A cloth passed over his chest as Pharma finished polishing his frame. With a smile on his face, he admired the reflection in the mirror. He looked good. His frame was nice and shiny and the ceremonial robes drapped across his shoulders just perfectly. It was finally his day to graduate after several years of studying. Pharma was ready to move onto the next stage of his life and he couldn't wait. The door to his dorm room opened, and the jet spun around around with a smile.

"Just me," his roommate said. "Forgot my data pads."

"Oh," Pharma replied with a frown.

"Expecting someone?"

"Yeah," Pharma said. "He's probably running late."

"Yeah," his roommate said as he gathered the data pads and tucked them in his subspace. "Congrats and good luck man."

"Thanks," Pharma said as he looked at his reflection once again. His roommate waved a goodbye and exited the room. Pharma frowned and looked at the time.

"Ratch, where are you?" He said to himself as he checked the dorm's comm line for any missed messages. "You promised you'd be here."

He tried to comm Ratchet's personal line but it was shut off. It was common thing when a medic was busy. "Probably nerver turned it back on." Pharma spoke as he picked up the receiver on the room's comm system and dialed Ratchet's number. He waited as the tone beeped. No answer. Just the away message ran. With a sigh, he left a message. "Hey Ratchet. Just wondering where you are... Bet you are on your way here. Umm... Tried your comm line... I just can't wait to see you. Well, if you don't meet me in my dorm then I'll see you at the graduation. I got you a good seat... OK, well, Bye."

He looked around his dorm room and was flooded with the past memories of his lover. A smile formed on his lips as he thought of how they slept together in his berth. Or how Ratchet would be at the desk studying and how he would whine when Pharma bugged him. Those sure were the days. Glancing at the clock, he discovered the ceremony was going to be starting soon.

"Scrap." Pharma exclaimed as he did one last check in the mirror, then left the room. He briskly walked down the hallways and out the door, keeping his optics peeled for his lover along the way. He ran into other students and their families as he walked towards the center of Iacon's academy to the ceremony. As he was being pulled aside by a professor, he did one final glance around the gathering crowd. No Ratchet. 'You'll see him in the audience' Pharma told himself as the final preparations where made.

With a heavy sigh, Pharma led the graduating class down the aisle. Flashes of cameras went off like fireworks as the music played. He saw his family, his one carrier making a fuss over his younger brother and his other sibling stuck his tongue out. As he made his way to the front, he stole a glance to where Ratchet's seat was. Empty. His spark sank in his chest. Ratchet didn't come.

His processor was flooded with questions. Why would his lover blow off his graduation? Ratchet had promised he would attend! It was his special day, and he wanted to share it with the bot who meant the world to him. The ceremony dragged on, the excitement left completely now that his lover didn't attend.

Afterwards, Pharma briefly spoke with his family, delt with the condescending words of how he must find a job though would probably fail at that. A few pictures where snapped, and Pharma took off the first chance he could get. He made his way back to his dorm room, still hoping in the back of his mind that perhaps Ratchet would be there.

He opened the door and the room was empty. His spark sank as tears welled in his optics. He tossed his robes onto his berth and opened up the fridge for a can of high grade. Cracking off the lid, he downed half the first can before he noticed the flashing red light on the comm line. Reaching over, he pressed the button and listened to the message.

"Hey Pharma!" Ratchet's voice rang. "I am very sorry... I.. I ah, know I promised to be there, but an emergency came up at the clinic. I tried to still come, but... They simply needed me there... I couldn't get away... Still can't but I had a few klicks to be able to call you. I'm sorry... I know you'll be mad, I just hope you can forgive me. I am very sorry I couldn't be there." A moment of silenced passed, and Ratchet sounded genuinely upset. "Congratulations... And I love you."

... ... ... ...

How could Ratchet blow off his graduation? To this day, it still frustrated him. Even thought he forgave his partner, it still hurt and he felt let down. His ceremony was his last carefree event before life in the real world kicked in and he spent it alone.

Pharma sneered as he attempted to roll over in the snow as he recalled how hard it was to find a job whereas Ratchet found one right away. 'He just got lucky, that's all.' Pharma told himself. Anyone can be a medic specializing in emergency care, but it took true genius to focus in virology- even if his first job didn't focus on that- it was a start!

The jet scrunched up his face as he though of his career at the relinquishment clinic. Primus he hated that job and the bot's he supervised. However, all he remembered where bits and pieces during the months that he worked there, like they where just tidbits from a dream.

The first he remembered was the first few Orns of work. He had been so excited to finally start working and be able to make a living for himself. Going back to his creators was a humiliation he did not want to encounter. He worked hard and performed his tasks well. It didn't take him long to get a promotion and a whole new load of responsibilities. As long as his nurses and aides did as they where told, things went well.

'Hmmmm..." Pharma mumbled to himself as he gave up trying to move and looked back up to the blue sky. 'Odd...'

His memories where fuzzy. The next image that came to his mind was when he was wondering the corridors at the clinic. He was looking for the clinic manager, and he swore he saw the orange bot walk down the back hallway. Sure, he was told there was no reason to enter here...

...Wait. That wasn't it.

The blue jet scrunched up his face. 'What happened next?' The scene replayed through his processor over and over again, but the next thing he remembers is waking up in his own office. 'That's not right.' Pharma murmured as he shook his head. His helm began to ache and spin as he tried to remember what happened, which just ended in him being more confused then when he first started. His optics closed as he tried to fight off the nausea that had struck suddenly. He laid there silently, trying to relax his tense and hurting frame.

Pharma knocked on the door that was in front of him. No answer. He needed to speak with the manager quickly over a patient's health. He noticed the door wasn't closed all the way, so he pushed it in.

"Hello?" Pharma called out as he peaked his head in. "Trepan? Are you in here?"

No answer and the room was empty. The jet turned to leave, but noticed a secret doorway.

"What the frag?" Pharma spoke as he walked across the office and over to the passageway. "Trepan? Are you down there?"

No answer once again. He turned to leave but a sound made him stop dead in his tracks. It sounded like a scream. He turned around and peered into the dimly lit hallway once again.

"Anyone down there?" Pharma asked. For the third time there was no answer. "My mind must be playing tricks on me." Just as the blue doctor was about to turn around again, he heard the noise again and there was no mistaking the scream again.

"Trepan? Are you OK?" Pharma shouted. He knew it was against better judgment to go into the hall- it was bad enough he entered the office in the first place. But what if Trepan was hurt? What if the red and gray mech needed help and Pharma was the only one who knew about it? He couldn't just do nothing. He had to see if anyone was hurt. "Hold on. I'm coming!"

With a sigh, Pharma started down the hallway, walking as fast as he could. The corridor snaked it's way back and forth and seemed to be endless! Eventually, he came to a split and had to choose to either go left or right.

"Scrap!" He cursed under his breath. "Which way..."

Another scream was audible and most definitely came from the left. He took off in a run and followed the hallway around the turn and BAM!

The next thing Pharma realized was he was on his back his whole body twitching in pain. He screamed as his vision blurred, but he managed to make out vague shapes of two mech's towering over him. One looked a lot like Trepan. His vision went black, although he swore he heard someone speak.

'What a shame. He would have been a great doctor.'

Bright lights. That was what woke him up. Pharma groggily reset his optics to try to get his vison straight. Didn't work, his vision was still hazy. He coughed a few times as he tried to sit up. He coudn't move! He tried to move his head to the side to see what was going on, but it was held tightly in place. His arms and legs where restrained also. The jet tried to speak, but his voice was just static. There was nothing he could do but lay there in his panic as blackness consumed him once again.

A voice called out to him. 'He doesn't like you. He never liked you. He played you as a fool, and you fell for it. He think's he's so much better than you. But he's wrong!'

The next thing the jet heard was the buzzing of drills. His optics shot wide open and to his horror, a drill was right above his head. Still unable to move, Pharma had no choice but to watch as the drill came closer and closer to his helm. He screamed as fear rippled though his body at what he saw. However, he started to shriek as the drill buried itself deep inside his helm.

With a jolt, Pharma screamed himself awake. He expected to see the drill when his optics opened and he swore he felt the vibrations inside his helm. Instead, he was greeted with solitude with the only noise to be heard was himself screaming, which tapered off once he realized it was just the nightmare. The same exact nightmare he has been having since his first job. The jet panted to catch his breath as he lay shaking in fear. in the snow.