2. Charge (A TFP Fanfiction)

Chapter 20

I sat on Ratchet's shoulder as the medic gave Smokescreen a full look over. The young Autobot was super excited and proud of his feat, telling them every little detail about his adventure. Everyone was so relieved that he was alright that no one interrupted to stop him. Even Arcee had a small smile on her derma as she listened with her arms crossed. 

Ratchet sighed as he finished, letting him jump up to add to his story. I giggled at his exasperation and patted his shoulder plate. His optics slid over to where I sat, softening and making my heart flutter slightly. He smiled gently but said nothing to me, turning his helm again to watch as Smokescreen finished. My mind began to wander as they began to discuss the Omega keys.

I know what my feelings are now, I thought. But that's about as much as I know. I don't know the future. I don't know what could happen to any of them, especially in this serious situation. What happens if they do win? What then? Will Ratchet leave me?

Then came the dreaded question that I had been avoiding for a long time. 

What if Ratchet doesn't feel the same way? What if he never does?

My heart suddenly felt like it burst in my chest. My lungs squeezed so tight I felt I could hardly breath. I stiffened, but tried not to let anyone notice me. That was right. I had no idea how Ratchet felt about me in return. He probably didn't even know how I felt about him. And he was a robotic organism from another planet. He was an alien, and I was the same to him. We were so different... I was so much smaller and weaker than he was, and so, SO much younger. He was centuries older than me. I was still merely a child. There were so many factors that played against us being together, and he might not even love me the way I did him. 

Was this ever going to work?

A beep from the monitors started me out of my thoughts, though the same feeling bubbled in my chest, I feeling I wasn't able to completely identify, much to my frustration. Ratchet also perked up, walking over and typing away quickly. His optics narrowed when he looked up, his expression turning sour.

"A high frequency signal with an embedded message," he told everyone, who were all waiting for an explanation. 

"Starscream," Bulkhead growled, remembering their previous message.

I shuddered, remembering when I had seen the Con previously. The seeker still frightened me, and I hoped I would never see him again. Though, now that my... father was gone, he couldn't make any more deals with him and take me away. I felt the tension in the room grow in a matter of seconds, and my previous sinking feeling started to fade away as the new one grew.

"I have obtained something of interest to you which seems to be of no practical use to me," Ratchet read grimly. 

"It's got to be the Omega Key!" Bulkhead interrupted, his voice raising. 

"He's the one who blindsided me!" Smokescreen agreed with anger.

Arcee stepped forward. "What else could Scream be referring to?" she said.

"Ep, ep!" Ratchet growled, annoyed. "There's more. Bring medical. I only ask for the surgical replacement of my T-Cog in return." He flinched in near disgust as he finished. I could hardly blame him. He probably despised the Screamer as much as I did. 

"Ha!" Bulkhead scoffed. "Like we're gonna give Scream back his wings."

Ratchet turned sharply, catching me by surprise and nearly sending me flying. I placed my hand on his shoulder plate to steady myself, but he didn't seem to notice. "Without the missing key, Cybertron will remain devoid of life," he shot back.