Chapter 35
A/N: alright, I just own this story! Nothing else! Hope y'all have an awesome Thanksgiving!
/comm/
"Telepathy
"Modulated voices
November 25, Autobot Base
"Surprisingly stable," Ratchet noted gazing at the molecules of the most recent formula he tested.
"Hey Doc, what'cha workin' on?" Robin asked.
"Is that the synthetic energon?" Wally asked.
"Yes, in fact I'm just about done preparing a test sample," he stated. "Go grab a pair of protective goggles from the cabinet right over there."
"Whoa!"
"Sweet!"
Going over they haistily put on the goggles and ran back over to where Ratchet pulled out a machine they'd never seen before. "Now, we just add some to this test engine…" he trailed off and they watched as the systems glowed green and began running.
"It works!" Wally said.
"Not quite yet, this iteration of the formula requires further trail, before we can even consider using it as fuel, ammunition or first aid…which is unfortunate since our own reserves are at an all-time low," Ratchet sighed. "Our severely outnumbered warriors have been burning through our stockpile rapidly as of late, as the Decpticon army and other villians continue to run us ragged and grind us down. Natural energon is in very short supply on your world, and Megatron seems to have his claws buried deep in all Earth's significant deposits. However, if we can produce a synthetic form, we can manufacture all the energy we'll ever need."
The monitor began beeping and they walked out to the main room. "More energon on the move," Aree stated.
"Again?" Bulkhead huffed.
"Their recent activity suggests a familiar pattern, the Decepticons are desperately scouting for new deposits to mine," Optimus said.
"Good to see we're not the only ones in trouble," 'Bee said running a hand through his hair.
"Autobots…"
"Optimus, if one of you comes back wounded this time…well, our energon reserves are nearly depleted," Ratchet stated.
"Understood, activate the groundbridge," he replied with a solem nod. "Autobots! Roll-out!"
Getting into their vehicles, the group sped out of base. With a heavy sigh, Ratchet closed the bridge. "Sometimes, I wish I could do more."
"You need help with anything?" Zatanna asked.
"No, no, you all can go hang out, I just have some cleaning up to do," Ratchet replied going back into his office. Grabbing one of the vials, he attached it to the syringe, and carefully inserted it into his own arm, injecting himself with the material. Groaning, he dropped it and fainted.
-.-
"Doc!"
"Doc!"
"RATCHET WAKE UP!"
Opening his eyes, he looked to see most of the team kneeling next to him. "You ok?" Conner asked helping the medic to his feet.
"Fine, I'm…" trailing off he moved the arm he hurt in the battle against the zombies, which had been harder to move ever since, "more than fine." Pulling up his scanner he looked at the results. "Energy efficiency is up thirty-percent? Motor funtions optimal? Any word from the others?"
"Not yet," Robin replied.
-.-
Unknown Caynon
"Knockout! Can't we just bridge outta here?" Breakdown asked as they drove ahead of the pursuing Autobots. "This cube's putting some serious drag on me."
"The more we give the Autobots a run, the more fuel thet burn, and we win the energon race," he replied checking his rear-view mirror. "Besides, here comes air support."
Multiple vehicons flew down, firing missiles, which flew past the bots, towards the cliff. Hitting the rocky walls, a rockslide began, allowing the Cons to pass through safely.
Arcee growled and sped ahead, drving through the falling rocks, ignoring the smaller pieces that scraped her armor. Transforming, she jumped onto the larger pieces as they came down, and vaulted herself on one before going back into her bike-mode, still giving chase.
On the other side of the rock-fall, the rest transformed and slid to a stop, looking up to see the Cons still gaving chase. "Arcee! Fall back, you're outnumbered," Optimus ordered.
Arcee growled, she was so close. "Sorry Optimus, we're always outnumbered, we need that energon," she replied.
"Ratchet, lock onto Arcee's coordinates and prepare an emergency groundbridge," Prime commanded.
/Locked on. Arcee, decelerate and prepare to return to base/
"Save it Ratchet, I'm too close," she replied.
/Don't be a fool!/
The Cons in the sky lowered in altitude, before firing more missiles. Weaving through the incoming shots, she barely missed being blown up, until one landed right behind her and sent her and her bkie flying. Slamming into the ground, she was thrown off and sent rolling arcoss the ground as her bike skid away.
-.-
"She's hurt," Ratchet said. "Robin, man the groundbridge." Activating the bridge the medic got into his vehicle.
"Maybe we can—!"
"Stay here!" he ordered glaring at Emerald before driving through.
"He's no fun," Erica huffed crossing her arms.
-.-
"Ugh," Arcee moaned as she got to her knees, some of her hair falling loosely around her face as it came loose from her helmet. The ground shook around her, and the vehicons landed. One approached, aiming his weapon at her execution-style.
Up in the air the bridge opened releasing Ratchet, transforming midair, he landed on the offending Con. Grabbing another he used him as a shield and brought out his blades. Stabbing the shield, he tossed him into another con, and stabbed through another, rolling under a shot and doing a jump-kick, before rushing over and vaulting over two, using his blades to stab through them. Doing a back-handspring, he jumped off another Con grabbed his head, and twisting in the air, snapping the neural netting in the suit.
"Looks like the Autobots brought in a ringer," Knockout commented.
"Well then I'll ring his bell," Breakdown growled. As he was about to charge, more shots rained dwon from the top of the cliff where the rest of the team had finally climbed over the rockpile.
"It'll have to wait," Knockout said as the drove off.
Bumblebee got out of his car ran over and picked up Arcee as Bulkhead got her bike. Looking over they saw Ratchet with his foot placed proudly on a corpse as one approached behind him, which he knocked out out with just one punch. "Hoo-ah."
-.-
Base
"So what happened?" Artemis asked as they walked in.
"We only saw the gory aftermath, but I hear the Doc was one-man army," Bulkhead grinned as they got out of their vehicles.
"Alright Ratch, what's your secret?" Arcee asked.
"No secret," he said picking up a green tube, "just a little somethin' I like to call synthen."
"From the data Bulkhead transcribed? Wasn't the formula incomplete?" Megan asked.
"Not anymore."
"Guess it works," 'Bee said as the passed the vial around.
"So Doc makes a better tough guy than I do a smart guy?" Bulkhead whined handing it off to Prime.
"Ratchet, I question the wisdom of using yourself as a test subject," Optimus stated.
"Prime, you didn't see the Doc out there, he was in overdrive," Arcee defended. "We should all try this stuff."
"Or give Ratchet more so we can take a vacation," Bulkhead smiled.
"I agree that the initial results seem promising, but I recommend that further testing be confined to machines, not Autobots," Optimus declared handing back the vial to Ratchet. "We may be outnumbered old friend, we need a warrior in the laboratory right now more than we need another in the field."
-.-
"And then he came right at me! And I…well, c'mon Bulk, come at me," Ratchet said as he was telling the story to the team.
"I don't wanna hurt you Ratch," he said holding his hands up with a nervous smile.
Ratchet smacked him upside the head. "I said come at me!"
"C'mon Bulk!" Conner cheered.
"You can do it!" Wally grinned pumping his fist in the air.
Bulkhead growled and brought out his wrecking ball from his subspace, charging the medic, Ratchet ducked under and lifted him into the air, using his momentum to toss him through the wall, where the wrecker landed on his back with his knees by his head.
"Whoa…"
"C'mon boys, you shouldn't back down from a fight," Bulkhead said glaring at Conner and Wally.
"Sometimes you can," Conner said.
"But this isn't one of those moments!" Wally grinned as they fist bumped each other.
A split second later both were laying next to Bulkhead in the same positon.
"What was that?" Arcee asked as she and Bumblebee turned the corner.
"You three have competition, I'm a bit stronger than is used to be," Ratchet grinned. "Also a bit faster!" He shot out his fist, and Bumblebee reflexively leaned back. "Think you can take me speedy?"
"No thanks man, I'm sure these three have already proven your point."
"Wimp," Ratchet huffed before winking at Arcee. "How's it hummin'?"
"Did he just…"
"'Bee, you alright?" Robin asked seeing the scout turn a little green at that.
"I have to say, I'm with him on that," Emerald said looking a little green herself.
"Stronger."
"Fatser."
"Studlier."
"No kidding."
Ratchet walked down the hall and grabbed another vial of synthen. "I need to be at the top of my game, our survival depends upon it," he said injecting himself with more.
The team went to the main room as the monitor went off. "Looks like the Cons hit another vein," Arcee growled.
"Superboy, Miss Martian, Emerald, you shall accompany us on this mission," Optimus said.
"Whoa wait, shouldn't we wait for our secret weapon?" Bulkhead asked.
"This mission is unlikely to require medical expertise," Prime replied.
"But you never know if it may require more muscle," Racthet scoffed. "Bumblebee can manage groundbridge duty."
"Uh…what?"
"Time to put some hurt on the Cons!"
"Dad? Are you really going through with this? Ratch's been acting weird since he's taken that synthen stuff," Bumblebee asked through the bond.
"I know, I'll be watching him closely, keep close to the controls and keep your comm open, I have a feeling we'll be sending him back sooner than later."
-.-
Nevada Desert
Ratchet ran ahead of the group, skidding down the field fast and agile enough to give Bumblebee a run for his money. Ducking behand the rocks, Bulkhead looked at the scanner.
"Signal's weak. They may've hit a vein, but they won't get much of an energon pulse, not here," he sighed.
"I take comfort in the fact that ol' Buckethead is as desperate as we are," Emerald said.
"Do you guys always talk this much on missions?" Ratchet huffed before he leapt off the cliff, down towards the group of miners.
"Autobots!"
Ratchet landed on one, ripping of the Con's helmet and pulled out a weapon from his subspace. "It's alright, I'm the medic!"
The others shot at the Cons as they ran down; picking up Superboy, Emerald tossed him at two cons, where he punched one, leapt off and tossed the other towards her, where she made a baseball bat contstruct and swatted him away. M'gann flew over and tossed two more into the cliffside, ducking and avoiding shots as they came at her.
"That's what I call a home run!" she smiled before going towards the drill to dig out the energon as Ratchet chased after the Con running away.
"Emerald? Where's Ratchet?" Optimus asked.
"NO! NO! NOOO!"
"I guess that answers it," Conner said as they jumped up to the top.
"THAT'S ALL I KNOW! I SWEAR!"
Bulkhead and Arcee pulled the teens behind them as they saw Ratchet torturing the Con.
"Now was that so hard?" Ratchet asked pulling his welder away from the vehicon's face. Pulling out his blade, Optimus raced forwards, and grabbed his arm before he could execute him.
"Ratchet! What are you doing?!"
"Getting results," he growled as the injured Cybertronian got to his feet and sprinted away.
"And breaking protocol," Prime reminded, "that was a Decepticon miner, servant class, not warrior class."
"Oh and let me guess, I'm just the medic."
"Autobots do not inflict harm unless all other possibilities are exhausted," Optimus stated. "It is what separates us from the Decepticons."
Ratchet scoffed. "Last I checked your wife didn't fallow that rule! Besides, is this really the time for another lecture Prime? You didn't just learn Megatron's location did you? Well I did! And do you know where there's a stockpile of fresh energon? I do!"
"C'mon Ratch, calm down," Bulkhead said, glancing back at Conner, who was staring in shock at the normally grumpy medic.
"CALM IS THE LAST THING WE NEED! CALM IS WHAT LOST US CYBERTRON! THE 'CONS HAVE A WARSHIP! AN ARMY! ALL THIS ENERGON SCOUTING! YOU DON'T THINK MEGATRON ISN'T PLANNING SOMETHING BIG?! WE'RE SQUANDERING OUR RESOURCES, CHASING AFTER PETTY CRIMIANLS AND ENERGON BREADCRUMBS, WHEN WE SHOULD BE HITTING MEGATRON HARD AND HTTING HIM NOW! PRECISELY WHERE IT HURTS."
"A direct assult would only provoke retaliation," Optimus said, "and lead to incalculable losses. I will not endanger the lives of the League, the team, and innocent civilians."
"Yet you have no problem endangering our own lives! Just ask Cliffjumper! Oh wait, he's dead!"
"That's it!" Arcee snapped before both Emerald and M'gann flew up in front of her.
"Arcee! Don't!" Miss M pleaded before both girls were pulled back behind her and Bulkhead.
"You know your problem Optimus, for such a big, strong man, you're soft. You didn't pound Megatron into scrap when you had the chance! Many chances in fact! Neither did Solarflare! Especially after what he did to Bumblebee! He'd say he agreed with me—oh wait! He can't say anything anymore!"
The team took a step back as Prime's features darkened. "I'm afraid that the synthetic energon has impared your judgement Ratchet. You are confined to base until further notice. Bumblebee, bridge us back."
/Got it/
The bridge opened and Ratchet sighed as he saw the others looking at him to go first. Storming through, he saw the scout standing next to the bridge, with his arms crossed and the team on the platform near the monitors. "What? You're looking at me like I did something wrong."
"You did, you tortured someone," 'Bee growled.
"Please, as if you haven't tortured people before scout! I know what you did to get info on those long undercover missions, or wait, perhaps you're weak like your father and let them go!" Ratchet snapped, socking 'Bee in the jaw, before racing back through the bridge. His ambulance drove towards him and he sped out, nearly running over Superboy and Bulkhead in the process.
"M'gann! Let's go!" Emerald said. "Prime we'll keep our comms open keep track of him just in case he scrambles his signal!" The two girls flew off, and the rest raced through the bridge.
"Geez he's fast," Miss Martian commented.
"He's probably trying to lose us," Emerald replied as the medic made a sharp turn and drove down into a mine. "Optimus! He's found a Decepticon mine!"
"That's not the only thing here," M'gann said.
Looking up they saw the Nemesis with the retrieval tube etended, transporting energon up to the ship. "Well…today is just getting better and better."
-.-
Breakdown walked with a vehicon soldier named Steve, one of his favorite guys to talk with on the Nemesis crew. "Yea, she kinda domineering, and the extra limbs are weird, yet, I find myself intrigued," Breakdown said.
The man rolled his eyes as he put his helmet back on. "I wish you luck man."
Hearing a whistle they turned to see an ambulance stop and Ratchet stepped out with a cocky smile. Steve began to raise his weapon when Breakdown stopped him. "I was wondering when you might show," Breakdown grinned.
-.-
"You call yourself a scientist?" Megatron growled looming over Knockout and Mercy. "You were supposed to have located a fresh energon source by now!"
"Unfortunately Lord Megatron, the League has been montoring LexCorps activities very closely, we've had to be more discreet in our methods of finding energon, otherwise the Autobots and Justice League will learn of our partnership," the assistant replied.
The warlord gave a slight nod, the response was reasonable. He glared at Knockout. "Do tell me you have a valid excuse?"
"I…uh…we got distracted with the new Autobot who attacked us," the red-head answered nervously.
"Really? And what new Autobot would that be?" Hearing footsteps he looked to see Breakdown stumbling in. "You better have a good excuse for interrupting me."
The ex-wrecker fell flat on his face, revealing Ratchet. "I believe you have an appointment," he snarked.
"That Autobot," Knockout pointed as Mercy hid.
Megatron burst out laughing. "That is your fearsome new adversary?! Please, he is merely Prime's medic, and here I thought you were talking about my sister. She would be reason to worry," he said smiling and shaking his head, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Oh no Megatron, by the time I am done with you, even she will fear me!" he said lunging and punching Megatron in the face, sending him flying into a wall.
"Oh, nice," Emerald winced from where she and M'gann watched just in case they needed to help.
Growling, Megatron got to his knees and wiped the blood of his lips. "Alright then," he said getting up.
"FOR CYBERTRON!" Ratchet cried jumping at the warlord.
Catching his fist, Megatron began to squeeze down on it, twisting his arm back behind him untill he heard several snaps, making the medic cry out in agony. "Ratchet is rather more spirited than I recollect," he commented, sounding rather bored.
"Chemical enhancement?" Knockout asked.
Raising his clawed hand, Megatron prepared to stab through, when a force slammed him into the Decepticon medic. Dragging himself off the medic, Megatron glared at the Martian girl, raising his blaster he began to charge it up.
"NOT TODAY SATAN!"
A green sportscar slammed into him, and drove throughout the mine before stopping, sending him slamming into the wall. Getting to his knees, he saw the the Green Lantern pain-in-his-aft had joined the other sidekick guarding the bleeding medic, clutching his injured arm and pride.
"AUTOBOTS!"
Hearing the incoming blaster fire, Megatron got to his feet. "Soundwave, send a groundbridge," he ordered.
Mercy turned as the bridge opened behind her, nodding to Knockout they raced through, fallowed swiftly by Megatron, who tossed a vengeful glare in their direction.
Getting on the ship, Megatron snarled as he saw the smoke coming from the mine, a mine now in the hands of the Autobots. Looking down at his hand, he smiled as he saw a green substance coating it from when he snapped the medic's arm. "Knockout, take a sample. If this did that to Optimus Prime's lapdog, imagine what it could do for our troops."
-.-
"We need to stop the bleeding," Erica said pulling off the armor on Ratchet's arm. Making a construct, she pressed it against the wounds.
At that moment the others turned down the tunnel. "Robin, send a groundbridge," Optimus ordered as he helped Ratchet to his feet. The glowing vortex appeared and they helped him through just before he passed out.
-.-
"The Doc is going to be ok…right?" Wally asked as the team waited patiently.
"He'll be fine, left-handed for a little while, but fine," Arcee reassured.
Hearing a groan, they rushed in to see Ratchet trying to sit up. "Easy old friend, you lost quite a bit of energon," Optimus cautioned. "Good and bad."
"I…I didn't intend to hurt anyone," he apologized. "I just wanted so badly to…"
"Help us," Optimus finished with a sympathetic smile, "we know. But, you nearly caused the loss of something irreplaceable—our medic, and a most trusted friend."
"You did lead us to a whole new energon mine!" M'gann added.
"And for that we should all be thankful," Optimus said.
"The synthetic energon formula clearly needs refining before it can be tested again," Ratchet said.
"Clearly," Erica commented.
The medic cast her a glare before continuing. "On machines, not Autobots."
"Let's take comfort in the fact that we destoyed what was left," Superboy said.
"And Ratch, if you ever do that again, I will personally kick you butt!" Erica scolded. "If you're going to test something, test it on them!" She pointed at Bulkhead and Arcee. "They're the lab rats!"
"Hey!"