escape (with no pina colada)

[Deleted]

Characters: Wheeljack, Ratchet, Ultra Magnus
Location: Autobot Base - Crew Quarters
Content Warnings: N/A
Plot Summary: While relaxing at the base with Ratchet, Wheeljack has the misfortune of running into someone he had hoped he’d never have to lay optics on again: Ultra Magnus.

[Deleted]

It wasn’t often Wheeljack stuck around long, aside from stopping in to grab a cube to refuel and get caught up on the latest base-side gossip, but this time he’d wandered in willingly on his own, certainly a surprise to pretty much anyone around. Unlike usual, however, he hadn’t just come to drop off the energon he raided from the mines - he’d come in hopes he might be able to spend a little time with Ratchet. This supposed ‘schoolbot crush’ wasn’t quite the temporary thing he’d thought it to be at first, refusing to fade or dwindle away like most unexpected attachments did after a time, and though he’d been utterly terrified at first at the idea, the more time he spent with Ratchet, the more he found he didn’t actually mind so much anymore.

It was strange. Ratchet made him want to stay in one place for longer than a few hours, and that in itself was new and unusual for the Wrecker. He had no doubts that Bulkhead and Miko were more than a little astounded -- and if he were being honest, he was too -- but he liked being around the medic. Now that he’d gotten to know him a bit more, he found that he wasn’t quite as insufferable as he’d originally thought. They mostly watched (pirated) human television shows and movies when Ratchet had down-time, which suited Wheeljack just fine, as he had a huge stash of them he’d been meaning to go through but hadn’t had the chance or the right partner.

(In hindsight, he was probably going soft.)

Downtime was going well. They were sequestered away in one of the spare storage rooms in the base, and a few episodes into the first season of a rather ridiculous comedy show when Wheeljack heard it: a voice, one he’d not heard in a very, very long time, and one he would have preferred never to hear again. ‘Oh, pit, no,’ He thought to himself, stiffening in shock, ‘Don’t tell me that fragger actually made it to this mudball....?’

Whoever ‘that fragger’ was, it was evident that yes, he had in fact made it to ‘this mudball’, and it was rather serious news for Wheeljack. Just when had he shown up, exactly?! Well, didn’t matter now. The Wrecker jumped up as if burned, his datapad clattering to the ground in his haste. “-Sunshine, I gotta go,” Wheeljack said hurriedly, slender doorwings high in his sudden agitation as he listened hard: yep, he was still far enough down the hall that if Wheeljack moved quick, he could get out and away before he was even spotted. “Can I get a raincheck on the rest of season one?”

The fact that he didn’t even wait to hear Ratchet’s reply before slinking out the door at a pace that might have been termed ‘running away’ might have been a rather big indication that something was wrong.

[Ratchet]

It'd always been good to see Wheeljack around the base, and even Ratchet was to a point where he'd willingly admit that fact. They'd bonded quite a bit with that whole almost dying thing, and they'd spent so much time together since then as well. To be honest, the medic wouldn't have been surprised if Miko and Bulkhead had been stunned by their sudden friendship that only seemed to be growing each time they met.

Yet, there was that part of Ratchet that just wanted things to go further. No thanks to Pharma, he was only just now starting to realize that maybe he did like him more than a friend.. and that maybe he did have a bit of a 'schoolmech crush' on him as well. It'd been a struggle to decide if he even wanted to tell him or not, especially when he knew full well that there was no way that Wheeljack would possibly feel the same way about him. He was older, after all.. and quite the totalitarian when it came to health and safety. He nagged and he hovered, but he'd never meant it in a harmful way.

Maybe it was just best if he forgot about it and just stayed friends with him.. Sure, telling him might've been as simple as ripping off a mesh bandage, but he wouldn't have been able to take it well if the feeling wasn't mutual.

The Wrecker had come to visit, bringing a good sized supply of energon with him, but he'd also wanted to watch some more Earth shows with the medic. Happily, Ratchet ducked into one of the empty storage rooms with Wheeljack, watching the strange comedy with him on his datapad. Just what was with all the singing and dancing? Normal humans didn't go about life that way. If he ever got up one day and just started to sing and dance for absolutely no reason, he'd rather someone just put him out of his misery.

Ratchet had been genuinely confused when Wheeljack suddenly got up, dropping the datapad before attempting to dash out on him, asking for a rain check on their show. He blinked a few times, then followed after him. "Wheeljack, what's going on? Is something wrong?" Had something in the show set him off? Was it something he'd done? He didn't know.

At least.. until he saw him coming from just down the hall. Ultra Magnus.. Wheeljack certainly had a thing against that mech, and understandably so given just what kind of mech the Wrecker was. Maybe that explained things a little, but still..

[Deleted]

Ultra Magnus had been at a computer terminal, monitoring the base's security measures and contemplating the essential nature of the concept of duty (he was writing a small dissertation on the subject in his free time, one of his favorite hobbies) when he got a little icon bleep informing him that the doors to one of the storage rooms had opened, stayed that way just long enough for one or two bots to go in, and then closed. He'd thought nothing of it in the moment and gone back to his musings. It wasn't until a short time later that he happened to realize there'd been no follow up indicator suggesting that whomever had gone in had then exited. That was mildly suspicious on its own but what got him up and moving was when he'd looked at the room manifest only to find it unused.

Why would somebody be in an unused storage room for so long? Well, only one way to find out. He stood and marched resolutely toward the room's location in the base. He wasn't alarmed, not yet, merely curious. So it was that when he passed another bot in the corridor he greeted that bot politely out loud since the other bot had done so for him. That must have been what alerted those in the room, because when Ultra Magnus came around the corner he saw a very familiar back trying to flee on the far side of Ratchet who was standing in the doorway to the storage room in question. It took only one word to encapsulate the entire situation, a proper noun said with deep disapproval. "Wheeljack..."

[Deleted]

Now, it was completely out of character for someone like Wheeljack to suddenly turn tail and bolt in such a manner, but he felt he was pretty justified in the matter considering the history he and this mystery bot had. If he’d known that he here at the base, even the promise of a night marathoning a human TV show with Ratchet would not have enticed him to stay this long -- too damn risky… though he felt immediate guilt in suddenly dropping everything and bailing on the other Autobot, especially considering they’d made plans to watch that particular comedy show a while ago.

“Nothin’ you did, Doc, don’t worry!” he called over his shoulder as he made a break for it. His swift pace might have been termed ‘running away’ by others, but he preferred to call it ‘very fast walking in the opposite direction’, because Wreckers did not run away. Just when he thought he might be in the clear and that he’d be able to escape out to The Jackhammer without being spotted, the very same voice that had sent him scrambling like a coward echoed down the hallway, stopping Wheeljack in his tracks with its familiar disapproving cadence.

‘Scrap.’

Slowly, with a thoroughly unimpressed (and bordering on childish) air, he turned on one foot to face Ultra Magnus, the very bot he’d been trying to evade. “You,” He said, in a tone most used by those who had stepped in sludge and were expressing their disgust over it.

Wheeljack was not the type to ever hope for the death of a fellow Autobot for he knew their number was dwindling, but he was the sort to have hoped that this particular Autobot had taken a wrong turn somewhere and gotten stranded on some far away planet, maybe even jump starting sociocultural evolution there by introducing the concept of paperwork signed in triplicate. To find his once-and-former commander here now was nothing short of annoying and frustrating, especially taking into consideration the rather colorful, expletive-laced history they shared. “So you’re still around, huh? Driven any more good platoons into the ground with your micromanaging lately?”

[Ratchet]

Nothing he did.. Wheeljack couldn't have possibly known how much those words came as a relief to Ratchet, but either way he still wasn't thrilled about the sudden drop of plans right in the middle of the season. Things were just starting to get interesting too, and Ratchet had only just started to get a grasp of the plot outside of the awkward love story that had been going on. Certainly hadn't been the worst thing ever.

As he followed the Wrecker, he'd only made it to the doorway when Ultra Magnus passed by. Ratchet blinked up at the larger mech in surprise, only to them remember that greeting him would probably be a good thing to do. "Sir." Magnus always was the type to not forgo formalities, and would reprimand one who forgot to do so themselves.

As the leader of the Wreckers brought Wheeljack to a stop, he could only watch as things turned ugly between the two of them quickly. Primus he should've seen this coming the moment that he saw Ultra Magnus coming, but there was no way he could have prevented it. Right off the bat, his Wrecker started up with trash talking. Oh, this was just going wonderfully!

"What he means to say, sir.. is that it's good to see you. What brings you down here to the storage rooms? Is there something I can get for you?" The medic promptly threw a look back at Wheeljack, one as if to say not to start anything while he was caught in the middle of all this. All he could do was hope he got the message.

[Deleted]

Ultra Magnus didn't dignify the sour tone of voice that came out of Wheeljack with a reaction. He was an officer, above the petty jealousy and spite of washouts. If Wheeljack wanted to be the smaller bot about it he was welcome to go that route as long as he kept it subtle. Ultra Magnus has bigger fish to fry, as the Earth saying went, and catching a reprobate and the unit medic meeting in a storage room wasn't part of that recipe. No, in fact, Ultra Magnus was just about to turn on his heel with a condescending expression.

Until Wheeljack lost his logic processors and made a grave accusation regarding, no doubt, Ultra Magnus' leadership and the well being of the Wreckers. A groundless and self-centered accusation if ever there was one. The only reason the Wreckers weren't still a unified and operable force was because of the exodus from Cybertron. And even then, the Wreckers were still the Wreckers. Ultra Magnus had at least two on hand and both were perfectly acceptable team members. No problems, fully effective, good soldiers. Ratchet tried to save his friend, and Ultra Magnus looked to Ratchet to show that the effort hadn't fallen entirely on deaf ears.

But the accusation remained. "You mean the platoon you abandoned because you didn't like having to act like you were part of a military unit instead of a street gang? Or were you asking about the individual comrades your actions discarded? All because you don't like being responsible to the rules the separate us from the Decepticons... well, let me reassure your casual and incidental interest in your former brothers at arms. Between your departure and the Exodus, they improved in every measurable metric including mission success rate. The Wreckers, even those operating individually, have become highly effective high output combat units that I could not be prouder of. You would be terribly disappointed, since I imagine you believed they'd all fall to pieces without your rebel rousing in the ranks."

[Deleted]

((OOC: (ง'̀-'́)ง <- Wheeljack))

He knew exactly what Ratchet was trying to do: damage control. Normally such a thing would set his plating on end in annoyance because he could fight his own battles, but it was Ratchet, and that alone made things different -- and besides, he knew that the medic was only trying to help. Wheeljack appreciated the thought, he really, truly did, but his mood had soured considerably at finding his totalitarian ex-Commander on-base, and it had soured even further at the words levied against him. He bullishly ignored the pointed look Ratchet sent his way and plowed on ahead.

“I didn’t abandon them!” The Wrecker (Ex-Wrecker, technically, though in his book, once a Wrecker, always a Wrecker) spat back. For a bot eager to scoot out the back door just a moment ago, Wheeljack certainly seemed now like he was readying himself for a spat. “I got out before the rust set in. We were doin’ just fine before you came and made us into statistics and efficiency ratings, all ‘cogs in the Great Autobot Machine’!”

He spoke nothing but the truth as he knew it: Wheeljack had never abandoned the Wreckers, for when he’d left, the only group he’d ever felt truly loyal enough to lay down his life for had ceased to be the Wreckers he’d come to know and love. He’d been fed up with Ultra Magnus’s command-style and micro-managing, and had been driven up the pit-damned wall as a result. In his view, he’d been justified for it, for they’d been running things just fine before Magnus got sent to tidy them all up. He’d never filed for a transfer after he’d left, either (the thought of doing the fragging paperwork for it all had made him want to claw out his own processor), but instead spent his time as an independent Autobot contractor working for SpecOpps. It wouldn’t surprise him if Ultra Magnus had put him down as AWOL and a deserter, not that he cared. Not that it mattered, either, now that the Great Autobot Machine was scattered to the wind.

“That team you had, that wasn’t The Wreckers, but I’m glad they were a ‘highly effective high-output combat unit’. Must’ve made you happy.” Wheeljack knew very well his words were probably grounds for insubordination charges, but centuries wandering on his own with only himself to answer to had gotten rid of what little deference to authority he might have had before. The fact that this authority happened to be Ultra Magnus, Duly Appointed Pain in the Aft, only compounded the matter. “Did y’ever learn the names of the bots under your command, Chief, or are they still just statistics to you?”

It did sort’ve ruffle his plating to know that the team hadn’t fallen to pieces once he’d left, though, because pride and ego would have both preferred to have seen Ultra Magnus fail miserably once he’d gone. The fact that things had improved on the statistical front only put him in an even surlier mood. As a petty afterthought, he added, “I know for a fact the stats took a nosedive when I left, ‘cause I was one of the best on the team.”

[Ratchet]

Even with Ultra Magnus acknowledging his attempt to lessen the damage of the situation, it still seemed to have had little effect on the impending argument between the two mechs. All Ratchet could do was watch as they both verbally ripped into each other for one reason or another.. but most of which pertained to the Wreckers.

Ultra Magnus had taken over leadership of the Wreckers in order to keep them in line, but Wheeljack didn't quite agree with that idea. While he could see both of their points, he just wanted the bickering to come to a stop. Whether Wheeljack abandoned the Wreckers or not, that didn't change the situation at all. Neither did Ultra Magnus being obsessed with rules and regulations. Primus it was tiring at times, but it wasn't like he could just break all of the rules. That'd only get him in trouble at the end of the day, and with Optimus being his best friend and all.. it only made things complicated.

Not that being a top class medic who was in love with one of the craziest Wreckers out there wasn't complicated enough.

But now, he felt that the arguing was going on long enough, and he didn't want to chance it getting any worse. If it did, someone was likely going to end up in the medical bay, and there was no way Ratchet was going to allow for it to happen. Stepping between the two mechs, he held up a servo in either direction, as if to block the two of them from each other. His optics passed glances between the two, speaking up.

"Please, this is no time for arguments. I know the two of you have your differences, but we are at war and our numbers are few. We can't have the few mechs and femmes we have here now at each other's throats." He passed one final glance to the younger mech, a look of desperation growing on his faceplate.. as if to ask him to just stop the arguing for his sake if no one else's.

[Deleted]

"You sure as Primus didn't stay or take them with you. And if losing two out of every five bots per mission is your idea of 'doing just fine' then thank the Allspark you didn't." Ultra Magnus continued levelly, his iron control still in place. Frustratingly so, no doubt. That sort of thing tended to drive more emotional bots a little crazy, the longer they were subjected to it in the heat of the moment. Made them sloppy... or, sloppier, as the case may be. "If you have a problem with them becoming more effective and more of them surviving then I under estimated how fortunate they were to see you go. But, regardless, that's a problem you should take up with the bot who assigned me to the job. I'm sure Optimus would find your grievance with his efforts to make us win more and live to enjoy it very enlightening."

Magnus stared at Wheeljack for a long moment when asked if he'd learned the Wreckers' names. "Every one of them." His response was soft, plain, the kind of tone that announced simple matters of great and profound truth. And then Wheeljack proclaimed himself to be one of the best, therefore the stats had to have fallen. Magnus couldn't help himself, and Primus knew he tried. He tried desperately, his face contorting with the effort. He battled mightily within himself, with himself, scrambling for control with every servo... but in the end it was for naught. Ultra Magnus failed. His base reaction was unavoidable.

Much to his own distant, subconscious horror.

Ultra Magnus laughed.

He covered his mouth with one hand and laid the other on Ratchet's nearest shoulder to steady himself. Then he cleared the cache on his speech module, making it emit a sound very much like a human clearing his or her throat. "You're right, Ratchet. There's nothing to compel my presence in this hallway any further, anyway. As you were, Doctor." Ultra Magnus turned on his heel with parade ground precision, and started striding back the way he'd come.

[Deleted]

((OOC: This got lengthy, but Wheeljack’s salty anger cleared my skin and got me good grades with its potency ;D ))

Bitter, tight anger rose up in his chest at Ultra Magnus’s words. “The odds have never been every two out of five an’ you know it! Sure, we lost bots in missions, an’ yeah, we lost ‘em too frequently than anyone would have liked, but we all knew th’ risks and we all knew we might not be comin’ back from any mission. That’s what bein’ a Wrecker meant: we did things no one else would do ‘cause it was dangerous, an’ we accepted that any of us could die but it meant others didn’t have to. That was the point of us, or did ya never realize that in your mission t’make all your statistics pretty lookin’?”

In all honesty, however, Wheeljack hadn’t even thought of trying to take any of his brothers in arms with him when he left for he honestly hadn’t been planning that far ahead beyond ‘get away from the totalitarian’, and the fact that it was brought up only rankled him more. “Maybe I will bring it up with the Big Boss! Primus knows everyone in this place needs t’hear the truth!” He certainly didn’t have much love for Autobot High Command, who he had always viewed as bots who rarely knew what it was really like on the front lines and made judgement calls out of context. He had never taken it up with Optimus Prime, however, due to the simple reason that Optimus Prime radiated a certain kind of charisma that made Wheeljack want to slink away in shame whenever he thought of doing it.

(A similar shame rises up in him then at the somber look that crossed Ultra Magnus’s face and the seriousness of his words, because even he knows the deep truth of it, but he viciously tried to quash it. Wheeljack was feeling petty and mean, and especially did not want to face the possibility that his ex-commander wasn’t the callous, tyrannical interloper that he had seen him as for so long.)

Anger morphed into indignant rage then as Ratchet stepped between them, utterly unfair and misplaced, but Wheeljack was in a mood, and whatever appreciation he had at the attempts to keep the peace before had evaporated. He could fight his own fights, and didn’t need anyone to try and run interference! And if he’d stepped on any bots toes and caused offense, it was absolutely because he meant to! The fact that Ultra Magnus was responding with nonchalance only compounded the issue, for his ego was already smarting at his failure to get any meaningful reaction out of the Duly Appointed Pain In The Aft. Ultra Magnus’s laugh only further infuriated him (as well as disturbed him on an instinctual level -- such a sound was utterly unnatural and against the laws of nature), but it was The Commander’s hand on Ratchet’s shoulder that nearly sent him over the edge.

“We ain’t done here yet, Chief!” He snarled, plating flared out and doorwings held high and tight in ugly agitation.

But then Ratchet was turning to him in silence, his stern gaze morphing into something else, something more pleading, and Wheeljack’s anger finally wavered. By all accounts, the Wrecker should have just pushed his way past the medic without care for what he might say or do or think of him, because that’s what he’d always done when someone was stupid enough to get between him and a target when he had picked a fight and started something. Something in Ratchet’s optics, though… he felt pinned in place by the knowledge that whatever he did next could make or break what they shared between them. He didn’t give a frag what others thought of him and never had, especially Ultra Magnus, but Ratchet… he found he did care. He didn’t want to disappoint him.

Wheeljack’s hands tightened into fists, and his face twisted into a silent snarl, but finally the Wrecker turned his head and looked away, turning his glare to the floor. “Fine,” he spat. It was the first time he’d ever yielded in an argument like this and he certainly wasn’t happy about it.

[Ratchet]

While Ratchet was trying his hardest to stay out of the argument, that didn't mean that he wasn't listening to what was being said between Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack. Perhaps 'said' hadn't been a strong enough term for their quarrel.. It had been like watching a human 'tennis match', watching as the two of them lobbed heated statements towards one another.

Staying neutral in this whole thing remained quite difficult, especially when he harbored deep feelings for Wheeljack as it was. He could see both sides of the argument, and yet he found it quite difficult at the same time. Jumping into the fray wasn't exactly an easy option, but he would do it if that was what he felt was necessary in getting this fight to stop. Ratchet had remained curious, however. Curious as to what this 'truth' Wheeljack had wanted everyone to know was. Dragging Optimus into this squabble was making things worse, and Ratchet knew that if this kept up for too much longer, someone was bound to get hurt.

That's why he had finally jumped in and spoken his two cents when he had. The Wrecker could be mad with him all he wanted to be, but he was doing it for his own good. He kept his optics trained on one of them at any given moment, his attention drawn to Ultra Magnus as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Confusion struck Ratchet as he swore he heard a laugh come from Magnus, but it was quickly covered up. Either way, he had somehow managed to talk reason into the taller mech, who promptly backed off. However.. Wheeljack wasn't having it. Ratchet looked to him with pleading optics, trying to get him to back off as well.. and to his surprise?

It actually worked.. Even if he was still furious, he didn't even so much as chase after Ultra Magnus. Releasing a sigh, the medic turned his helm back to Ultra Magnus. "For the record, sir.. My work efficiency has increased dramatically with Wheeljack around.. if you wanted that for your statistics." His words were spoken calmly and surely, no traces of resentment anywhere to be found.

Returning his attention to Wheeljack, he frowned. Not out of disappointment, but.. something else. "Wheeljack.." He reached out to touch one of his clenched fists, expanding his EM field that had been filled with every bit of calmness that had been in the words he had spoken towards Ultra Magnus just moments before. All he could do was hope that it would be enough..

[Deleted]

That's what being a Wrecker meant?! Well, say what you wanted for the bot but nobody could question the former Wrecker's work ethic when it came to deluding himself into believing a high home team body count was the way things were supposed to be. Under Ultra Magnus they'd gotten a higher success rate -and- a lower body count. Why? Not because Prime had ordered it as such, but because Ultra Magnus hadn't been able... had never even dreamed of attempting to convince himself that dead subordinates was an okay result. There was nothing acceptable about dead Autobots to Ultra Magnus, especially dead Autobots who had been following his orders. So things had changed, because Wrecker Style was more aptly referred to as reckless style. Ultra Magnus had realized what was being lost, and known it was for the best.

We ain't done here yet, chief! Ultra Magnus paused, waited but didn't turn around, until Wheeljack backed down to Ratchet. Then Optimus Prime's second continued on his way, responding only to Ratchet's ill advised attempt to make Wheeljack something other than a drain on everyone's time. "Put it in your report, Doctor. I'll take it under advisement." It would be fascinating to see Ratchet try to justify that statement with some real world numbers. Ultra Magnus couldn't imagine how canoodling in an empty storage closet with a washout instead of being in his lab was going to improve efficiency. Morale, maybe. But not efficiency.

[Deleted]

His first impulse was to flinch away from Ratchet’s gentle touch in his anger. Ratchet had interfered, as if Wheeljack couldn’t fight his own battles or handle Ultra Magnus on his own! He wanted to snap and yell at him for it, offended at what he (irrationally) perceived as an insult … but he’d snarled and taken his ire out on Ratchet before, and it had hurt the medic deeply. It was a strange thing for WHeeljack to actually think about the impact of his words and actions on others, and even stranger to realize that it apparently only applied to the Autobot medic. He didn’t yank his hand away from the well-meaning touch nor did he snarl at Ratchet, but he didn’t outwardly react, either.

Moments later, the medic’s familiar EM field is extended to him. It’s like a soothing balm against his own field, held tight to his frame in agitation, but stubbornly Wheeljack resists it: he wanted to be angry still, wanted to hold out with his self-righteous fury. It wasn’t until Ultra Magnus disappeared from sight that the Wrecker reluctantly gave in, and allowed his own field to reach back. Apparently, he couldn’t stay mad at Ratchet for long.

WHeeljack’s voice was rough and low. “You didn’t have t’do that. He’s already made up his mind about me and there ain’ nothin’ that’s gonna change it. T’be honest, I don’t really care if it does.” If he didn’t truly care about it, he wouldn’t have started the whole spat to begin with. He wouldn’t admit it in a million years, though. He had no idea if Ratchet’s claims were true, but he recognised it then as an attempt to appeal to the commander’s preference for efficiency and statistics.

As the dust began to settle, Wheeljack had the ugly realization that he’d been in the wrong, and it did not make him happy in the slightest. “-Gonna get a rain check on finishin’ that show, Sunshine. Dunno if I’m gonna be good company for a while. Need t'clear my head.” Without waiting for Ratchet to respond, the Wrecker stormed away down the hall in the opposite direction. 

It wasn’t until he had stomped his way out to where he’d parked The Jackhammer that his guilty conscience kicked in, and as much as he’d wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, Wheeljack knew he’d crossed a line, especially when thinking about Ratchet’s frustrated face. He certainly wasn’t going to apologize to the commander, for his pride and ego couldn’t handle it, but… he knew he had to do something. It was then that he caught sight of it: Ultra Magnus’s ship, The Iron Will, left primly just out of sight but close enough that it could be gotten to at a moment’s notice. He stared at it, optics narrowed, an inner battle waging within him. Finally, with a loud growl of frustration at his lingering guilt and conscience, Wheeljack made his way over.

Hours later, Wheeljack was still diligently tinkering with the ship’s engine. The Iron Will was similar enough to The Jackhammer that he could easily perform a bit of maintenance on it, and that’s what he did: tuning up whatever needed to be tuned up, cleaning out any lingering gunk, and gerry-rigging any parts that needed to be fixed that he couldn't find a replacement for. He was covered in oil and grease and bright green coolant fluid, but the engine purred happily under his experienced hands. 'That'll make the Chief happy, an' maybe get him off my tail,' he thought to himself. 

[Ratchet]

Ratchet sighed as Ultra Magnus stepped away, keeping his attention focused on Wheeljack in an attempt to calm him back down. He honestly wasn't sure if he would be successful or not, but he smiled softly once he felt the Wrecker's EM Field mingle with his own. Now he was finally accepting things, even if he still wasn't in the best of moods.

"I know I didn't have to, but.. I wanted to prevent the argument from escalating any further. To prevent any injuries from occurring as strange as it may sound."

He'd wanted to tell him that he was fairly certain Wheeljack really did care about how Ultra Magnus felt, but he decided it was best to not. There was no need to fuel the fire any further, especially now that the two had stopped their verbal quarrel. Surprise took him as Wheeljack quickly made his exit, simply relaying the message that he wouldn't be such great company in his mood. "Wait, Wheeljack..!" Ratchet extended his hand towards the Wrecker, but he'd already been gone by that point. Perhaps it was best to give him some space, and so Ratchet decided not to take off after him. Let him cool off for a little while, and then they could try again. He once more sighed to himself, lowering his hand as to not look like a fool. Ratchet stood there for a few moments, looking at the now empty hallway before returning to the medical bay.

A few hours passed and he still couldn't shake the scene out of his processor. Ratchet had contemplated messaging Wheeljack to see if he had been ok, but thought better of it. It would completely defeat the purpose of letting him cool off. Even still, he couldn't help but worry about him. Setting his tools back down on the work bench, he took his leave from the medical bay to go look for the Wrecker. If he were lucky, he'd find the Jackhammer still by the base. If he were truly lucky, Wheeljack wouldn't have left.

It was as he reached the entrance of the base that he found Ultra Magnus' ship, but what had surprised him even more was that Wheeljack had also been there, tinkering away. Just what was he doing. If he was sabotaging Ultra Magnus' ship after that fight, he was going to slam his helm into the nearest wall. The medic stayed back, watching from a distance as to not interfere with Wheeljack and his work. If he was still angry over this whole thing, approaching him might not be the best of ideas at the moment.

But what would Ultra Magnus think at the sight of Wheeljack doing things to his ship?