Ratchet

All of their facial plates were the same. Sparks of hope flickered in all of their optics as I watched them get ready to board Ultra Magnus' ship, per his orders. A plan had been made, a plan that the commander and I had made with the help of the others. While their sparks, along with mine, ached for our leader, the warriors were all ready to battle. The three children stood by my pedes, ready to take action in their part of the play. Miko looked up at me excitedly, her bright eyes shining, and for a split second, I saw Taylor looking at me with a happy glint in her bright blue eyes, but then it was gone. My derma twitched up in distain at the younger Japanese girl, which made her furrow her brow and glance away. My spark cringed a little, and I sighed forcefully. Miko hadn't deserved that; it wasn't her fault Taylor was in the clutches of the enemy, or that I saw her almost everywhere now. It was as if my entire being ached for her so much that my processor put her in places she couldn't really be. 

On the other side of the room. 

In a light above me. 

In the faces of the other children.

In the blue of everyone else's optics.

My team was starting to give me worried glances now, and I couldn't blame them. Whenever I saw her, I would freeze, my spark exploding, because it wanted her to really be there, but I knew she could not. I could still feel her from the other side, injured, alone, and fading fast. Her emotions were getting more and more clouded, fear and hurt sometimes the only thing I could catch. And as that went on, it was like a wall went over her own spark. The fact that she was involuntarily blocking me was worrisome.

It was at times like this I really wished Optimus was here. 

I looked back down at the children again, anxious about what I was about to say. I had kept my derma shut this whole time, unable and afraid to ask this of the team. There were so many things at stake. Yet I couldn't hold it back. Jack saw that my gaze had fallen onto them, though I wasn't entirely focused on the children. His brow furrowed in worry before he seemed to realize what troubled me. He placed a hand on my pede softly, nodding his head with a serious look. My spark lifted ever so slightly.

In a way, it was like this boy mirrored Optimus for me.

"Ultra Magnus," I called solemnly just before the others boarded the ship. "I have a request to ask of you."

The warriors all froze, turning to gaze at me. Those who knew me the most almost instantly knew what this was about to become, almost like they had been waiting for it. Bumblebee whirred softly, his way of a sad sigh, and turned his helm to look back to the commander, who had raised his optic ridge, clearly not liking that I had just called them back from their mission before it had even started. 

"Yes?" he said stonily. "What is it soldier?"

I hesitated for a moment, my spark beginning to beat faster. "My human charge is a prisoner of the Decepticons," I said simply, trying to think of how else to say this.

Miko jumped, looking up at me with wide hazel eyes. "She's still alive?!" Her face lit up almost to a point that none of us had ever seen. Beside her, Raf's expression also brightened, clearly excited and relieved. Jack smiled softly as he crossed his arms; apparently, he'd had his suspicions. Glancing down at them once more, I gave them a small smile of my own and nodded once. 

"And how do you know of this?" Ultra Magnus asked suspiciously, apparently not caring for the fact that he hadn't known that there was another human child. 

I stiffened slightly, clenching my servos a little. How would I be able to tell them without causing suspicions, suspicions I myself pondered over. It was obvious to me now that we had a spark bond of some kind, which came most of the time from sparkmates, something I and Taylor most certainly were not. There were rare cases where if two bots were extremely close, a different form of bond would form on their own, though that led to a sparkmates in almost all of those occasions. If I told them now, I had no doubt that they would question our relationship, which was something the neither of us needed at the moment. I straightened an took a slow vent in as I looked the commander dead in the optics.

"I just do," I growled, despite how childish my words were. "Do you doubt what I have to say?"

"It's true, commander," Bulkhead jumped in, his optics trying to remain friendly as he covered for me. "I was there when she was captured, and so was Ratch!" He shot me a grin to try and assure me. 

The large mech watched him carefully as he explained, then slowly turned his helm back to me. His expression was hard, and disapproving. Disapproving. For some reason, his glare made me angry. Furious. My servos balled into fists again and I grit my denta behind my derma, glaring back at him. 

"You want to place another burden on our shoulder plates after we already have this much at stake?" he said icily, narrowing his optics. "Put the team in even more of a risk, even after you and I already made the plan?"

My plates flared up as I took a threatening step towards him. "Yes, I do!" I shouted, my optics shooting daggers. "It doesn't matter to me. I don't care how dangerous it is. I will go do it myself if you think it is so unfitting at this point," I growled, jabbing a digit at my chest chassis. "Taylor is too important to me. I need her." I didn't care how desperate and fragile I sounded at this point. That was all I ever was, desperate and fragile. She had seen that, brought it out of me and then given me more strength than even my best friend had. I wasn't about to give her up just like that. "Understand this, commander," I spat, this time jutting a digit at him as I slowly drew closer until I was right at his chest chassis. "If Taylor does not come back from this mission, then you will not have a medic to patch you up when you need it."

If the others saw it, it would have surprised me. For a nanosecond, Ultra Magnus looked taken back. His expression fixed quickly, however, and he narrowed his optics more as his derma twitched up in familiar distain. "No, you will stay here, per instructions," he told me smoothly.

"You think so?!" I shot back, raising my arms and ready to strike him. The others saw it coming and quickly came to our aide, grabbing my arms and shoulder plates. Arcee and Bumblebee held my left while Bulkhead took my right, each of them shooting frantic warnings from their expressions. 

"Easy, Ratchet," the femme hissed worriedly. Bulkhead nodded quickly, trying to calm me down. 

Wheeljack had remained back, but he turned his helm to Ultra Magnus with an angry look. "If we won't get him back his charge, then you can count me out. What point is there if we don't go all the way?"

<But we need...> Bee started, but then paused, his big optics glancing back to me. At this point, I had calmed a little, but still held a fierce glare to the commander. <You know what. Me too.>

Arcee sighed, knowing that this wouldn't help us much. "They are right. We have to try."

"Please, sir," Bulkhead pleaded quietly. "He needs this."

Ultra Magnus' optics looked over all of them before he seemed to give in, his shoulder plates sinking ever so slightly. "Alright then," he said quietly. "But do not expect us to risk everything for this one human femme. Stopping the Decepticons comes first."

I sighed, deflating as well. I supposed that was the best I could get at this point, the most I could hope for. "Fine," I said quickly, nudging the others holding me. They let go, backing away slowly, each of them giving me apologetic looks that I didn't want. I nodded to them, my spark sinking, and turned quickly. Regretting my actions, I began to head back to the Harbinger while I kept my optics on the ground. I saw the children hurry after me, Miko the bravest of all and running ahead and stopping just in front of me. The other two joined her. I felt sorry now, and regretting showing them my anger and pain. I should have kept it all to myself. 

"Come on," Jack said to them, and to me. "Let's do this." The younger ones nodded and glanced back up to me.

I sighed shakily, unsure of how to reply. Without a word, I bent over and held out both of my servos. They gave me small smiles, even Miko, and climbed on. I honestly was unsure why I was even giving out the gesture; maybe to find some way to atone for acting that way, or something I did for myself. Maybe I just needed the familiarity of having a human close to me. As I stood slowly, I set them on my shoulder pads, Raf sliding down to where Taylor normally liked to sit. I flinched, but said nothing of it as I began to walk again, not daring to look back at the ship that was beginning to take off now. 

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"I repeat, Optimus is alive, and quite well," Ultra Magnus said over the commlink, his voice probably the happiest I had ever heard it.

There was a shocked moment of silence before anyone said anything. "Thank the Allspark!" I shouted in relief, waving my servos as the children let out their own cheers. I glanced down at them, my faceplate probably much more cheerful than I wanted it, but they gave me their own bright smiles as Miko pumped a fist. 

"Ultra Magnus," I whispered over the comm as I looked back up to the screen, watching the Autobot signal closely. "Please..."

There was another pause, and for a moment I was afraid he wasn't going to do it. Then there was a small sigh, one that only I heard. "I will search for the human," he said slowly.

I deflated, completely relieved, and exvented heavily. My shoulder plates relaxed for what seemed like the first time in days. I felt something small and warm on my servo and looked down quickly. Raf had placed both hands on my digits, giving me a warm smile as his eyes rose up to me. The corners of my derma turned up a little while the other kids joined his side, looking up to me with happy and hopeful expressions. 

"Taylor will be fine," Miko said in assurance. "She may be a soft one, but she makes it through in the end."

I nodded slowly, actually grateful for Miko's words for once. My helm swung back to the screen as I watched Optimus' signal flurry around, knowing that the mission would be accomplished soon. That meant Ultra Magnus had to hurry. 

Please, Taylor. Come back to me.

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Finally! Here is the second chapter of Family! I know, I'm making you guys anxious.

I hope you are on the edge of your seats! Lol

*waves*