Optimus had to admit, Ratchet had been acting suspiciously strange all week or perhaps for even longer than a week now. The medic had taken to attempting to remain online without any hint of recharge in his Medbay, always hiding himself away from the others and, when he was approached on the odd occasion, he would flinch away from any contact for a moment, even from the Prime himself. However it wasn't just Optimus that had noticed, everyone had taken note of Ratchet's odd behaviour and had all attempted to get some form of answer out him yet to no avail so far. Even Miko was expressing some concern for the 'demon medic', to put it her way. In fact, it was almost enough to say that he was becoming rather paranoid of activity on the base; he would more often than not check where everyone was through his extensive duty on monitors at least every hour or so before going back to what he was doing. On this particular day, Optimus had had enough. Ratchet had, yet again, scuttled and hid himself away in his room in a ditch attempt to get maybe half an hour of some kind of recharge and everyone rolled their optics when Ratchet had told them he was going for a 'lie down in his quarters' - that had been at two o'clock in the morning, of course.

"Ratchet, what is wrong with you old friend...?" Optimus muttered to himself as he walked down the cold corridor and away from the steady glow of the green monitors in the main room in the darkness. Arcee and Bulkhead had taken to staying with their charges, Jack and Miko, to the point where almost every night only Bumblebee, Ratchet and Optimus himself were left on base. It provided some peace and quiet for Ratchet, at the very least, who was having difficulty recharging. It was not secret about his temporary insomnia but when questioned, all he'd do was grab a wrench and stare threateningly at the asker. Currently, Bumblebee was milling around one of the jungle-gym type efforts to improve Autobot dexterity by himself, leaving Optimus to be able to investigate Ratchet's unusual recharging patterns. It wasn't long before he was outside the medic's door, peering inside to see Ratchet half-off his berth but most certainly in recharge, almost like a log if it weren't for the fact his small antennae would twitch every so often. Optimus hummed quietly, frowning briefly at the twitching - it was a well-known fact to Optimus, having known Ratchet for a long time even before the war, that those only twitched when he was stressed or perhaps even distressed. The Prime lingered in the doorway, watching to make sure Ratchet was alright before turning to leave.

That was when he heard the mumbling.

Everything burned, his chassis, his optics, his spark. It all hurt so much and there was nothing he could do about it. Ratchet was stood in the centre of the main room of the Autobot silo, shaking as everyone towered above him and spat insult after insult.

"Useless!"

"Scrap metal!"

"An unworthy medic!"

"Nothing but spare parts waiting to happen!"

Everyone was screaming at him increasingly more foul things, even Raf and June of all people! Arcee had her claws at the ready and was scratching at his face. The veteran was unable to move his arms to defend himself, shaking as softly-glowing blue tears dripped down his cheeks from his optics. There was a brief moment in which the insults stopped, allowing Ratchet a moment to sob quietly as his small antennae twitched and quivered and even went as far to bend a little under the stress and sadness on his spark. The hisses and voices died away around him, causing the distressed mech to look up and see Optimus set a calmer hand on his shoulder, even going as far as to cup his cheek gently.

"Cheer up, old friend." he said lowly, soon striking him across the face and, as if on cue, the insults started back up again on automatic. This time they were worse, much worse, as everyone kicked and punched at his somewhat vulnerable frame mercilessly. The pain and agony grew to the point he was kicked to the ground harshly by the Prime himself, said leader pressing a pede down on his chassis and causing yet more pain as they could all hear the creaking and whines of the metal armour beneath his pede. Everyone jeered and goaded him on, watching him attempt to flatten Ratchet in a show of Megatron-worthy brutality. Ratchet attempted to scream, being kicked from all angles as an arm was ripped clean off.

Optimus frowned and walked over, towering above Ratchet and setting a hand on his shoulder. "Ratchet. Wake up." he said firmly, attempting to wake his friend as he shook his shoulder gently. "Ratchet, can you hear me? Wake up!" he said, beginning to worry as Ratchet mumbled and groaned in his sleep, flinching away from the contact with an audible whimper as he mumbled away.

"No... please... no... don't... I'm sorry..." he wheezed, whimpering as his frame started to shake uncontrollably in the Prime's grip. Optimus frowned, shaking him again as Ratchet flinched away and curled right up on the berth in a total panic.

He was pinned down, a sword through his chest as he was bleeding profusely again from the same aggravated wound from his little endeavour with Megatron and the SynthEn. He was crying softly, tears streaming rapidly down his cheek plating as he struggled weakly.

"Optimus... Please..." he coughed, valuable Energon dripping down from his mouth weakly. "Why...?" he coughed again, Energon splattering the Prime's pede as he was kicked again by his leader. Optimus growled fiercly at him, optics narrowed as he spat insult after insult at him.

"You deserve to die." he hissed viciously, driving his ion blaster right up against Ratchet's helm. There was a beat before he pulled the trigger, Ratchet's optics going wide for a second before there was nothing.

Optimus frowned as he rocked Ratchet's shoulder again, trying almost desperately by this point to wake him before Ratchet bolted upright with a scream of absolute terror. Barely a beat passed before Ratchet was struggling against Optimus, screaming the most incoherent of things in sheer paranoia and fear. Optimus grunted a little as he was headbutted hard, stumbling a little at the shocking force the medic possessed now out of fear, before swiftly regaining his senses and pulling Ratchet's arms behind him and pinning him down against the berth.

"Ratchet calm down!" Optimus shouted, Ratchet only screaming further with completely dilated optics that scanned and flicked around the room wildly in fear as his vocaliser crackled with static at the harsh sudden usage after being offline for a while.

"DON'T KILL ME! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! PLEASE OPTIMUS!" Ratchet screamed, Bumblebee running in at the racket to see Ratchet pinned completely beneath Optimus and yet still struggling and forcing his way up and away from the mech in slow progress.

/What is going on?!/ Bee beeped in shock, optics wide as Optimus grunted at being slammed back against the wall.

"Bumblebee! Medbay, now! Top shelf, biggest box there is! Get the strongest sedative you can find!" Optimus shouted, his own optics rather wide and his own face a picture of fear as he tried to hold the panicking medic down with all his might. "QUICKLY!" Bumblebee blinked and nodded, backing out of the room and sprinting to the Medbay as fast as his frame would allow him. Both mechs had adrenalin coursing through them in utter fear for Ratchet's mental safety, optics wide as they came to terms by themselves that Ratchet must have been suffering with nightmares such as this for a while. Optimus growled at being headbutt again, forcing Ratchet against the wall that, in any other circumstances, might have looked awkward but now was completely necessary.

"Ratchet! Calm down! It's me!" he barked, watching Ratchet twitch and flail even more as he tried to brace himself against the wall to push Optimus clear away. *Where are you, Bumblebee?!* Optimus thought to himself, casting quick glances towards the doorway before making the decision to carry Ratchet there himself. He quickly hooked his arms under Ratchet's and forced them up, limiting the medic's mobility already before proceeding to drag him, very much kicking and screaming, out of his quarters and to the Medbay where Bumblebee was balancing on a couple of crates to be able to reach the high shelf. His helm snapped over to look where Optimus was dragging Ratchet through the door to the Medbay, only for the medic to scream and hook his pede around the doorframe.

/I said I'd get it!/ Bee beeped quickly, optics wide as he grabbed the box quickly and fetched the strongest sedative there.

"You weren't quick enough!" Optimus snapped, looking at the scout with a split lip as he nodded for Bee to apply the sedative into an exposed wire in Ratchet's neck. Both mechs panted a little as they watched the veteran slouch down against Optimus with dying screams and whimpers leaving his vocaliser as his optics shut off and he relaxed entirely. There was nothing left but silence and the scout and leader panting softly in shock.

/What just happened./ Bee wheezed out, watching Optimus lay Ratchet down before sinking to the floor with jelly legs as the adrenalin subsided.

"I... have no... fraggin'... idea..." Optimus panted, hands shaking a little as he stared into space. What the frag had just happened?!