Ratchet swung his tail around in a sweeping motion, knocking the closest soldiers into a stack of nearby crates. Those that remained opened fire, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off Ratchet's rock-hard scales and ricocheted right back at them, forcing them to take cover. They didn't appear to have the kind of bullet that managed to pierce his scales earlier, which came as a relief to him.
"Here, see if his hand will work." The medic said, dragging an unconscious soldier over to Taylor with his teeth.
Taylor nodded and grabbed ahold of the M.E.C.H soldier's arm. She lifted it up so that she could press his hand against the panel, which blinked green after a few seconds.
"Yes!" She exclaimed, stepping back as the massive door began to open.
A bitter gust of cold air rushed into the hanger once the door had fully opened, chilling Taylor to her core. She glanced over her shoulder at Ratchet, who was still dealing with the remaining soldiers.
"Leave 'em, doc! We've gotta get out of here while we still can!" Cliffjumper shouted, eager to return to the forest after knowing nothing but metal and concrete for so long.
Ratchet snarled and gave one final snap of his jaws to ward off any further attempts to stop them before he wheeled around on his hind legs.
"Alright. Taylor, climb on my back. Make sure you hold on tight." He said, glancing down at the silver-haired girl.
Taylor wanted to protest, but knew now was not the time to fuss over Ratchet's wounded leg. She clambered onto the medic's back, her shoes scrabbling over his scales, and settled between his shoulder blades. Her hands tightly gripped one of the spines on the back of his neck to anchor herself.
Once he was certain Taylor was secure, he nodded to Cliffjumper and charged into the thicket ahead of him. Because he was limping rather heavily, he couldn't maintain a fast pace. Neither could Cliffjumper, as he'd been starved and weakened by lack of exercise. Right now, however, their only focus was getting as far away as possible from the M.E.C.H facility.
*
*
*
After traveling nearly four miles, neither Ratchet nor Cliffjumper could go any further. The bitter cold made every breath painful and sucked their strength straight out of them. Ratchet's leg had since gone completely numb and whatever blood that remained had frozen to his scales.
Taylor wasn't fairing so well either. She underestimated how cold it was. Her jacket wasn't enough to shield her from the icy talons that seeped through, piercing deep into her joints and freezing her throat. She huddled close to Ratchet's body, trying to absorb as much of his body heat as she could.
Ratchet knew everyone was suffering, including himself. If they wanted to survive, they needed to find shelter first. Only then could they worry about their other pressing matters, such as food and treatment for their wounds. With winter squeezing the forest in its icy grip, however, prey and medicinal herbs would be hard to come by. They needed a miracle.
Cliffjumper only made it a few more steps before collapsing. His legs were unable to carry him further.
"Ratchet.." Taylor whimpered, her gaze softening upon the weak form of Cliffjumper. "Cliff doesn't look so good..."
Ratchet paused and turned his head. His heart plummeted into his stomach upon seeing Cliffjumper lying on the ground. He cursed under his breath, immediately crouching down by his side.
"Sorry, Ratch..." Cliffjumper murmured, coughing hoarsely. "My legs gave out."
"Don't apologize." Ratchet hushed him as he laid down and curled his body around him in an attempt to provide heat. "Just stay still and rest."
It felt as though someone had reached into Taylor's chest and ripped her heart out. She released Ratchet's neck spine and carefully slid down his flank, essentially placing herself between the two dragons so that she could hopefully absorb some of their warmth. Silence held the air as all three of them rested their aching bodies.
"What are we going to do?" She asked Ratchet, unable to bear the silence.
Ratchet didn't respond right away. His focus was currently on judging Cliffjumper's condition. It wasn't good. His pale blue eyes scanned over the red Autobot's thin frame and he occasionally lowered his head to give a raw patch of skin a few licks to aid in the healing process. He sighed heavily, laying his head between his paws.
"Cliffjumper's chances of survival are slim unless we find shelter and prey." He murmured glumly as he closed his eyes. "You won't withstand the frigid temperatures for much longer due to your lack of insulation."
"What about you?" She peered down at his wounded leg with an expression of concern. "Your leg looks worse than it did earlier. Are there any herbs that grow during the winter?"
"Yes, but they're few and far between. It doesn't help that I don't even know where we are..." Ratchet huffed, opening his eyes to stare off into the distance. "We can't afford to waste energy searching for them if we don't have the bare essentials. That would only hasten the freezing process."
Taylor's shoulders slumped and she pulled her legs close to her body, sighing softly. "So what you're saying is we're sitting ducks."
"Sitting ducks?"
"Forget I said that. We're stuck here, that's all you need to know."
Ratchet could tell by her tone that the situation was causing her stress as well. Normally she'd find it funny that he didn't understand a human phrase, but she had hardly spared a chuckle. It worsened his mood, but he knew someone needed to stay positive if they were going to make it out of this. And if Taylor wasn't that person, who would it be?
Certainly not him.
He found it increasingly difficult to stay positive, often focusing more on the bad side of things instead of the good. Everyone called him pessimistic, but he saw it as just being realistic. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, and things didn't always go the way of the hero.
Dread gnawed away at him the more he thought about their situation. Here he was, trying desperately to provide heat to others as well as himself. Would it all be in vain? Or would they manage to pull through like he had all those seasons ago?
Ratchet could only think of one thing that might soothe his nerves.
What would Optimus do?
***
Yes, I liiive!
Sorry for the long wait! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :)