Hiya!

Chapter 16. I'm really grateful for all the support so far. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!

We're just one episode away from 'One Shall Fall'. I hope you guys like the story I have planned for it :-)

Anyways, on with the chapter.

Enjoy!

"Never act like someone you're not. Not only will people know you're being fake, but you're also fooling yourself by thinking that the REAL you isn't good enough."

- Anthony Gucciardi.

Chapter Seventeen: The Synth-En Menace

"How about that," I looked through the microscope at the current version of synthetic energon, "It's actually stable."

"Surprising. Are you positive?" Ratchet asked in disbelief.

I shrugged and stepped aside, "See for yourself."

We'd been working on the formula for about a week now. During that time, there'd been more than a few...mishaps with the experiments. Honestly, I was surprised that it hadn't exploded yet.

Ratchet examined the microscopic cells before echoing my judgement, "Well, I suppose it's safe enough to test."

"Hi, guys," Raf greeted us, looking over at the workspace. His eyes widened with curiosity, "Whoa. Is that synthetic energon?"

I nodded and smiled at him, "Sure is. We're about to see if it actually works."

"I see you come equipped with protective goggles," Ratchet joked.

The boy's eyes lit up, "I can watch?"

Ratchet chuckled. We all watched as he carefully injected the liquid into an test engine. It wasn't long before the machine hummed to life, glowing a sly shade of green.

I exhaled in relief, "Thank Primus, it didn't blow up this time."

"It works," Raf said eagerly, turning to the yellow scout who was currently lobbing with Bulkhead, "Hey, Bee! Come check this out!"

"Maybe don't get anyone's hopes up too soon," I told Raf, "These are still the early stages of testing."

"Precisely," Ratchet agreed, "We still have a long way to go before even considering using it for fuel, ammunition or medicine. Which is rather unfortunate considering our energon supplies are at and all-time low." He clenched his servo in annoyance, "And Megatron seems to have his oily claws buried deep in the Earth's deposits."

I looked at him in reassurance, "Hey. We'll get this to work."

He half-smiled, "I hope so."

Just then, the alarm went off in the main part of the room. We all walked around to see the computer flaring red lights and coordinates.

"More energon on the move," Arcee stated.

Bulkhead sighed in disappointment, "Again?"

Recently, Decepticon activity had been becoming more frequent. And Megatron wouldn't have been sending out so many Vehicons if not to prepare for something big. I just dreaded what it was they were gearing up for.

"Their recent activity suggests a familiar pattern," Optimus realised, "The Decepticons are desperately scouting for new deposits to mine. Autobots-"

"Optimus," Ratchet interrupted the Prime as he turned to face him, "If one of you comes back wounded this time, well...our energon reserves are nearly depleted."

The red and blue mech nodded, "Understood. Activate the Ground Bridge."

The senior medic complied, walking over and switching on the portal.

I watched as they all traveled through it, giving Bee a light smile as he waved at me. I didn't know how long was safe for us to keep our relationship a secret. But I knew the longer I waited the angrier Arcee would be. Once the bridge closed, I noticed my mentor's face fall even more.

"Ratchet?" I called from across the room. He looked up from his staring into space, "Are you alright?"

He quickly brushed it off, "Yes, I'm fine. Just...thinking about the formula."

He didn't look fine, but I still accepted the answer, "Do you want me to put the Synth-En into proper storage so it doesn't get contaminated?"

"Please do," He confirmed, typing into his computer, "The last thing we want is for our only accurate sample to be unusable."

Following his instruction, I took one of the trays, figuring I could come back for the other. I could tell that Ratchet was a little disheartened, but couldn't figure out why.

Maybe I was just overthinking it. Besides if Ratchet was upset, he wouldn't have been quiet about it. Right?

--

You'd think that after being at base for a good six months that I would've had a better understanding of what was located where. Unfortunately, I couldn't put the Synth-En in close proximity to the real energon for fear of any undetected radiation that could ruin our stock.

By the time I'd found a safe storage for the formula and reached the main room again, only Raf was still there. I looked around in confusion, thinking maybe the senior MO had gone to the med-bay to fix something.

"Hey, Raf," I began, "Where's Ratchet?"

The boy shrugged, "He went to help Arcee in the battle and told me to 'man the ground bridge'."

I found it weird that Ratchet had gone into battle by choice. Normally he'd just try to avoid it, but it wasn't completely unplausible.

Then something on the floor caught my optic. It was the glass syringe Ratchet had used earlier to inject the synthetic energon into the test engine ealier. Only now it was shattered on the floor. I walked over to it and kneeled down to examine the pieces. Traces of green were dotted both on the glass and around the scene.

"Oh, that's where Ratchet fell over," Raf explained to me.

Ratchet fell over? I thought.

That wasn't at all like him. He wasn't a clumsy person. And I still had one more tray of vials to take to storage. Five out of six were there. What about the other?

As I continued to play detective, a transmission came through the main computer.

"Rafael, please bridge us back," Optimus requested.

Raf knew how to operate the Ground Bridge, successfully switching it on to their coordinates. I stood with my arms folded and waited near the main computer. Sure enough, Ratchet was the first through, a smug look donning his face. His optics were green. The same green as the fuel that had mysteriously disappeared.

"What happened?" Raf asked eagerly.

Bulkhead shrugged, "Only saw the gory aftermath, but I hear the Doc was a one-'bot wrecking machine."

Ratchet smirked and ruffled the kid's hair as he walked by, "Hey, little fella."

"Alright, what's your secret?" Arcee asked the medic.

He strode over to the vials of green liquid and faked modesty, "No secret. Just a little something I like to call..." He picked up one vial and threw it to them, "Synth-En."

"From the data Bulkhead transcribed?" She examined the energon before handing it to Bumblebee, "I thought the formula was-"

"Incomplete? Not anymore," Ratchet chuckled.

"You really figured out the formula?" Bee questioned.

Bulkhead passed the stuff on to Optimus, "So Ratchet makes a better tough guy than I do a smart guy?"

Optimus was thankfully on my side of reasoning, "I question the wisdom of using yourself as a test subject, Ratchet."

"Optimus, you didn't see Ratchet out there," Arcee defended, "He was in overdrive. We should all try this stuff."

If ever a time for me to step in, now was it.

"Actually, you shouldn't," I spoke up, arms folded, "It was only just today that we were able to successfully use it on a test engine without it blowing up. Which was exactly why we agreed to not test it ourselves until we were absolutely sure."

I turned to Ratchet hintingly on that last part. He just ignored me and waved my comment away.

"I agree, the initial results seem...promising," The Prime said, handing back the formula to Ratchet, "However, I must stress that further testing be confined to machines. Not Autobots. Outnumbered though we may be, old friend. We need a warrior in the laboratory right now. More than we need another in the field."

--

"So," Bumblebee began as we sorted through the datapads,"When are we going to tell the others about us?"

That question caught me off guard. We hadn't really discussed when we were going to be telling the team and I personally didn't want face my sister's wrath.

"Um...That's a big question," I responded, still thinking.

He nodded, "I know. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Well, I was talking to Raf the other day. And he asked if we were dating. Apparently Miko had seen us after the movie and told him and Jack."

My optics widened as I flashed back to when we were kissing in my room after the drive-in movie. The kids hadn't gone home yet when it happened, but I thought they were all in the main area.

"I really need to get a lock for my room," I murmured, "What did you say when he asked?"

He shrugged, "Nothing. I pretended my speech was shorting out and went to the med-bay."

I raised an optic ridge, "Is that why you got me to check your voicebox three days ago?"

"Yeah. I didn't know what else to do," He said, "But I don't want to lie to him."

I looked away from him nervously, "Bee, I do want to tell the others about us. I'm just...worried."

"About Arcee?"

I nodded, "Look, I don't want you getting hurt. She can get really protective."

He sighed, "Silver, I-"

A loud crash from beyond the door interrupted. Bumblebee and I exchanged a confused glance and quickly got to our feet. We rushed out into the hallway, where Bulkhead lay upside-down among a pile of rubble.

"What was that?" My sister ran up to us.

Ratchet's hubris laugh came from the giant hole that had just been made in the training room.

"You have competition, Bulk," He smirked, stepping through the gap and towards us, "I'm a bit stronger than I used to be. Also a bit faster-" He punched the air in front of Bee, stopping mere inches from his face, "Think you could take me, Muscle Car."

Bumblebee wisely put his servos up in surrender, "I'll pass."

Ratchet lowered his servo and walked by him, "Wimp." His optics fell on Arcee as he clicked his tongue, "How's it hummin'?"

I'd never seen my sister more confused. The three watched as Ratchet strode off down the hallway. These kind of things were exactly what I was afraid of. We couldn't determine if the Synth-En had any impact other than physical, and that was a lot of unknowns factoring into the situation.

"Stronger, faster, studlier," Bulkhead murmured as he rubbed his helm.

He stepped over the rubble and back into the training room, likely to start clearing the debris, leaving the three of us alone.

Arcee stared at Bee and I suspiciously, "You two got here fast."

"W-We were close by," Bumblebee quickly replied.

"Together?" She continued to press us for more answers.

Luckily, Bulkhead called over to her before we had to answer, "Hey, 'Cee? Mind helping me clear out this stuff?"

My sister took one last moment to glare warningly at Bee, then strode through to the training room to help Bulkhead clean up the debris. I waited until she was gone to finally exhale.

"That was close," I said quietly.

He turned to me, "Wouldn't it be easier to just tell them? What does it matter if they know or not?"

I folded my arms, "Did you not just see Arcee's reaction to us being alone together? No way is she going to be okay with us." I glanced back to check Arcee wasn't there, "I'll see you later."

As I began to walk in the same direction Ratchet had disappeared to, I heard Bee calling after me.

"Silver," He called, "There's something I meant to tell you before all this happened."

"Not now, Bee," I replied, already on a mission of my own.

I felt a bad, for snapping at him like that, but I needed to do something about rogue medic situation. Even if Ratchet didn't like it.

--

I walked down the hallway, carrying the glass vials of the Synth-En in my servos. The main goal was to keep any spare variations of it away from Ratchet, but it didn't work out that way.

"Silver Sun?" I froze as a familiar voice came from behind me, "Where do you think you're going with that?"

I turned back to face my mentor, "W-Well I was just taking it to storage. You know, since we won't need it for a while."

"Don't need it? Ha!" Ratchet scoffed, "Of course we do! Look at what that formula did for an ancient 'bot like me. Tell me, haven't you wondered how it could help you?"

I took a cautious step back, "No, not after how it's affected you."

"You mean how I'm stronger? Faster?"

More of a jerk, I thought.

"Look, I don't want to argue-" I began.

"Well there's a shocker," He said sarcastically, "Typical Silver Sun. Always the little angel and peacekeeper. Don't deny it. You've never liked to be involved in conflict. And it isn't because you're kind. It's because you're weak."

I couldn't believe Ratchet would ever lack spark enough to say that to me. I stood there with my mouth hanging open in shock. His optics flared green.

He stormed forward and held out his servo, "Hand over the Synth-En."

The tone he used was the scariest thing about him. And after hearing what he'd done to the Vehicons, I wasn't sure challenging him was such a great idea. But surely he wouldn't hurt me. Right?

I shook my helm, "Optimus is right. It isn't good for you-"

"Optimus is not a scientist!" He snapped causing me to back up even further, "Now, I will ask you this one last time. Hand. Over. The. Energon."

By this point, he'd managed to back me into a wall. This wasn't him. His servos were threateningly balled into fists as I struggled to find a non-enraging answer.

"Ratchet, I'm not weak," I told him, "And I can't let you put yourself through this. End of discussion."

I placed the Synth-En under one arm and began to walk away. Before I got even three steps, I felt a painful grasp on my shoulder as I was slammed against the wall.

"What are you-?!"

I couldn't say much more as Ratchet's servo locked around my throat. Instinctively, I dropped the Synthetic Energon, clawing at his arm to let me go. I couldn't even scream for help. The glare in his optics deepened.

"Is this how you felt when Airachnid had you? Powerless? Helpless? Weak?" He snarled.

Make no mistake, I could've easily summoned my powers to push him away from me. But even through the pain, I didn't want to hurt him.

He continued in the same tone, "That's how I felt everyday until the Synth-En."

Snatching the glass Synth-En container, Ratchet released me and strode away. I could finally breath again, but was starting to move from shock to watering optics. No tears fell. I quickly covered my now sore neck.

I didn't want to go to the main room. I didn't want to tell anyone, especially Optimus. And I definitely didn't want them to think badly of Ratchet.

So I shakily tred down the hallway, in the opposite direction to Ratchet. I was glad that my powers hadn't gotten the best of me. But still...this time, Ratchet was the 'Bot in need of help.

Later . . .

Even though it had been a couple hours since the Ratchet incident, I still hadn't told anyone. A year ago, I would've probably broken down and burst into tears there and then.

But now?

I've been shot, knocked unconscious, tortured, kidnapped, nearly dismembered, hit on by a Decepticon, grieving. Not much else could really get to me.

And it didn't.

I sat at the desk in my room, looking over the data from previous tests of the Synth-En. The only way I could help Ratchet was by finding some solution to his crave for battle. And I planned to find it at the very root of the problem.

As I continued studying the formula, a light knock came from my door. I didn't really have the time to deal with whoever was there.

"Kinda busy," I said loudly enough that they would hear.

"Silver! It's an emergency!" My sister's voice answered, "Please, open up?"

In confusion, I stood up and walked over to the door. As I opened it, I saw her there. But she looked...worried. Not much could cause Arcee to panic.

I suddenly felt a wave of anxiety, staring at her in concern, "Arcee, what is it?"

"We need a medic," She told me.

"A medic?" I repeated in the same confused tone as before, "Who got hurt? Where's Ratch-"

I paused mid-sentence as my optics widened in realisation. Before she could say anything else, I took off down the hallway towards the main room, sprinting as fast as I could.

My feet skidded on the floor as I reached the main room, glancing around desperately for the patient. Surely enough, Ratchet lay unconscious on the med-bay berth. The others crowded around him, with Optimus trying to stop the green energon from flowing out of his system.

He glanced up, looking relieved to see me, "Medical Officer Silver Sun, we need your expertise."

I immediately sprang into medic-mode.

"Bumblebee, I need you to get some energon from the storage unit. Bulkhead, keep an optic on Ratchet's spark-rate. If it gets below 50 a minute, let me know immediately. Optimus, keep pressure on that wound. Until Bee gets back with the energon, he can't afford to lose any, good or bad."

Everyone had quickly begun their assigned jobs. Bee sprinted towards the hallway. Bulkhead monitored Ratchet's spark-rate. Optimus continued to block the energon from escaping.

I grabbed a nearby torch and began shining it into Ratchet's optics to check he was still responsive.

"Ratchet, can you hear me?" I called, "You're going to be okay, alright?"

In my medicine class, we were taught to reassure the patient that they were going to live. Even if we weren't sure that they were.

No one's POV . . .

An hour or so later . . .

Bumblebee and Arcee continued to carry the energon through the mines, careful to watch out for any remaining Decepticons. Both walked in silence until one finally had the courage to speak up.

"You know I'm not stupid, right?" Arcee began, looking over at the scout.

Bee blinked in surprise, "Y-Yeah, of course. You're the best spy I know."

She nodded, "Thanks. Then maybe explain to me why you and Silver think I don't know what's going on." Bee glanced away in embarassment, "Was she ever going to tell me?"

"It's not what you think," He started to say.

"She thinks I'm going to beat you up because you're dating my sister."

"Okay, it's exactly what you think," He corrected himself, "Unrelated, but could we have this conversation when we aren't alone in an abandoned mine?"

"Bumblebee, look," Arcee sighed, coming to a stop. He followed, "My sister's been through a lot. I know she's stronger than she gives herself credit for, but that won't stop me worrying about her. When you were hurt, I saw how much she cared, how much she blamed herself for what happened. And you've shown how much you care about her."

The scout gazed at her sympathetically. He knew that after Tailgate and Cliff, Arcee had pretty much given up on finding someone. She stared up at him, not in an intimdating way or in a kind way: just neutral.

"I need to know one thing," She told him, her voice growing more serious, "Do you love Silver?"

He smiled under his battle-mask and nodded, "Yes."

Arcee's face changed from a neutral expression to a subtle smile, "Then tell her. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't."

The scout gave her a small nod, his optics trying not to show pity. He turned to carry on moving the energon before she shot one last remark.

"Bee," She began. He turned back, "Don't hurt her."

He sighed, "I would never hurt Silver."

Silver's POV . . .

I tried not to make optic-contact with Ratchet as I checked his spark-rate. Thank Primus, the synthetic energon had left his system. But that didn't take away from what he'd done while under its influence.

After ensuring he was safe to be discharged, I removed the rate-monitor. He sat upright on the medical berth, still awaiting my reply.

"All looks good," I stated in a neutral tone, "You're free to go whenever you want."

I turned to leave, but stopped as Ratchet called after me.

"Silver Sun, wait. Please," He began, leaving me no choice but to face him, "I...owe you an apology. At the very least, it was my recklessness in choosing pride over caution."

I sighed, "Look, I get it. That wasn't you."

He shook his helm, "No. Orns ago at the Academy, I told you to stand up to those who would cause you harm, whether they'd be Decepticon or Autobot. And yet I became one of them. I used the fact that you maintained strong at the mercy of Airachnid against you. And I don't expect forgiveness. I just want you to understand how sorry I am."

"Ratchet," I began, taking a step towards him, "Back at the Academy, you were pretty much the only one I could trust. And yeah, what you did earlier hurt in the moment, but I'm not the same scared little kid I was then."

Even though I knew he wouldn't usually like it, I didn't know what else I could do in the moment. I stepped foward and slowly embraced him in a hug. He seemed a little taken by surprise at first, but gratefully returned the show of affection.

"And of course I forgive you."

We broke apart.

"Thank you," He said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

After that, Ratchet and I got back to working on the formula. He agreed to only test it on non-sentient machines (for now).

I wish I could say that was the end of our battle, at least for a while. But little did any of us know of the main event the Decepticons had been planning. And my prescence would only make it worse.

--

So, I tried???

It is currently 11 at night and I should be sleeping but I knew I had to get this out before the month was up, so here it is.

As for the next chapter, I honestly can't wait. Some may call it crazy, some may call it foolish, but whatever happens - good or bad - remember that this is just fanfiction. AKA my opinion of how this story may have turned out based on the addition of my OC.

No femme will ever be good enough for the preciousness that is Bumblebee, but Silver may try.

Just remember, I made this chapter uneventful in order to heighten the action of the next one: Plot! (bet ya didn't see that one coming on Fanfic!).

'Til All Are One,

GreyroseLegacy