The Day We Hailed The Heavens

Chapter 7

Both of the Autobots looked sombre, but Ratchet looked completely lost. His expression was one of utter desolation and shock, and yet she swore she could see some tiny sparkle of hope in what little of his optics she could see through the fingers that shielded his face.

Finally, Ironhide gave in to the silence that had taken hold. “Mikaela, do you understand the concept of a spark partner?” he asked her in a low voice.

The young woman tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and nodded uncertainly. “I… think so,” she said, glancing at Ratchet. “Do you mean like your version of a mate, like Arcee and Bumblebee are spark partners?”

“Yes,” Ironhide nodded. “Arcee recently explained this to Miles, but I assume he has not told you about it.” She shook her head. “Arcee used the example of the human theory called ‘the one’, which she said helped Miles to understand a little better… are you aware of this idea that you humans have about one heart having another part out in the world somewhere? That each human has a soul mate, whether or not they know it?”

Mikaela cupped her chin in one hand to listen, still frowning a little. “Yeah…”

Clearly pleased by her understanding, Ironhide seated himself beside Ratchet and leant in closer to the brunette. “Our sparks work in a similar way to this,” he continued, and she chewed on her bottom lip as she listened carefully to what he was saying. “Each spark has a partner – a soul that it will cooperate with and will yearn to join as one with. Since Starscream and Skyfire became involved with Jade and Alexis, it has become apparent that sparks can call to human souls – or hearts, although I will never understand the logic in that – as well as other sparks.”

“What’s that got to do with Ratchet, though?” she asked with a little frustration, jabbing a finger with chipped red nail polish up at the medic. “It doesn’t exactly explain why that big bang just happened – I don’t understand this.”

Ironhide sighed, disappointed. “And I thought you were perceptive,” he muttered.

“Do you not see, Mikaela?” Ratchet finally said hoarsely, bowing his head low and not quite meeting her seeking eyes. “Think about what happened.”

She drew her knees up to her chin and considered what he had said, continuing to gnaw on her lip out of habit. “We answered Alexis’s call for help and Ratchet stayed at the base,” she recounted quietly, unsure as to where this was going, “And… nothing happened while we were away, and then you came in and I introduced you to –”

She stopped dead mid-sentence, staring at him.

“Rose,” she finally whispered.

Ironhide looked intensely at Ratchet, who was still cradling his head in his hand and looked as though all the hope had dropped out of the world. “What is it that you fear, old friend?” he asked in a hushed voice, peering into Ratchet’s optics as if looking for some sign of what was happening to him. “If she is the one that you have been searching for all these years, then why do you seem so grieved by her arrival? Do you not remember what you said after the battle, when you spoke of your fear of being alone for eternity?”

Mikaela looked rather enthused now that she knew what she was dealing with. “Then here’s your chance!” she exclaimed, and Ratchet looked up at her with a dull expression. “If she’s your spark partner, why don’t you go for it?”

“And if the young lady does not return my affections, should I find that she is the one?” he asked despondently.

“There’s no question of whether or not she’s the one,” Ironhide pointed out, folding his arms and glaring seriously at Ratchet. “Your spark has reached optimum potential. The girl is your spark partner, whether you like it or not. As for the matter of her returning your affections – if your spark calls to her, there must be a reason for it. She will coexist with you just as well as you will with her. In time, she will learn.”