22- Stronger, Faster.
Ratchet was looking some kind of green metallic substance through a microscope.
"Hm, surprisingly stable." He observed.
"Hey, Ratchet. Is that synthetic energon?" Aris asked interested.
"Well, yes. In fact, I'm preparing to test a sample. I see that you come equipped with protective goggles." Ratchet said as he took a bunk of that energon.
"I can watch?" Aris asked in excitement.
Ratchet simply chuckled. "We just add some to this test engine."
He injected the synthetic energon into the engine, making it change blue to green light. After a while waiting, they saw how the engine started to work without incidents.
"It works! Cliff!" Aris called.
"Dat dat dat, this iteration of the formula requires further trial before we can even think about using it for fuel, ammunition or first-aid." Ratchet interrupted. "Which is rather unfortunate since our own energon reserves are at an all-time low."
"You know you can count on me and my friends to find any energon reserves on our home planets. We already did it some time ago, we can try again." Aris offered.
"I know, and we are so glad and grateful for that, but unfortunately the situation is not that simple. Our severely outnumbered warriors have been rapidly burning through our stockpile of late, as the Decepticon army continues to run us ragged and grind us down. Natural energon is in such short supply on your galaxy, on many planets indeed, but in limited supply. And Megatron seems to have his oily claws buried deep in all its deposits. But if we can successfully produce a synthetic form, we can manufacture all the energy we'll ever need." Ratchet retold.
In that moment, the alarm sounded, making all Autobots to gather in the main hall.
"More energon on the move." Arcee interpreted.
"Again?" Bulkhead asked.
"Their recent activity suggests a familiar pattern: the Decepticons are desperately scouting more and more planets, for new deposits to mine." Optimus deduced. "Autobots…!"
"Optimus." Ratchet interrupted. "If one of you comes back wounded this time…well, our energon reserved are nearly depleted."
"Understood. Activate the ground bridge." Optimus ordered, which Ratchet did immediately. "Autobots, roll out!"
The Autobots changed to vehicle form and went through the portal while Ratchet saw.
He sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I could do more."
Then Ratchet though about something: he took one synthetic energon canister and injected it in his arm. As his eyes turned green, Ratchet dropped the canister, broken it, as he fell over backwards unconscious.
"Ratchet! Wake up!" Aris shouted, on top of him.
Ratchet groaned, finally back as Aris got off him. "How is it that such small beings can be so loud?"
"Are you hurt? You fell." She said.
"I'm fine. I'm…more than fine." Ratchet said checking his arm and the screen that appeared on his right arm. "Ah, energy efficiency is a 30%? Motor functions optimal?" He saw surprised and laughed, before turning at Aris. "Any word from the others?"
Aris denied.
Lok
The Autobots were chasing Knock Out and Breakdown through a canyon. The reason: Breakdown was carrying an energon cube on top of him. Optimus and Bulkhead even fired their vehicles' weapons in an attempt to slow them down, but they dodged all the shots.
"Knock Out, can we just bridge out of here?!" Breakdown asked alarmed. "This cube is putting some serious drag on me. And if some of those Autobots hit it with their shots, I'm going to blow sky high!"
"The more we give the Autobots of workout the more fuel they burn, and we win the energon race. Besides, here comes air support." Knock Out said as he saw something from the rearview.
An entire squadron of air soldiers and heavy air Decepticon soldiers was approaching from behind the Autobots and launched a huge wave of missiles. The Autobots dodged, but it wasn't them where the missiles were heading. The missiles hit some of the canyon's walls, making fall a lot of rocks that started to block their way just when Knock Out and Breakdown passed through. Arcee speeded up and transformed in front of the blockade, jumping over some rocks and getting to the other side, changing back to vehicle form and continuing the chase. The rest of the Autobots were forced to return to robot form and aim their weapons at the Decepticons, but they simply passed them.
"They have passed by. They're going after Arcee." Cliff realized.
"Arcee, fall back! You're outnumbered!" Optimus ordered.
"We're always outnumbered. We need that energon!" Arcee responded as she continued the chase.
"Ratchet, lock onto Arcee's coordinates and prepare an emergency ground bridge." Optimus instructed.
Ratchet did it. "Unlocked up. Arcee, decelerate and prepare to return to base."
"Save it, Ratchet. I'm too close."
"Don't be a fool."
Arcee was almost at the two Decepticons when the air squadron fired another round of missiles, this time at her. She went from one side to another, but there were too many missiles, and one exploded too much close that made her lose control. That forced her to change form and slid without control. Ratchet saw it too on the screen.
"She's hurt." He said before activating the ground bridge. "Main the ground bridge." He told to Aris before he changed to vehicle form and went through the portal.
Still in the ground, Arcee saw the Decepticon air squadron change to robot form and landed around her. They approached and aimed their weapons at her, ready to execute her. Right in that moment, the ground bridge appeared above them and Ratchet came out with his swords ready, hitting the ground hard. Once the smoke cleared, Ratchet grabbed the nearest Con and threw it against other before kicking it. Other heavy air soldier tried to shot him, but Ratchet cut his arm off first and kicked it aside. Next, he jumped fast to another Con and pushed him against the ground before going for the rest of the Cons.
"Ratchet?" Arcee asked surprised.
Ratchet managed to kick two Cons at the same time before landing on another one and kick him. Next, he dodged with grace the attacks of another Con from behind and jumped above to grab him by the head and push him to the ground before crushing his head with his fists. Next, he continued eliminating the other Decepticons with his swords. Breakdown and Knock Out saw the entire scene.
"Looks like the Autobots brought in a ringer." Knock Out observed.
"Well, then I'll ring his bell." Breakdown suggested, before the other Autobots came firing at them.
"It will have to wait!" Knock Out said as they started to drive away.
"Optimus, now!"
Cliffjumper signaled to Optimus so he grabbed him and threw him as hard as he could at the two Decepticons. Once he passed above them, he took the energon cube with his hands.
"Hey, that's mine!" Breakdown shouted.
"Finders keepers." Cliffjumper answered before firing at them.
Knock Out and Breakdown had no choice but to leave. At the same time, Arcee saw how Ratchet threw another Con to the ground and kicked off his head like a ball. Next, he cut the arm of another Con before kicking him and another one before finishing with them both with his swords. The last Decepticon air heavy soldier came shooting at him, but as he jumped at him, Ratchet caught him thin air and threw him at the ground. Bumblebee helped Arcee get up as they and the other Autobots saw Ratchet on top of a pile of dead Decepticons. A survivor approached from behind, but he simply punched him on the face, without even looking.
"Hoooaah." Ratchet said proudly.
Aris reopened the ground bridge for the Autobots to get back to base.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I only saw the gory aftermath, but I hear the doc was a one-Bot wrecking machine." Cliff answered.
Aris got surprised when Ratchet took her on his hand. "Whoa!"
"Hey, little fella." He said before putting her down.
"Alright. What's your secret?" Arcee demanded.
"No secret. Just a little something I like to call Synth-En." He answered passing her a canister of synthetic energon.
"From the data Bulkhead transcribed?" Arcee asked as she passed the canister to Bumblebee. "I though the formula was…"
"Incomplete? Ha, not anymore." Ratchet said.
"(Is difficult to believe that this made you like that.)" Bee said observing the canister before passing it to Bulkhead.
"So Ratchet makes a better tough guy than I do a smart guy?" Bulkhead said before passing it to Optimus.
"Ratchet, I question the wisdom of using yourself as a test subject."
"Optimus, you didn't see Ratchet out there: he was in overdrive." Arcee said.
"We should all try this stuff." Cliff proposed.
"Or give Ratchet more so we can take a vacation." Bulkhead suggested.
"I agree that the initial results seem promising, but I recommend that further testing be confined to machines, not Autobots." Optimus said. "Outnumbered though we may be, old friend, we need a warrior in the laboratory right now, more than we need another in the field."
Moments later, Ratchet was in a training room, telling his fighting experience to Bulkhead.
"And then, he came right at me. And I…well, come on Bulk, come at me."
"I don't want to hurt you, Ratch." Bulkhead said worried, only to be slapped in the face by Ratchet.
"I said come at me."
This time, Bulkhead didn't think it twice and pulled out his wrecking ball. He tried to hit Ratchet, but he dodged and took the chance to pick Bulkhead up and throw him against the wall. The impact was so powerful that Bulkhead passed through the wall.
"Hoooaah." Ratchet said again.
"What was that?!" Arcee asked as she, Bee and Cliff came to see what happened.
"Oh." Bulkhead groaned dizzy.
"You have competition, Bulk. I'm a bit stronger than I used to be. Also a bit faster." Ratchet said laughing as he decided to challenge Bumblebee. "Think you can take me, muscle speeder?"
"(No, no way!)"
"Wimp." He said to him, and when he passed Arcee he winked her, clicking at the same time. "How's it humming?"
Arcee looked confused. "Did he just…?"
"Stronger, faster, studlier." Cliff summarized.
Ratchet opened a storage when he had another canister of synthetic energon, ready to be used.
"I need to be at the top of my game. Our survival depends upon it." He said taking the canister and injecting it himself.
The screen sounded again.
"Looks like the Cons hit another vein." Cliff saw.
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus announced.
But Bulkhead stopped him. "Hey hey, shouldn't we wait for our secret weapon?"
"This mission is unlikely to require medical expertise." Optimus explained.
"But you never know if it may require additional firepower." Ratchet said, already waiting at the entrance of the hall before walking to the ground bridge. "Bumblebee can handle ground bridge duty."
"(Well, it can't be that hard.)"
"Time to put some hurt on those Decepticons." Ratchet declared.
Balmorra
Ratchet ran down a hill, on top of the Autobot group following him. Ratchet showed his new agility jumping from rock to rock while the other Autobots simply slid down. Everyone covered behind some boulders once they saw what they were looking: a lot of Decepticon troopers with weapons ready; Vehicon troops, air troops, a few snipers and a couple of tanks guarding a miner who was making a hole on a rock wall with a mining drill.
"Arg, signal's weak. They may have hit a vein, but they won't find much of an energon pulse. Not here." Bulkhead said checking his scanner.
"I take some comfort in the fact that Megatron seems as desperate to find the stuff as we are." Cliffjumper remarked.
"Do you two always talk this much during these missions?" Ratchet asked in irritation before he jumped and changed to vehicle form.
The other Autobots followed him. Then Ratchet pulled out two cannons, one at each side of his vehicle form, and fired at the Decepticons. The shots took down the tanks, but alerted the rest of his presence.
"Autobots!" One of the Vehicons shouted before everyone started firing back.
Ratchet dodged all the shots before hitting one of the Cons and pushing him against the ground with his feet when he changed form.
"It's alright, I'm an emergency vehicle." Ratchet said changing his hands for two cannons which fired at the snipers.
The Autobots started the assault, eliminating the Decepticon forces really fast. Ratchet spotted the Decepticon miner climbing a hill. Once he reached the top, started to run as fast as he could, but Ratchet reached the top in less time. He grabbed a rock next to him and threw it, knocking the Decepticon to the ground. When he tried to get up, Ratchet pinned him to the ground.
"Why the big rush?" Ratchet asked.
"Just trying to get away as far as I can from the Autobot stink." The miner replied.
"Does your boss know you have a potty mouth? Maybe I should pay him a visit and tell him." Ratchet suggested.
"Get melted, wheel grinder!"
"Melted? Now there's a concept." Ratchet said a she changed his hand for his torch and started to approach it to the miner. "I won't ask you a second time. Where is Megatron?"
Once the Autobots finished with the last enemies, they started to hear screams of agony, coming from the top of the hill, so they went to see what it was.
"That's all I know, really!"
They showed expressions of not believe what they were seeing: Ratchet was using his torch to torture the Decepticon miner, who ended with his face burned.
"Now was that so difficult?" Ratchet said before he changed his torch for his sword, ready to finish it.
But before he could, Optimus intervened grabbing his arm. "Ratchet! What are you doing?"
That allow the Con to escape.
"Getting results." Ratchet defended.
"And breaking protocol. That was a Decepticon miner: servant class, not warrior class." Optimus explained.
"Oh, and let me guess. I'm just the medic." Ratchet hissed.
"Autobots do not inflict harm unless all other options have been exhausted. It is what separates us from the Decepticons."
Ratchet scoffed. "Ha! Is this really the time for another lecture, Optimus? You didn't happen to discover Megatron's current location, did you? Well, I did! And do you happen to know where there's a stockpile of raw energon right for the taking? I do!"
"Come on, Ratchet. Calm it down." Bulkhead said putting his hand on his shoulder, but Ratchet pushed it away.
"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 think Megatron is isn't gearing up for something big? We're squandering our resources chasing after his crumbs when we really need to be hitting him hard and hitting him now!" Ratchet expressed crushing his fists. "Precisely where it hurts."
"A direct assault on the Decepticons would only provoke retaliation and lead to incalculable losses. I will not endanger innocent native lives." Optimus objected.
"Yet you seem to have no problem endangering ours, just ask Cliffjumper. Or you have forgotten that he was close to get scrapped?!" Ratchet reminded.
"Yeah, but it didn't happen. You're taking this too far, doc." Cliffjumper warned.
"And less not talk about Tailgate. Oh, I forgot, he couldn't be here today." Ratchet continued.
"That's it!" Arcee shouted before Bulkhead grabbed her by the arms, preventing her to start a fight with Ratchet.
"You know your problem, Optimus? For such a big strong Bot, you're soft. You didn't pound Megatron into scrap when you had the chance, many chances in fact!" Ratchet told to him.
Optimus knew Ratchet wasn't acting like himself, but even that, those words hurt him. "I'm afraid that the synthetic energon has impaired your judgement, old friend. I am confining you to base until further notice." He decided before using his com-link. "Bumblebee, bridge us back."
Bulkhead released Arcee as the ground bridge appeared.
Ratchet sighed. "Fine."
And he walked to the portal. Bulkhead was about to enter too, but at the last moment, Ratchet came from the portal and threw him to the ground. While the others checked if Bulkhead was right, Optimus saw Ratchet change form and drive away. The Autobots returned to base.
Arcee tried to use the main terminal to locate Ratchet. "Can't get a fix on Ratchet's coordinates."
"That bogus energon must be scrambling his signal." Bulkhead deduced.
"Keep trying. We've got to find Ratchet, before he finds Megatron." Optimus proclaimed.
There was a huge energon mine near where the Autobots explored before. As the miners did their job, Breakdown was talking with one of the guards.
"Yeah, she's kind of domineering and the extra arms are weird, but I find myself intrigued by her." Breakdown revealed, referring to a certain female Decepticon.
Then, they heard a whistle and clicking sound coming from a tunnel next to them. They saw Ratchet in front of them.
"I was wondering when you might show." Breakdown smirked, thing that Ratchet did too.
While Breakdown was going to start the fight he was looking for, Knock Out was having a rough conversation with Megatron.
"You call yourself a scientist?" Megatron asked frustrated pointing him with his finger. "You were supposed to have located a fresh energon source by now."
"Apologies, Lord Megatron, we got a little distracted by the new Autobot who attacked us." Knock Out explained.
"Really? And what new Autobot would that be?" Megatron asked.
In that moment, they saw Breakdown coming in, but collapsed to the ground. The responsible: Ratchet, who managed to beat him and stood next to him.
"Hoooaah." He said again.
"Well…" Knock Out started a little nervous.
"That is your fearsome new adversary?" Megatron asked in disbelief before laughing. "He's Optimus Prime's medic."
"Oh no, Megatron. I am your Doctor of Doom." Ratchet introduced himself before he charged at him and punched him hard and fast on the face.
That caught Megatron off guard. The hit was hard enough to send Megatron against the wall. Even he saw that the hit made him lost a drop of dark energon from the mouth.
"All right then." Megatron said.
"For Cybertron!" Ratchet shouted as he was about to hit Megatron again, but this time he grabbed his arm and twist it, causing it groan in pain.
"Ratchet is rather more spirited than I recollect." Megatron observed.
"Chemical enhancement, perhaps?" Knock Out guessed.
Megatron readied his fist and punched Ratchet hard in his chest, making a hole that started to leak synthetic energon, and next he threw him to the ground.
"There's your laboratory sample, doctor. Find it out. If the chemical can do this to Optimus Prime's lapdog, hehehe, imagine what it could do for our troops." Megatron said as he left.
Ratchet laid in the ground, still leaking, for his eyes returned to be blue. "Optimus, I've been a fool."
Suddenly, at base…
"Optimus, Ratchet's signal. It's back online." Arcee reported.
"Bumblebee." Optimus looked at him, who nodded and activated the ground bridge. "Autobots, roll out!"
The Autobots entered the portal in vehicle form, and changed back to robot form at the other side since they had to combat all the Decepticons of the mine. Meanwhile, Knock Out took a canister of synthetic energon to see it closer.
"Doctor to doctor, I must say your contribution to the Decepticon cause is very much appreciated. I'll be sure to boast of your accomplishment when you're gone." Knock Out said as he pulled out his buzz saw. "Which will happen in 3, 2, 1…"
Knock Out was about to terminate Ratchet approaching his buzz saw to his head, but an immediate explosion sound caught his attention.
"Scrap."
Taking advantage of Knock Out's distraction, Ratchet kicked him back. Knock Out dropped the Synth-En canister, but he was more focused in trying to finish Ratchet with his buzz saw, but the Autobot medic managed to hold both his head and arm, even hurt. The Autobots were advancing more in the mine, eliminating three Decepticon tanks on their way. Feeling a little scratch made by the buzz saw on his head, Ratchet moved it and head-butted Knock Out, causing him to stumble back. He tried to strike again, but Ratchet dodged and Knock Out's buzz saw got stuck in the wall. While he tried to pull it out, Ratchet walked to the canister and grabbed it.
Then he heard Knock Out laughed. "What are you going to do? Drink it?"
Ratchet looked the injure he took from Megatron, and knew what the cause was.
"No, I'm going to destroy it." He said before throwing it against the wall, breaking it.
In that moment, Knock Out pulled out his saw. "You idiot! Megatron will have my head!"
Almost immediately, Ratchet fell to the floor unconscious. Knock Out saw the last Decepticon soldier being shot down and the Autobots appearing, so he transformed and left. The Autobots went next to Ratchet to help him. Moments later, Ratchet was back at base, lying down a medical berth with a tube on his wounded chest. He tried to get up, but Optimus stopped him.
"Easy, old friend. You lost a lot of energon, good and bad." Optimus informed.
"I…I didn't intend to hurt anyone." Ratchet said hurt. "I just wanted so badly to…"
"Help us? We know. But you nearly caused the loss of something irreplaceable: our medic and a most trusted friend. You did lead us to a much needed energon supply." Optimus said showing Bulkhead, Cliffjumper and Bumblebee carrying lots of energon cubes. "And, for that, we should all be thankful."
"The synthetic energon formula clearly needs refining before it can be tested again. On machines, not Autobots." Ratchet decided.
"Let us take comfort in the fact that you were able to dispose of the quantity that remained."
Unfortunately, Optimus was wrong. Back in the mine, Knock Out returned to see if he could recover a simple remain of the synthetic energon that Ratchet tried to eliminate. And, checking the destroyed canister, he found a small drop, enough for him.