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[Ah, here we have the not-so-illusive Sideswipe. Fresh, red hot angry teenager for you, Moira. All those blue lights on his armor glowing hotly. Here is a robot child with a bone to pick.]

[He's standing outside his room -- if anyone knows for sure where that is, and... bristling. As much as a guy covered in armor can bristle.]

Okay! So, hey, are we done arresting each other for stupid stuff?

[Sideswipe 'mutiny' isn't stupid--]

Because, I gotta say, if anyone else has a problem with Riptide? You're gonna take it up with me! That's right. Me.

[A guy who looks more like a beanpole than a warrior.]

The great Earth-Cop Sideswipe! Team Bee's finest! And Riptide's mine to handle, so there. No one else gets any other ideas about dragging him anywhere, no matter your universe. Unless you want to get sideswiped.

Out the airlock.

...

Oh yeah also, if you're tiny and organic and some idiot the size of a building starts throwing down? Page me. I'll be your one-way-ticket out of smashville.

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But he didn't -- he didn't even try to figure it out! Or talk at all! He just...

He just had him there. Like he was gonna crush him.

[Like he was going to lose Riptide all over again, right in front of his face, while he tried to do something.]

Maybe not, y'know. Physically. But he's... he's really bad. He's in the room and he's not doing anything he wasn't even this bad when he came back, and he's...

What else am I supposed to do! Huh? What else am I supposed to do if that big piece of rust bucket takes him away again!

I know. And I think he's apologized. I'll talk to Riptide, too. It's...

[Ratchet's chest aches, even though his spark chamber is whole again, miraculously injury-free now.]

It can be hard to get good news from the future, sometimes. I know first-hand. Bad news is even harder, and it's going to take him time to process it. But even Magnus knows it's unfair to punish people for things they haven't done yet--that's not how it works.

It's just wrong. He's hurting so bad and they just... everything good we had it's like they blew it up.

[He's sinking down against a wall while he says this, hunching up again.]

... if he knows it's so wrong, why wouldn't he stop?

He didn't know Riptide didn't know. And even now, it's still hard not to be upset with him, knowing that he helped strand us on a planet with people he knew would kill us. I can't think of a single rational explanation for why he'd do something like that.

... Maybe he didn't know how bad it was gonna be. Maybe he just... thought it'd get Megatron lost.

But. Hey. No one asked!

No.

[The response is flat and immediate.]

Riptide has seen first-hand what Tarn and the DJD are capable of, even back home. This was not a mistake, or an accident. He knew trapping anyone even near Tarn would be a death sentence.

I don't know why he did it, and I hope there's some sort of explanation that doesn't involve him actively wanting us all dead for some insane reason, but he knew.

That's not what I said!

[Yeah it kind of was.]

Meant --! Whatever! I meant maybe, just maybe, he didn't mean to get everyone caught in the crossfire!

Just Megatron!

And -- and I don't blame him!

[Ratchet please forgive this child he knows literally not what he says right here.]

It's possible. There's no way for us to know for sure--that's sort of the point. I'm pretty damn sure I'm not going to agree with Riptide, whatever his reasoning, but I'm not going to take this out on him until I know what that reason is.

[Ratchet struggles mightily against a sigh.]

It'll get sorted, Sideswipe. But do you really think threatening people on the network is going to help him, or make him feel any better?

Wow look, literally the first bot here to wanna do the talking thing everyone tells me to do first. Cool.

[Ratchet i'm sorry for all this childish salt.]

Someone's gotta support him! I mean... isn't that what you said to do? Just. Be with him and stuff?

Besides, I -- [Well the salt mines close for a second, and he folds his arms tightly.] -- like I said.

Really don't wanna lose him again.

You can support him without aggravating everyone who may or may not end up killed because of his actions. This is still serious, even if we don't know what happened.

...have you tried to visit him?

Tch, like anyone's taking me seriously.

... yeah. He said go away.

[Ratchet sighs.]

I'll talk to him, Sideswipe.

I'm not gonna give up though.

So. If you do talk to him -- don't say that.

He treated me like I mattered. Like I wasn't just a stupid punk. I'm gonna repay it.

[Ratchet just watches Sideswipe for a long moment, his expression difficult to read but his blue optics intent.]

He's lucky to have someone like you. You both are.

Yeah well.

Tell that to Ultra Fatness.

Now, now.

[Ratchet bites hard at the inside of his cheek to keep from snorting a laugh.]

Upsetting Magnus isn't going to help Riptide one bit. And anyway, that larger set of armor is new, he's usually smaller.

...

So he got fatter.

He really is Ultra Fatness.

I think you're confusing 'fatter' with 'bigger and meaner', which is dangerous.

I dunno he looked pretty chunky to me.

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