Ratchet tensed when the two Enforcers pushed their way into the smaller room, the foremost looking annoyed at the worst while Barricade looked to be a cross between gleeful and sadistically amused.
Trying to speak, Ratchet found trouble finding his voice, but when he did, he was pleased that his voice remained firm and even a little annoyed. "Don't wake her." The former CMO growled, glaring up at Barricade and remained unmoving in his seat.
Barricade snorted in amusement. "Well, I guess whores always enjoy the company of those like-minded to themselves." The Enforcer leered, moving closer and giving the recharging Titanium a glance, a corner of his lips twitching into an unkind smirk before he looked back at the defiant red and white mech before him.
Trying his best to remain composed and still, Ratchet cast him a serious look. "You know, Barricade, it's better to let others think you're stupid than to open your mouth and prove it." The older mech responded.
Honestly, the startled shock on the Enforcer's faceplates was worth any retribution that could befall him, and Ratchet smirked as the shock transitioned into anger, the black and white Datsun grabbing him by the collar and jerking him from his seat. "I had considered giving you a second chance, but now it seems to be true you need a good reprogramming… Or a stronger servo to keep you in your place."
Snarling, Ratchet swung out at Barricade, striking the mech across the faceplates, the sound bring a satisfaction to the old Autobot. This mech had humiliated, abused, hurt and raped him, and the former CMO felt the anger and hatred fill him as he attempted to swing again, the collar catching up with his intentions and sending a strong voltage through his frame.
Ratchet collapsed in Barricade's grip, grinding his denta together and let out a soft keen, the scent of smoking circuitry and singed plating overwhelming his olfactory sensors.
"Serves you right." Barricade leered, jerking at the collar to get the white and red mech back to his pedes.
"What are you doing in my room?"
The question caught everyone off guard and they collectively looked up at Titanium, who was no upright and sitting on the edge of the berth, tense.
Before Barricade could respond, the second enforcer stepped forwards. "We have received a complaint about your pet." He announced, pulling out a datapad. "Aggravated assault against a civilian, disregard for the laws put in place for the Autobots, unwilling to submit and now assault against an officer." The strange mech reviewed from the pad, jotting down the last bit before looking up again. "To put it briefly, your pet is too aggressive."
There was silence as Ratchet vented heavily, still dazed from the shock, before Titanium spoke up again. Her voice was soothing to Ratchet, the old mech relaxing. He had no power here, no way to defend himself, but Titanium did… She had to. "An autobot is to fulfill the needs of their owner." The jet finally spoke in a calm tone, but Ratchet could sense her fear and see it in the way her wings stood up high against her back. "I have trained mine as a bodyguard. You cannot fault him in protecting me."
Barricade scoffed, cutting off his partner who had been about to speak. "Then why is he collared? No bodyguard needs a collar if they are designed and trained for the protection of their owner." The Enforcer gave a rough jerk on Ratchet's, choking the mech. "So if it's true that you wanted him as a bodyguard, and he's still collared, you cannot control him yourself." The Decepticon smirked smugly.
Ratchet looked at Titanium with wide optics. If there had been a way to keep him from being collared… Why had she collared him? Perhaps he didn't mean anything at all to her, and she saw him as the other Decepticons did. He averted his optics, shoulders slumping in a submissive pose.
"At least he knows how to act with me." Barricade laughed, reaching over with his free servo to carress the other's faceplates.
"That's why he hit you only moments before." The second enforcer responded in annoyance before looking at Titanium again. "There are a few choices for what is to be done. One, we can have him reprogrammed to your taste. Two, we will auction him to someone more able to care for an aggressive pet. Three, we can have him permanently offlined. Four, you can gift him to your father's personal harem."
Ratchet looked up in horror, optics wide with fear. Megatron's harem? He jerked around to look at Titanium, optics wide as he begged with her silently to not do that. "Please… Please offline me if you must, I-" The medic was so panicked he didn't even see the strike until his helm jerked to the side and he collapsed, shaking and covering his helm in preparation for Barricade to strike him again.
"Stop." Titanium's voice was firm and steady, the femme standing upright from the berth and moving closer, though not close enough for either Enforcer to touch her. "You will leave. You have entered my home without a warrant, and are now damaging my property. Ratchet will stay with me. He is my reward for the part I played in the Decepticon victory." The jet stated, crossing her arms over her chassis.
Barricade scoffed. "Your part? Your part was doing exactly what the Autobots are doing now! Spreading their legs when they're told. You were nothing but a morale boost!" The Datsun responded, moving close to Titanium and leaning his faceplates in close to hers so that their nose ridges almost brushed. "And I'm surprised Megatron didn't make you join them."
Ratchet watched as the other Enforcer stepped forwards and grabbed Barricade, pulling him away. The mech looked unsure, and Ratchet briefly wondered if he had known that Titanium had been abused by those that shared Megatron's cause. "Barricade. We will return later with the correct paperwork." He ordered, turning to the door, the Datsun following.
Shaking in relief and fear, Ratchet welcomed Titanium's hesitant touch on his shoulder as Barricade turned around in the doorway, glaring at them. "We'll come back. Megatron himself will hear of your defiance, Titanium. Then we'll see how long you remain a free 'bot." He stated before vanishing from sight.
Sure they were gone, Ratchet looked up at the femme, feeling a flicker of betrayal pass through his spark. "You collared me… You didn't have to but you did." He accused, frowning deeply as he struggled with the urge to demand why or pull away.
Titanium looked down at the mech before she looked away, withdrawing her servo from his shoulder. "I did because I had to." She responded softly, letting out a soft chuff of air as she leaned back against the berth. "I was… Afraid of you."
Ratchet stilled at the words, optics widening. So he had been right? Titanium had feared him all along...
If he was honest with himself, Ratchet would admit that he was most afraid of losing his feelings for Titanium if he were reprogrammed. But right now, it didn't seem to be the best time to admit such things.
"I'll get you some energon. Stay on the berth." Ratchet ordered, suddenly not wanting to stay in the same room as the seeker. He need to think, and he could do so if he weren't in the direct proximity of the femme.
Standing upright, Ratchet exited the room before he allowed the dam to break. He felt betrayed that the femme that claimed she didn't want an Autobot "pet" collared him when there had been a way to prevent that… But then there was the fact of her abuse at the servos of not only the other Decepticons, but her own sire for spark's sake! Instigating the fear of mechs, and possibly femmes, bigger than her. There was so much he wanted to ask, but now was not the time to do so.
Ratchet vented, scrubbing a servo over his faceplates as he found his way down to the room where his energon could usually be located. Walking through it, the medic found a large kitchen area, one of many in the Towers, and saw a single dispenser sitting on the counter across the room.
Quickly crossing the short expanse between himself and the dispenser, Ratchet fumbled around for a cube, finally finding one and putting it in place, leaning on the counter and waiting for it to finish dispensing.
Now, alone, Ratchet felt the coolant in his optics as everything crashed down upon him at once… Optimus was gone, never coming back. Jazz and Prowl fallen. Ironhide gone. The rest of the Autobots enslaved, neutrals no doubt avoiding the planet or coming in under the Decepticon brand, there was no hope left.
Leaning on the counter, Ratchet felt the first bout of sobs hit him, wracking his frame as he lay his servo on his arms, crying into them. If only he had been able to warn Optimus of the impending doom in the form of an abused seeker! If only he could've saved Prowl on the battlefield. If only he was offlined, Sunstreaker could've escaped with Sideswipe instead of being held back when he insisted on doing Sideswipe's repairs on the battlefield.
Ratchet sobbed, finally allowing the emotions he had trapped inside to well up to the surface. The anger, the pain, sadness, grief, hatred, bitterness. All of it. It crashed over him in wave after wave of overwhelming emotional inputs.
When he was able to compose himself, the dispenser had ceased dispensing the luminous blue liquid, and Ratchet picked it up carefully with both servos, capping it before the shaking of his servos could spill any of it.
Turning around, Ratchet stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Titanium standing in the doorway, wings drawn up tight on her backstrut as she watched him through her visor.
Staring at one another in silence, the former autobot CMO wondered just how long she had been standing there. Had she seen him crying? Had she heard his muffled pleas to be taken by the allspark? The bitter demands of what he had done to Primus to warrant such a life?
"I'm sorry."
The words were soft, nearly inaudible, but Ratchet heard them easily and looked away.
The seeker stepped a little closer, though an uneasy air was present in her unstable EM field. "I was the one that distracted him… It was my intervention that brought your leader's death." Titanium spoke, a tremor in her voice. "But…" She looked away.
"But what?" Ratchet demanded, fighting against both the urge to scream at the femme standing before him, and breaking down again.
Titanium stared at the floor before tilting her faceplates to look up at the bigger mech. "I-If I didn't do it… Megatron would've… He would've…" The femme brought her servos up to her faceplates and her own tiny shoulders began to shake with sobs.
Ratchet stared, unsure of what to do. Should he touch her? She hadn't wanted touch before… Although he had been able to just a short while ago…
Venting, the white and red mech placed the cube on the table and moved closer to the seeker, watching for any sign of fear or discomfort, but her wings hung low in what he could only distinguish as sadness.
"Hey…" Ratchet spoke awkwardly, reaching out with a servo and taking the seeker's arm in a loose grip, gently tugging her over to the table. "Sit down." He ordered gently, watching as Titanium obeyed him, seemingly struggle to get herself back under control.
"I-I'm sorry. I d-don't like killing… I was so angry and afraid…" The femme slid her digits under her visor, no doubt rubbing at her leaking optics. "But he said he'd… He said he'd tear off my w-wings. That he'd give me to every mech on board, and I'd never s-see the outside of my r-room again… He wanted me to prove I w-wasn't useless. And I th-thought…" Titanium sniffled.
"You thought that the bravery of an attack against a Prime would be good enough that he wouldn't follow through with his promise." Ratchet sat down across from her now, a servo on the still-shaking shoulder.
Titanium nodded vigorously, wiping at her optics again. "I-I didn't know my s-sire would offline him… He always said he'd keep your leader as a trophy." The seeker looked up again at the kind mech before her. "I thought it'd make my life better…" Titanium stated in a whisper, lower lip trembling. "But it's so much worse. I've condemned an entire faction to suffer what I had… And without a war, the others will get tired of their Autobots soon enough. Then they'll come for me. Or s-sire will, and no one will care…"
Frowning deeply, Ratchet reached over and tilted her faceplates up until he was certain she was looking up at him again. "I care, Titanium." The medic responded gently. "I won't let any other mech near you again… I'll protect you." He murmured, leaning in close and pulling her to his chassis, arms wrapping around her in a loose hug, not tight enough to startle her.
Titanium tensed in the embrace before pressing tightly to the Autobot, digits digging in to try and pull him even closer, crying again.
Letting the femme cry, Ratchet briefly wondered if there wasn't any hope. Mechs would get tired of Megatron's reign sooner or later… The autobots, Titanium, the neutrals. They would fight, wouldn't they?
"Here." Ratchet gently untangled himself from the seeker and placed the cube of energon in her servo. "You'll feel better."
Watching Titanium quickly gulp down the entire cube, the medic frowned. "You're under fuelled." Ratchet suddenly stated, frowning deeply. How had he not noticed? Perhaps because he hadn't been able to scan her due to his internal scanners all being removed.
The seeker shrugged. "I prefer to be this way… I have too much energon now." She responded, Ratchet feeling a sinking feeling in his tanks. On top of the rape and abuse of Megatron and his soldiers, Titanium had been starved? Just how far did Decepticon brutality go?
Getting up, the white and red mech retrieved another cube and pushed it into the femme's servos. "Drink this one too." He ordered, making a zipping motion when she opened her mouth to protest. "Eep, ep, ep! No excuses! Drink that too." He ordered, an air of familiarity making him smile briefly at being able to care for another again.
"Titanium."
The black and blue seeker looked up at the sound of her designation, the medic's faceplates serious as he looked down at her. "Would you run with me?"