratchet flinched and recoiled when Mikaela’s soft voice came from behind him, and he looked over his shoulder like a wounded, frightened dog.

His charge was standing at the colossal feet of Ironhide – the two of them must have followed him to the clearing – and she looked extremely concerned for him. Her aqua eyes were wide and curious, and her eyebrows were furrowed into a worried frown.

Ironhide stepped forward and she hurried after him, rushing to her guardian’s side and placing both hands on one armoured shin. “It’s happened at last, then,” the old warrior murmured, looking as if he might put a hand on Ratchet’s shoulder before stopping himself, hating to display emotion in front of Mikaela. “You must be happy.”

“What’s happened?” Mikaela demanded irritably, glaring from one robot to the other. “Guys, what’s going on?”

The medic merely put a large hand to his forehead, leaning heavily on one arm and shuttering his optics, a tiny sigh that might have been a whimper escaping his vocal processors. The other hand moved to his chest, where Mikaela could still see a faint light glimmering through the thin cracks where his armour plates fitted together. She worked her way up his leg and hauled herself up onto his thigh, slinging her leg over to secure herself before she looked up at him sternly.