Disclaimer: The Transformers and all related material belong to Hasbro, concept originally created and licensed through Takara Co. LTD.

-------

Author's Note: According to Wikipedia, "The Thin Red Line is a description used to refer to an outgunned military unit holding firm against attack." I wrote this short piece as my entry to tfanimated's drabble contest on LJ (the word length requirements being a loose 100-600 words). Enjoy.

-------

"Thin Red Line"

It was both fascinating and depressing. Detroit was a city full of activity, rarely resting, its citizenry and robotic workers hustling about even during the night. The buildings and street lights around the old warehouse the Sumdacs had given over to the Autobots remained lit, the sounds of vehicles traversing the roads easily audible to the still sensitive audio receptors of the old red and white Cybertronian standing idly just inside the docking bay entrance.

Ratchet gazed out at the streets, watching as traffic passed him by, the scene distantly reminiscent of a time long gone before war. Behind him, further back inside the storage area of the warehouse, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were already down and out, recharging quietly after a long day of assisting with the clean up in the downtown area caused by Starscream's rampage. But the medic found himself unable to power down just yet, haunted by memories of a war he thought ended long ago. The presence of Starscream in the city brought unsettling thoughts along with the terrible amounts of property damage.

Because if Starscream managed to locate the Allspark, what about other Decepticons? They'd already tangled with Megatron and no one could say for sure what happened to him. Deep down, Ratchet hoped the Decepticon Commander had perished after Optimus Prime forced him out of the shuttle's docking tunnel hatch, but there were no guarantees. And even if Megatron was gone for good, that didn't mean the Allspark was safe. For all Ratchet knew, that 'Con command ship had been crawling with enemy ranks. More could follow.

City after city fell, buildings blown to dust and the highways pock-marked with holes from exploding shells. That was how it was on Cybertron. The Earth could suffer the same fate. It was all too easy for Ratchet to overlay the peaceful view before him with memory files of Cybertron's worst solar cycles.

And there was no Elite Guard here. Did Ultra Magnus even know what happened? Were his troops out searching for the Allspark?

Magnus told Prime not to be a hero. It was too late for that. It was too late to pull out now and spare Earth possible disaster. The people of Detroit called Ratchet and the others heroes, but what if the worst came to pass? What then? Perhaps Ratchet was being too pessimistic, perhaps other Decepticons would never show. Perhaps...

"Still on your feet, Ratchet? I thought for sure you'd have hit recharge by now." Prime had pulled up, transforming as he greeted the medic, Prowl behind him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Just thinking about what we've got left to do, tomorrow."

Prime patted him on the shoulder and headed inside. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be here soon enough."

Ratchet watched the other mech vanish into the back before turning to look out at the street again. Prowl was still standing there, just an arm's length away.

"Starscream?" the younger 'Bot questioned, voice quiet and even.

Ratchet hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted Prowl to know what he was thinking. "...yeah."

"Prime asked me to hunt for a body, but I never found one. You're probably right to worry."

"That's not the only thing that worries me."

Prowl glanced back out at the moving traffic on the street before meeting the medic's gaze, again. "If they come, we'll do what we can. I have a feeling Prime has resigned himself to the same."

"I just hope it'll be enough, Prowl. I really do."

Turning, both 'Bots headed inside to try and get some rest.