"What's wrong with you humans!?" Ratchet asked as he took fire from his attackers. He fired back, not bothering to aim.
Suddenly, there was an explosion on his right. It sent him to the ground. He let out a few groans of pain. The humans kept firing, but so did he. He ended up getting shot over onto his back.
"He's mine now." Came the voice of another transformer. Not Autobot or Decepticon, though.
He looked up. "Lockdown." He forced out.
"Autobots, Decepticons, like little children." Lockdown loaded a weapon. "Always fighting. Making a mess out of the universe and I've always got to clean it up. Tell me where he is hiding. Where is Optimus Prime?"
"Never." He countered, a few parts falling off of his face.
Lockdown stepped on him with one leg, but instead of ripping out his spark, he harshly said, "Tell me."
"Never." Ratchet repeated. He'd never betray Optimus or the Autobots.
Lockdown's optics glittered with anger. "Fine, I have more uses for you anyway." He snarled.
The injured Autobot medic didn't like the sound of what he was saying.
Lockdown looked down at the black ops forces. "Load him up on the trailer."
"We will right away." The man in command, Agent Simmons from Sector Seven, said. He called to his men. "Load him up!"
They used a crane to put the destroyed medic onto the trailer. There was no need to strap him down because he could hardly move. Lockdown transformed into a Lamborghini Aventador. He hitched himself to the trailer.
"If you even try to run, Autobot, I will kill you." He told Ratchet.
"Good to know." Ratchet said, through speech difficulty.
Lockdown started driving, quickly and carefully, in case he accidently knocked Ratchet off. The black op vehicles drove behind them.
Ratchet let out another groan of pain as he tried to shift into a comfortable position on the trailer.
"Ratchet!" He heard a familiar, distressed voice scream.
He forced himself to look in the direction he had heard it from. He saw Samuel James Witwicky racing after Lockdown and the black ops' cars. The boy got into a car nearby, probably his own, and started speeding after them.
The one thing Ratchet wondered; where was Bumblebee?
"Ouch." He grumbled as they went over a speed bump.
He heard a gunshot of a human gun. His gaze jerked back to Sam speeding in his car. There was a hole in the windshield, but Sam seemed alright. Another gunshot. Another hole appeared on the windshield.
Ratchet knew that trying to help Sam would get them both killed. The Autobot watched some energon leak out of the wound where his leg had been before the attack. He let out a grunt.
Suddenly they drove out of the city and across the New Mexico border, into Texas.
They were still in Texas at noon the next day, when he received the message. The message from Optimus.
Calling all Autobots. Calling all Autobots.
Optimus wanted to regroup? Ratchet was glad that the message wasn't out loud. Through comm. link he responded.
:Ratchet reporting in: He knew his voice showed the pain he was in. :Won't be able to make it, Optimus:
:Why not, Ratchet?: The Prime responded.
:I'm injured and in the hands of Lockdown. We're somewhere in Texas, I think:
:Lockdown is here? On Earth?: Optimus repeated.
:Yes he is. I better stop talking before he gets suspicious. Ratchet out:
Lockdown stopped at a desert gas station to let the black ops get more gas, drinks, and food. In the middle of the previous night, Sam had stopped chasing them due to low fuel.
They resumed driving. Hours later, they reached an airport. It was big enough for Ratchet, Lockdown, and the soldiers.
They flew to Hong Kong. The flight wasn't long at all. He saw Lockdown using one of the black ops' drones to record a video. Probably to bait Optimus or trap him.
"Hey, Prime." Lockdown began. "I have something of yours."
He was actually sending it to the Autobots live.
He saw the drone's camera point to him. With a groan, Ratchet tried to get up to break the drone, but fell over, nearly face-planting. He banged a fist on the ground in annoyance. "Optimus, don't. It's a trap-"
He felt Lockdown kick him in the gut. "Shut up, stupid Autobot." He looked at the camera. "If you want him, you'll have to come here for him and go through me." Then he aimed a gun at the drone and shot it.
He kicked Ratchet again. Twice as hard and in the chest this time. Ratchet grabbed his leg and shoved him off.
"I'm not going to let Optimus get baited into another one of your traps." He scowled at Lockdown.
"He will be baited and there' nothing you can do about stopping it." Snarled Lockdown.