Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or its characters.
A/N: as promised, it didn't last the entire story.
Charles Morgan was a doctor, that was true. However, in all his years as a physician, he'd never seen anything like this.
He'd ushered Miss Raynes into the guest room of his home with the help of his friend Joe Walters. He'd removed her clothes to assess the damage and if immediate action was needed.
He'd promptly been overwhelmed and nauseated, vomiting into a nearby waste basket. The evidence suggested torture and surgical procedures, undoubtedly consensual. Acid burns were scattered all over her body and there were strange marks on her chest that resembled hieroglyphics.
This former patient and likely captive, had been through unspeakable horror and it made the doctor in him want to assist. The man was sickened by the atrocities committed against the unconscious woman.
He saw the injection mars on her arms and decided to run tests to check for drugs or other harmful substances.
The results confused the poor human man. There were numeral foreign substances in her body. None were like anything he'd ever encountered.
What on Earth had those monstrous beasts done to this woman?
Miss Raynes suddenly jerked, her eyes flew open and her mouth flapping as if she were gasping for breath.
Startled, the physician rushed to her side. The shine in her eyes indicating the presence of a fever.
"Doctor Morgan. . ." She rasped in a slightly hoarse voice.
I ripped away from the images of Scalpel lifting bloody masses from my body, my eyes drawn to a grey ceiling with a strange little ceiling fan.
Movement to my left drew my attention to a familiar face.
"Doctor Morgan. . ." I rasped, wincing as my throat protested. I sounded like shit.
"It's alright, we're at my home. You're safe now." He murmured softly in the voice that had soothed me when I hadn't received my pain medication yet at the hospital.
"No, you have to listen. Its important." I dragged the tags off and showed them to him. "You have to call him and tell him you found his tags. Tell him! Codename Ratchet. You have to call them."
A violent round of shivers racked my body, stopping me from doing or saying anything else. My entire body felt like I'd been beaten and well, tortured and operated on. My head felt heavy and like it was full of wool.
"Alright, I will. I will. I promise.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled into the pillow.
I was so tired.
Charles gingerly lifted the dog tags from her hand, taking a closer look. Why would she have another person's identification tags?
Major William Lennox.
He sighed and called in one of his many favors. "Joe? I need you to find all you can on a William Lennox. Yes, it's very important that I find him. I have a promise to keep."
The doctor glanced down at the sleeping woman. So much had happened to her. So much pain.
He couldn't risk giving her any medications to help her with the unknown substances pumping through her system. He could kill her.
He answered the phone immediately after the first ring. "Hello? Yes, this is Doctor Charles Morgan. . . I have a message for Major William Lennox . . . I'm sorry, sir, all I know is she made me promise to tell you. . . She said to call you and tell you that she had your identification tags. She mentioned a codename Ratchet? She said that she was sorry."
He frowned at the response. "I can't do that. She's in no condition to speak to anyone. She's recovering. I can't tell you what because I don't know just yet myself. I only found her weak, dehydrated and stricken with fever in the middle of the road around two hours ago."
He furrowed his eyebrows at the other man's attitude and reluctantly relayed his address. He had a promise to keep. He'd sort the rest out once the Major arrived.
Optimus frowned at the holographic map displayed on the projector. There had been no sign of Miss Raynes or the Decepticons since her capture.
Where could they have gone?
Major Lennox had expressed his frustration at the loss of his identification tags and weapon.
An cooperative burst into the conference room, a hand over his mouthpiece. "Major Lennox? There's a phone call for you."
The Autobot and human frowned as one.
"Major Lennox. Patch me through. I understand that you've been looking for me?" The creases between his brow deep end. "What message?"
The soldier froze, his body language tense. "How do you know that name? Put her on the phone immediately. What do you mean she can't come to the phone? Recoverinf from what? What? Where do you live, Doctor? We're coming there, don't let her escape."
Lennox turned to the room. "Miss Raynes has turned up in a house outside Nevada. Apparently Doctor Morgan found her in poor health on a road a few hours from his house. Optimus, she mentioned Ratchet by name."
Optimus nodded, blue optics serious. "We should visit the residence and determine what Miss Raynes knows of us and the Decepticons whereabouts. She may hold the key to discovering the Decepticons base. We shall end the matter of whether she bears the Mark of the Allspark when we arrive."
The Autobot leader called for Ratchet to join them as the soldiers made preparations for the journey. Will and Epps would be accompanied by a handful of volunteers, to be on the safe side.
Exactly two hours later, Autobots and humans left the N. E. S. T base for Nevada.
I was back in the bunker, standing beside the work table. I blinked in confusion.
I didn't understand. How could this have happened? When had they caught me? Why couldn't I remember?
I felt awful. My head felt like I'd stuffed a field of cotton in it, my body ached.
I stumbled around the cave like structure, trying to make my fuzzy brain work. Which direction had I seen the doors? I know I just saw them.
Scuttling drew my attention away from my search for the door.
Scalpel.
I grabbed an I. V. stand I hadn't noticed before, ready to hit the smaller Decpticon with it. The freak had tortured me enough! He wouldn't get his rusty digits on me again if I had anything to say about it. Never again!
"Ah, the subject is awake. Now, now, what do you think you're going to do with that? Stupid human femme." The Con hissed, ruby optics mocking me.
"I don't know, and I don't need to. You're never coming near me again, you fragging heap of junk!" I growled, hoping my voice sounded stronger than I felt. I wasn't entirely sure I could take down the Con, but if I went down, I'd go down swinging in any case.
"Inferior femme, I will have you on my table soon. I will enjoy hearing your screams again. I have such plans for you." He cackled, scuttling forward.
"NO! Never! You're never touching me again you little bastard!" I screamed, throwing the stand at him.
I walked backward steadily, throwing everything I could at his approaching form.
"Stay back!" I yelled, throwing something else.
I finally found the doors and pushed through, stumbling. I grabbed the railing weakly in a last ditch effort to stay standing. I failed miserably and fell, my sore body protesting intensely.
A bright gleam of light made me lift my head. Sunlight met metal. Fifty feet of metal, humanoid form. The Autobots had come. When had they gotten there? They had terrible timing, I'd already freed myself.
Lennox and Epps ran ahead, the brown haired soldier dropping to his knees beside me. "Hey, stay with me."
"I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . ."
Everything hurt and I was so tired. I wanted to sleep.
Why was I so tired? I had energy before.
I felt funny. Wait, where was Ratchet? He could take a look and tell me why I felt so tired now.
"R-Ratchet. Ratchet." I stuttered, succumbing to sleep.
The Autobots and soldiers arrived to the residence Major Lennox had indicated held Miss Raynes.
Optimus' holoform frowned as he picked up hostile sounds coming from the household. A femme was yelling, the softer voice of a mech followed every shouted phrase. The femme sounded distressed.
Crashing noises followed soon after, causing concern.
However, before any move could be made, a human femme stumbled out of the residence. She was unsteady, falling soon after exiting the residence.
Optimus' holoform flickered to life and stood beside his real form, frowning at the fragile human femme in concern. She did not look as healthy as the other human femme he and his Autobots had met. She glanced up, taking notice of their presence. Optimus noted her eyes looked too bright.
Lennox climbed down and approached the femme, Epps joined him. The human mech quickly took in her appearance and cursed, dropping to his knees beside her. "Hey, stay with me."
The Autobot could hear the femme's facial grinding tools clattering.
"I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. . ." She murmured, her vocal response weak and tired.
A man in a thin white coat burst from the house with a black back, hastily approaching the three other humans and dropping to his knees beside them.
"Miss Raynes? Can you understand me? It's Doctor Morgan." Thean who identified himself as Doctor Morgan opened the bad and pulled took a out, pressing a circular object to the femme's chest
The femme gave no response, her eyes more distant. Then, her eyes flicked to Lennox and held his gaze. "R-Ratchet. Ratchet."
Immediately afterward, the femme fell unconscious.
Optimus blinked in surprise. How did she know of Ratchet?
Doctor Morgan cursed, placing two fingers against the femme's neck. "Her pulse is weak and thready. The infection hasn't left her completely, the fever is intensifying and her body temperature has risen near a dangerous level. Help me get her inside, I need to check her bandages."
Lennox hesitated, watching Morgan suspiciously. "How do I know you won't try to run with her once we take her inside?"
The doctor balked, turning to glare at the soldier. "Miss Raynes is in a delicate state, to attempt anything like you suggest would kill her. I have sworn an oath to do no harm and I have no intention of ever violating that oath."
The soldier nodded, assisting Epps in lifting the unconscious woman.
"Careful!" the Doctor barked when the soldiers accidentally jostled her a little. "She has stitches."
They entered the house, the holoforms of Optimus and Ratchet following. Doctor Morgan directed them to the guest room he'd set up to treat her and indicated that they lay her on the bed.
"Wait outside." Doctor Morgan ordered, laying the needed supplies on a foldable table beside the bed.
"Not a chance." Lennox retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
The doctor turned to glare at the younger man. "Soldier, I am about to raise her shirt to administer medical attention. My patients privacy is more important to me than your wish to stand guard. Now, unless you are her husband or fiancee, you will leave this room."
Lennox hesitated, before signaling Epps and reluctantly leaving the room. Ratchet and Optimus were already outside the room, and an idea hit the soldier. He didn't have medical training, but he knew a Bot that did. . .
Charles Morgan sighed at the sight of the angry red sutures that held the wound closed. He had failed to double check to make certain he had cleaned all infection from the wound. Now, he would need to remove the contaminated sutures, thoroughly cleanse the wound, and then close the wound with sterile sutures.
He stiffened when he heard the soft click of the door closing. "I thought I told you to wait outside."
"That was Lennox, I am a fellow medical expert." An unfamiliar male voice replied. "What are the patients symptoms?"
"She has an infected surgical wound on her abdomen, fever, and foreign substances in her system. I haven't risked giving her medication and I refuse to do so until I know what it is we're dealing with." Charles answered, steadily removing the first of the sutures. "I ran blood tests, the results are on the dresser."
"Continue working, I will study the results and see if I can be of assistance in identifying the substances." The medical officer replied, walking to the dresser.
Silence ensued as the medical men performed their tasks. Time passed in a peaceful manner as they worked.
Charles was finishing up the final suture when the or her doctor cursed heavily. "What is it?" He asked, not daring to take his eyes off the scissors as he cut the thread.
"I have positively identified the substances in the patients system. They are chemicals from another country and can be very harmful. I have the equipment and supplies I need to reverse the effects in my medical bay at the base. If you want her to live, she must come with me." The other doctor supplied, his voice and tone grave.
"She is my patient, I go with her." Charles insisted, conceding the other man's point. He had no equipment or supplies beyond the basics. This other man was her best shot at recovery.
"If that is what it will take, your request is granted."
Charles rubbed his hands down his face. What had he gotten himself into?