FIC! Waiting(Part 1)
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Glaring at the barren concrete, Ratchet found two lines of thought running within his processor. Foremost in his meta, yet with a detached quality, was the alarming efficacy of Sentinal Prime's acid-rust gun. According to Ratchet's analysis, the weapon had done a disturbingly thorough job. Not even microscopic evidence remained, no indication that one of the Autobots' bravest, most loyal warriors had died here. Circling close behind that knowledge, and far more awful, was the fact that Ironhide had not been granted the proud, honourable death he had earned.
A processor-numbing sense seized upon his Spark, overwhelming him with a near-intolerable miasma of regret, guilt, and shame. This was what they'd fought to achieve for so long: an end to the War. And yet, any celebratory relief was tainted by the medic's self-loathing, for he knew, if there were a way to bring 'Hide back, even if the War had to continue, Ratchet would have been helpless to ignore the chance. In conflict with his logic center, his Spark deemed this price for peace to be too high.
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