Autobot in Shining Armor

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, Beast Wars, or any of the characters affiliated with either series. A huge thank you goes out to all my reviewers and to my wonderful betas Blackwing Rose and Shini666.

Chapter Twelve: New Arrivals

A pod. After all the hoping; after all the worrying from Optimus that no others would come to the call sent out just after Mission City, there it was. A single, horrifyingly swaying protoform pod. Ratchet was already sending out every sort of scan he could, pushing his long range scanners to the max to make sure he knew what he'd be dealing with when the unsteady craft finally touched down. The two humans on his shoulders were momentarily ignored, his form stilling as he focused his optics skyward. A spark of recognition flared when the scan came back with something he hoped was false.

Sunstreaker.

Optimus had told him that the yellow warrior would make straight for him once the word went off, so long as he was functioning. Ratchet had always been the one to sort the twins out; he had been there as both comfort and confidant time and again when the two went through Pit and back again, together and apart. And Primus help them all – the pod was solo. Sideswipe wasn't going to be coming down with his twin, and Sunstreaker hadn't seen him since Tyger Pax. Everyone feared the worst, but with the yellow twin still functional, there was simply no way that they'd lost his brother. One twin would simply not survive the death of the other – it wasn't possible. They shared a spark, much like the sparkmate bond that both terrified and fascinated many of them.

His processor was forced back to the ground when he sensed Maggie pressing in closer to his head, a surge of fear swamping her. "Whatever is the matter, Miss-?"

He stopped when he noticed that his leader was out of the base, his large frame standing rigid as he watched the pod's steady progress towards the ground. It was Optimus that the young femme was frightened of… but why? She feared none of the others thus far – not even Ironhide.

"Everyone down!" Lennox shouted from his other shoulder, noticing before the Autobots around him that the pod was baring down on their current position. The soldier went from one shoulder to the other quickly, scooping up Miss Madsen and making the jump from shoulder to palm without having to be told. Ratchet nearly hit the ground right after as the pod came within inches of hitting him upside of the head.

The resounding sound of impact not even twenty yards behind them had the medic back on his feet before he could even process what had happened. He noticed a bewildered Ironhide coming from what passed for their wash racks and quickly handed the two humans over to him. "Protect them! We have a new arrival and he's not going to be easy to deal with." He was nearly out of range before he shot back one more order. "And for Primus' sake, keep Maggie away from Optimus – he terrifies her!"

"Wha-? Ratchet! Come back here – I don't want this human! Ratchet! What's goin' on? Who is it?" Ironhide was at his heels, the two humans safely hidden in his hands.

"Don't follow me, nitwit! If he sees you after the Pit he's been through, he's likely to attack you. And you will protect my charge, or I will turn you into the biggest toaster the Earth has ever seen!"

The sound of booming footsteps ceased as the black mech took his medic's warning to spark. You didn't disobey Ratchet when he was in one of these moods; those that did tended to have their appendages ripped off and used to beat them over the head. It pleased the neon mech no end that someone like Ironhide was so easily dissuaded – that he could bully the larger mech into doing as he was told.

He wasn't kidding about Sunstreaker attacking, either. Given his state of mind and past experience, the yellow frontliner was nothing short of vicious when he was left without his better half for longer than a few days. He wouldn't be harmed because he was their friend – their constant encouragement and safety. He'd known the twins longer than everyone else, and they trusted him with their sparks. It was an honor that he took very seriously, for true twins were a rare thing, and mated pairs even more so. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were both, though it was debatable whether or not they were sharing as well. As twins shared a spark, there was no doubt that they were bonded on a level that most of them didn't understand. Ratchet respected that and adjusted accordingly. It was why he was the only medic they'd let touch them; the only one they trusted to tend to their injuries. They may have been a thorn in his side, but they were loyal to him.

By the time he reached the crashed pod, the frontliner was already trying desperately to get to his feet. His form was barely recognizable, covered in so much filth and so many injuries that it was hard to see the once vainly shiny Autobot as the same twin he had come to find. Of course, once a pair of soft, baby blue optics locked on him, he lost any doubt he had. Sunstreaker was a little on the large side, though not as large as Ratchet himself. He was much more leanly built; his form was designed for speed instead of brute force or heavy lifting.

"Sunstreaker, do you know who I am?" he asked softly, soothing the beaten down yellow mech as best he could.

"Ratchet, unless my processor is playing tricks on me again." He sounded so despondent that it was hard for the medic to believe he'd ever been the vain troublemaker prone to dropping by unannounced with his twin over some mishap between them, causing one or both to land themselves injured.

"That's right. I'm right here. Optimus knew you'd come straight here if you knew there was a chance I'd be here." He took another step forward and eased the yellow mech into his side, wrapping one arm across his shoulders and shifting their combined weight to allow him the easiest and safest manner of transport back to the base. It wasn't too far, but it looked like the frontliner hadn't had sufficient energon to power him in a long time. Of course, he was also suffering from spark shock – and, most likely, recharge deprivation from having to constantly be on alert for any enemies in his path. The neon medic felt sorry for any that got in his way.

Once walking no longer seemed to be an issue, the yellow twin let his frame sag, allowing Ratchet to support his weight. "Sides'?" he asked, hoping that somehow, his twin had made it there ahead of him and was safe after all. It was that hope that had kept him heading this way, even when everyone else he'd been traveling with either ran off or were eliminated.

It pained Ratchet that he had to be the one to give such bad news to the already disheartened mech next to him, but it wouldn't be very wise to tell him Sideswipe was there when he wasn't. "Not yet, but we mustn't give up on him just yet. He's a crafty one, your brother. He'll find his way here – to you – one way or the other. Until then, I'll keep you company."

"Promise?" That the yellow twin even asked told Ratchet they'd be unable to keep him much longer if Sideswipe didn't show up soon. He was weak and incoherent, functioning through sheer stubbornness and determination. Without something to hold onto, or someone to fight for, he'd just let go and rejoin the Matrix in hopes of finding his twin there.

The medic did the only thing he could, given the situation. "Of course. Haven't I always looked after you two Pit-spawned fraggers?"

A rumbling sound met his audios instead of an answer. That was Sunstreaker's way of giving an affirmative when he was too tired to speak. As they entered the temporary medbay, however, he managed to find his vocals again. "Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

"It's good to see you again. At least, with you, I know things won't ever change."

He'd have commented to that, but around that time, Sunstreaker became a dead weight at his side, and he had to haul him up onto the only berth his medbay currently had. Really, couldn't the humans have given him more to work with than this? The space was adequate, but the materials were not. If he didn't get some better parts soon, and one of their engineers didn't show up, there would come an injury he didn't have the equipment to deal with. After Jazz's loss, he didn't like that possibility; not at all. For now, only time would tell whether or not things would work themselves out.

(Just beyond Earth's moon)

It had taken him far longer than he had intended for him to arrive at the planet where Optimus Prime's signal had come from. He'd been too far away for even the added boost he had with his door wings to return any sort of message. It was frustrating that the situation was so out of his control, but he knew better than to strain his systems at this point. Something on that planet had gone horribly wrong – he could feel it in his spark. It had to be something to do with either Jazz or with that no-account hunter, Barricade. Either one would have his instincts telling him something was wrong, though one would set off flags in his spark as well.

He didn't dwell on that.

Logically speaking, he could have been here in half the time if he hadn't adjusted course to make sure the mech tailing him stayed on the right track. It just didn't occur to him at the time that he'd be off his scheduled arrival time for the action, but there was no way he was going to leave that particular mech drifting alone as he had been. Not when he was the only creature in all of existence that could control a certain yellow menace.

Currently, he was waiting in the orbit of the great moon just beyond the blue planet that was his actual goal, waiting for that mech to arrive. Once he received a confirmation that the other was there, they would go down together. It was more practical to go down in pairs than alone. Perhaps there was more chance of them being seen, but there was also less chance that they'd be overwhelmed by any lurking Decepticons.

His comm. line made a crackling sound filled with static before a weary but familiar voice came through at last. "I'm on the other side of this chunk of rock. Let's get down there; I need to find Ratchet. Maybe he's seen Sunstreaker." A pause. "Do you think there's anyone left alive down there?"

He had to stop himself from going through that more practical possibility, instead offering the weary soldier the answer he wanted. "If Optimus was able to send the message, then I assume that he and his team are as well as can be accepted. I… There was mention of a heavy price during the battle, so we may be going down to another lost comrade. Still, the probability of all of them being destroyed is very low."

"I'm amazed… You're optimistic."

"Hush, you. Now come, we have to plan our entry point and be certain we are not seen by the locals… or any Decepticons that may be lurking down there somewhere."

"Yes, sir!" came the faintly energetic reply.

This was a matter of concern as well, albeit something he couldn't deal with. After all, he wasn't exactly equipped to handle matters of the spark. Being as he was, there was no way he'd touch that problem, especially not when he was avoiding something similar. Why Primus had to curse him with a twin he didn't know, but he dealt with it better than others could. At least he could make sure the other half of the terrible duo got down to the planet safely. From there, he'd map out another strategy to get them to Tranquility – and, consequently, to their comrades.

He turned his attention to finding a safe entry point with his traveling companion, unaware of just what awaited them on the floating blue planet below.

And that's it
Cyber cookies to anyone that can tell me who our two new arrivals are in the last part of the chapter.
Thank you for your patience and enjoy.