Transformers Prime.

Ratchet centric.

Summary: Ratchet is captured by the Decepticons and is forced to work with Knock Out. Of course, Ratchet is very much against working for the 'Cons... but when lives are on the line, what can he do?

Crack! The business end of a blaster rifle jabbed into his back to make him keep up the pace. He followed the footsteps a head of him that clanged in hard echo with his own and of those behind him. His hands bound behind his back in stasis cuffs, no doubt there was a line on him that prevented him from simply walking away.

Being led, blinded with his external sensory capacitors damaged during his capture which was likely on purpose, to Primus knows where on the Decepticon ship was the last thing Ratchet had on his activities list.

Probably the brig. Where else would Decepticons keep an Autobot? Thats where he had woken up.

He had already been to the bridge... which even though he put up a brave show, it was not an experience he wanted to go through again. Megatron had simply laughed, amused at his threats and had him taken away with a light flick of his wrist.

He tilted his head slightly, working inwardly on tapping his communications systems and growled. His long range communication was still offline and further inspection revealed extensive damage that could take hours upon hours to repair. How convenient for the 'Cons.

Ratchet was no idiot. The execution of the way the Decepticons separated him from Bumblebee when they were ambushed at the site of another Energon deposit, was very much on purpose. He hoped that Optimus and Smokescreen did not have the same kind of welcoming party he and Bee did. He specially hoped the same for Arcee and Bulkhead as well. Each team was scouting faint signals of Energon, the kind that comes from deposits being unearthed by natural means. They took the risk because they were certain the Decepticons were too preoccupied by their own Energon mine and the Autobots desperately needed more with another bot to support. Never did Ratchet think it would be such an elaborate set up.

"Ngh!" He took another jab of the Decepticon's riffle arm in the back telling him to walk faster. He complied... for now; his class as a medic was no match for a ship full of Decepticons in any attempt for escape. He will need some sort of an edge if he was ever going to get out of the alive. That led to another thought. A question actually.

Why was he still alive?

Why didn't Megatron kill him on the bridge of the Nemesis with a live video feed flaunting his termination of the Autobot medic to Optimus Prime? It would certainly be a critical blow to Team Prime. So why didn't they seize the chance? Even though it may be a blessing, Ratchet hoped it was, it gave him a sinking pit feeling in his spark that this was the beginning of the worst of it all. They wanted him for something... and they needed him alive for the time being.

He heard the swishing if doors and knew they were entering a room. The footsteps in front of him stopped and so he stopped as well.

"Finally! Though you could've roughed him up a little more. I only need his mind and hands for this."

Ratchet's mouth formed a snarl. The voice belonged to the Decepticon's own medic, Knock Out. Was this so-called doctor to be his interrogator? Torturer more likely. Well, they can try all they want, he will never betray Autobot secrets.

The guard in front of him grumbled for a few nanokliks, or a few earth seconds... Ratchet had been in interaction with the humans so much that their conventions of telling time were more ingrained now than Cybertronian units. When the guard behind him then spoke up, a tad eager, "We can... rough him up... if you like."

"Hn, forget it, he's already here." Knock Out responded in a bored, almost indifferent tone. Footsteps closed in on Ratchet and he felt fingertips touch the side of his helm, pressing the device that was the cause of his optics to go dark. The circular attachment fell seemingly dead into Knock Out's awaiting hand as Ratchet's optics slowly lit in their deep cerulean blue hue. The Autobot medic blinked as his vision came back.

The room they were in was different than what he imagined his place of torture would be. In fact it looked like a Decepticon version of a medical bay/laboratory area. Looking around, Ratchet, right off the bat said, "I'm not fixing any Decepticons."

"I would not ask that of you doctor." Standing less than a foot away from Ratchet now, Knock Out rolled his eyes and then with a little venom, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of my own. I am also a doctor after all."

"That still remains to be seen."

Knock Out growled at the Autobot's comment but then smirked, "Only Autobots need to worry, should they ever land on my operating table."

To make a point, Knock Out's hand formed a spinning saw pointed very close to Ratchet's main Energon line in his neck. It was almost too tempting for him to simply let the Autobot be left at that. With a dark smirk, Knock Out's saw lowered from Ratchet's neck to his chest plate, sawing a nice little crevice into the middle of the medic's chassis. Ratchet cringed as his nerve centers flared up, he tried backing away but the guard behind him suddenly put a grip on him tightly. A small trickle of Energon leaked from the fresh wound, not life threatening at all but will become an annoyance if left unattended.

And Knock Out did not stop there, this was too satisfying and a sick ecstasy washed over him. The saw moved left and put a deep scar into the Autobot insignia on Ratchet's chest, sparks flew as he cut into the medic, splitting the symbol in nearly diagonal halves. Knock Out was getting so engrossed in his meticulous work that he did not notice the leader of the Decepticons enter the medical bay through the door to which Ratchet's back faced.

"Knock Out!"

The sharp, harsh toned reprimand snapped Knock Out out his moment of pleasure and he took a step back away from Ratchet, "My lord Megatron, I was merely showing the Autobot who is in charge of this medbay."

"And I am in charge of you Knock Out, remember that well." Megatron warned the Decepticon physician with a quick, stern look.

"Of course, my Lord." Knock Out bowed, his voice sincere. Bad things happened very quickly to those Megatron had in his dwindling circle of commanders.

The warlord approached the prisoner, his frame loomed over like an ominous cloud. Ratchet glared with as much hate and bravery he had in his spark. He was sure now that the show on bridge was for the troops, how the feeble medic could be taken from the Autobots so easily. Now was the time to discuss business. Megatron leaned in close to Ratchet.

"Do you know why you are still alive?"

"...You need me." Ratchet looked away.

Megatron leaned back into an upright position, hands crossed behind his back, authoritative. "You are as smart as they say. Good. Then there wont be any problems..."

Ratchet cocked a brow as he looked back at the Decepticon leader. Megatron just returned it with a fiendish grin and nodded to a figure behind him. Soundwave strode past them to a console, and with a few clicks of the keypad an image was brought up onto the screen above it.

It was a picture of a sleepy town in a arid, desert setting. A picture of a familiar town.

Ratchet's optics widened and his jaw went slack as he realized they did not need to torture him for information. They already have the most important piece data. The location of the base!

It was Jasper. Jasper, Nevada. Oh, Primus, this cannot be true...

End chapter 1

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