"Do you guys see my camera? They're melting Ratchet."
"They've slaughtered Ratchet?! I'll kill them all!"
Rage, absolute rage is what filled Optimus then. Those murdering humans killed the Autobot medic and were now using his parts for their schemes? They were no better than the Decepticons and Optimus fully intended to treat them as such. Such acts would not go unpunished. It was cruel, it was too much like Shockwave's experiments.
At one time, Optimus would've trusted the humans to leave well enough alone. But the past few months had changed him. He didn't know who to trust anymore. All his former allies were gone. Lennox, Sam, they were all hunted down, put on trial, and imprisoned for their association with him. For helping him. No where on this planet was safe as long as the CIA were hunting them, with Lockdown as their unwitting ally.
The Autobot leader transformed, still immersed in his rage over the atrocity he had just witnessed. Too many Autobots had fallen but at least their deaths had been honorable. These humans derived Ratchet that honor the moment they collected his parts for their own research, without a care that they belonged to a once living being, one that was once dedicated to protecting them and their species as a whole. They had crossed a line and they would pay! Optimus would see to that personally!
He tore through the lab, seeing nothing but red as anger took over all his systems. "We are not your technology!" He shouted, striking down another of the many lab tables in exasperation. The other Autobots looked at him in surprise. As Prime, he was expected to maintain a calm composure, never lose control of his own emotions. Realizing this, Optimus managed to cool down just enough to face the human scientist, Joshua, and spit out through gritted teeth "Autobots, we're done here."
As he walked through the shattered ruins of a once bustling research facility the anger faded and grief took its place. Optimus managed to maintain his calm outward appearance until later that day, when speaking to Kade, he couldn't hold back anymore. "How many more of my kind must be sacrificed, to atone for your mistakes?!" He growled, unable to hide the grief in his voice. Ratchet... He needed his CMO more than anything. Ratchet would know what to do, he always did. "Ratchet, why? Why did you have to get caught?!" He thought.
Cade gazed up at him with pity in his eyes, pity and sorrow for he understood, better than anyone else present, how Optimus truly felt. "You just have to have faith Prime, in who we could be." Optimus stared down at the human in surprise. Cade was wiser than his years let on and deep down, Optimus knew he was right. Ratchet would never forgive him if he gave up now.
He would fight on. For the Autobots, for Cade and the few other humans who had nearly given up their lives to save his. And for Ratchet, his chief medic, his most trusted friend, his sparkmate...
The Prime closed his eyes, sending a message up to the stars. "Ratchet, I love you..."