Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers in any way, shape or form. :P Except for maybe my OCs.

Warning: This chapter is pretty intense (well. At least to me).

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As a rule, mechs were extremely protective of their mates – especially if they were bonded. Femmes were just as protective of their mates as well, but mechs tended to have much more firepower than femmes. They were also very territorial. No one knew where this part of mech physiology came from, but somehow, it was evident in every single mech. Sometimes it was present in femmes, but not always.

Therefore, a mech protecting his femme was not someone to cross.

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Even though Ratchet had pretty much gone nutters, he was still vaguely aware of what was happening around him, being able to hear loud noises and sense his mate's half of the bond. He distantly felt pain from Nightshade, but that had dulled considerably. Mere seconds later, he felt – rather, sensed - the male's spark chamber open. The mere thought of another spark going anywhere near Nightshade's was enough to send whatever was left of Ratchet's self control down the drain. The medic took off running, followed by a cursing Ironhide. Who knew that Ratchet could run so quickly?

Ironhide was a slow runner. He was built for strength, not speed, period. Ironhide could vaguely hear shooting and yells of pain echoing down the long corridors and he called for back up. Optimus and the gang responded, pouring into the hallway behind him. Elita and Chromia caught up to him…and passed him. Optimus passed him as well, shooting him an amused look. Optimus's rather long and built legs carried him further down the hallway, leaving Ironhide in the dust.

"Wait the slag up," he managed to call out, growling. Finally he transformed. At least as a truck he could catch up.

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Nightshade was swimming in and out of consciousness. Something was happening to her but she couldn't move. He had disabled her motor commands somehow. More pain radiated from her chassis as Starscream ripped another wire out. She twitched involuntarily and desperation almost flooded her body.

Starscream peered down at the limp form of the femme. He plucked another wire from her chest and was rewarded with a nasty shock. He growled and continued searching for a way to open her spark chamber.

The pulsating blue shard of light was hidden behind its opaque covering, the radiant cobalt light no more than an inch from his claws. He almost howled in frustration. Starscream knew there was a way to induce the chamber to open on its own, they used it in medical procedures! Why the slag could he not remember how to do it? He continued digging through the bundles of brightly colored wires, trying to jog his memory banks into giving up the elusive bit of information. His spark began flaring hotly as he gazed down at her spark. The sphere in her chest was pure and beautiful, untouched by the evil and despair of the war. Starscream started, his claws clumsily scrapping over her frame. A femme like that was hard to find: most were dead and a good percentage of the ones that remained were bonded or formally mated to a mech. Starscream could only imagine how sweet it would be to join sparks with little Nightshade. Her untouched virtue would be bliss for his tortured and pained spark... His only regret was not getting to her sooner – he knew that she had not been with another before the medic – and he could have been her first in every aspect.

Her spark was emitting a few weak flashes, a distress call to its other half. The medic would arrive soon. He had to finish quickly or else he was going to join Megatron in his lonely grave.

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Five minutes later and he couldn't get it open. He remembered something – sometimes if a spark was exposed to another it would open. Starscream opened the plates on his chest and hovered above her. Nightshade's internal systems whirred softly, fighting to both open and stay shut. He pressed closer. Nightshade's fingers twitched gently, a sign that she was coming out of recharge.

She panicked when she woke up with Starscream hovering over her, his spark chamber open. Nightshade shoved at him, startling him. He had been so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice the femme moving. He landed heavily on his aft. He snarled and sprang back up, pinning her once more.

"Femme, don't test me," he growled, "Now open your spark chamber."

"Like slag I will," she hissed, struggling weakly. Her spark called for Ratchet's desperately, crying for help. Why had he failed to protect her? She shouldn't have even be put in this situation, it was his job to protect her…He had sworn a sacred oath to defend her with his life, if need be, but he wasn't there. She was in turmoil, struggling to keep her spark chamber shut. Nightshade then realized with horror that she was potentially compatible with Starscream. Her spark painfully deviated from its normal harmony, fluttering in cadence with Starscream's when he pressed his chest against hers. Nightshade knew she wasn't going to be able to fight him much longer. She was steadily growing weaker, her energon reserves almost critical.

Starscream looked down when she stopped struggling. There was a strange look on her face…she was doing something to her programming. Finally her optics brightened and she smirked up at him.

"Are you going to make this easier, femme?"

"No, but you should know that I've corrupted my files. If anyone but my mate touches my spark and I will deactivate."

Starscream almost howled in anger. He'd heard of things like this happening. Femmes desperate enough not to be forced to carry or to mate could technically corrupt their own files and cause their systems to crash. That process was a last ditch defense if nothing else worked...and it was almost always fatal. Then after realizing something, he smirked down at her.

"Sweet little Nightshade…that won't work."

Her optics narrowed. She specifically encoded her systems only to respond to her mate…

"And why would that be," she drawled out. Her optics narrowed further when one claw gently stroked the side of her face.

"Did you really think I picked you based on your looks? Or the fact that you are a dancer?"

She didn't answer and he chuckled.

"I picked you because your spark can bind with mine. We're not a perfect match but we're close enough. You see? It's already altering its harmony to match mine," he said softly, placing a soft kiss on her lips. She snarled viciously at him and her struggle began once more, but in pure desperation.

Absolute terror filled her spark as Starscream reached into her chassis once more and tinkered around with her wiring.

Emergency stasis lock to begin in sixty seconds.

"Now, you won't be able to alter your coding," Starscream said softly, a smirk on his face. Nightshade glared up at him and changed what she could before her systems shut down.

…authorization code alpha-145.332788- theta-10010-Pi…initiate emergency defense backup systems… Spark chamber will not open until medic with authorization code initiates system restore.

Warning: IF NOT REVERSED WITHIN ONE CYCLE, CARRYING FILES WILL BE DELETED

Continue?

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….yes.

Then everything went started hazing as her systems initiated a cascade failure. She managed to speak before her vocalizers were shut down. It was a desperate bluff to throw him off long enough for Ratchet to save her.

"Touch my spark…my carrying files will be deleted…"

The last thing she saw was a shocked mech.
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A sense of desperation alighted on Ratchet's frame, sending cold waves of unease into his spark. He could barely feel her half of the bond. It felt like there was a thick wall between their sparks. Their bond was starting to break down…

He ran even faster, his spark desperately clinging to hers, begging her to fight a little bit longer…

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Ratchet wrenched the door to Starscream's quarters open. There was the mech, crouching over an unconscious Nightshade, pressing his chest against hers. Any self control Ratchet may have had left disappeared.

Starscream found himself flying off of the femme and into a wall. The mech recovered almost instantly, tackling Ratchet. Now, Ratchet was smaller than Starscream. He also lacked the firepower that Starscream had. He was a medic first, warrior second.

In a normal fight, Starscream would have won easily. This wasn't a normal fight – pure, unadulterated rage filled Ratchet's every move and his strength, making him an equal if not better fighter. A rogue blast from Starscream's plasma gun blasted a gigantic hole into the wall, sending bits of smoking metal and embers into the long grass below. Ratchet tackled Starscream, sending the both of them flying out of the hole and onto the ground below. They landed with a muffled crash. Ratchet plunged his hands into the other's chassis, ripping wires and tearing out circuits feverishly. Starscream was about to transform and kill the medic when the saw on Ratchet's arm came to life. Then he howled in pain as Ratchet effectively severed the main lines in his wing. Some remnants of being a medic remained in Ratchet's processor – Starscream could no longer transform and fly.

Ratchet savagely tore into the mech with his fists, punching every single inch of the mech that he could reach. Starscream growled and shoved the smaller mech away, kicking him in the abdomen. Ratchet rolled and bounced back onto his feet, his fists by his sides. Starscream jumped at him, using his size to his advantage. He landed hard, pushing the medic into the ground. He pinned Ratchet to the ground, snarling as he transformed his hand into a dagger.

Ratchet used his size to his advantage as well. He slipped his hands from Starscream's awkward claws and hacked at the knee joint beside his shoulder. Starscream shrieked in pain and almost doubled over. Ratchet shoved the mech off of his chest and advanced, his saw out…
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Chromia started working on patching Nightshade up. She hissed when she saw her internal systems – or what was left of them. Starscream had pretty much destroyed every sensory and motor wire, leaving behind a mess of wires. Chromia then uploaded into Nightshade's systems, silently begging for her to forgive her intrusion. Once into her systems, Chromia began searching for the block keeping Nightshade in stasis. Once she found it she shut it down. Nightshade did not move.

A more thorough search and Chromia found the problem. The femme, out of desperation, had rewritten her access codes. And no one could get in, unless they had a medic's access codes. Chromia hissed once more and withdrew, calling Red Alert.

"Red Alert, I need your access code," she said, trying to keep calm.

"I can't give you those, but I will be on scene in twenty minutes," he responded.

"For the love of all that is holy, Red Alert, Nightshade is going to die if I don't access her matrix now! You can purge my memory banks later but please, Red Alert…"

"Fine, I will give them to you. Don't breach her trust," Red Alert said, heavily emphasizing the latter. With those access codes, Chromia could access everything about Nightshade – her matrix, spark chamber files, everything. Red Alert sent his codes over, hoping to Primus that he would not regret doing so.

Chromia uploaded into the femme's systems once more, searching for the program. She isolated it and used Red Alert's access codes. For a split second, Chromia felt her spark stop. Would they work?

They ended up working and Chromia found everything that was Nightshade at her fingertips. Chromia ignored her curiosity and began reinitializing her start up sequence. Chromia withdrew and immediately purged Red Alert's access code from her banks.

Now Nightshade would have to do the rest on her own.
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Nightshade stirred and unshuttered her optics. Upon seeing this, Elita and Chromia raced over, worry filling their optics. Nightshade groaned softly, clutching at her abdomen as she tried to sit up.

"Chromia, please tell me he didn't-" Nightshade was unable to finish, the mere thought of Starscream's claws desecrating her body making her sick to her tanks. She felt like her body was on fire. Her spark was in turmoil, fluttering and flaring, blisteringly hot. It didn't know what was happening. Her mate had withdrawn from her and another male had tried to bond with her. It reached out to both Ratchet and Starscream, calling for its other half. Nightshade writhed, trying to ease the searing heat in her chest.

Chromia gently examined the femme and shook her head. Her spark chamber was still sealed shut. This seemed to not only soothe her, but the other mechs in the room.

"You're fine. He didn't manage anything more than denting your armor," Chromia said, wrapping her arms around the shaking femme. Chromia was never this sensitive, but then again, one of her friends had nearly been forced to bond. Elita sighed in relief and sat with her, trying to soothe Nightshade out of her terror-induced fit. Ironhide and Optimus joined the femmes, followed shortly by the rest of the mechs. Silverbolt let out a long, low whistle as he transmitted a message.

"Optimus, do you want me to go and separate Ratchet and Starscream?"

"No, this fight is his," Optimus said, his optics narrowing. What Starscream had just attempted was unforgivable. Not even Optimus Prime, the gracious leader of the autobots could find it in his spark to forgive him. He had just tried to destroy something sacred, and now he had to answer to Ratchet.

The fighting grew louder as they drew closer. Then it went deathly quiet. A few mechs gulped quietly, wincing and shuttering their optics. They knew what was about to happen. Ratchet's saw came to life, the whining noise becoming wet sounding as it severed both metal and the underlying energon lines. Then came a single blast from a rifle – Ratchet had shot Starscream's spark from its casing. The slagger would never touch another femme again.

Out on the field, Ratchet surveyed the corpse of Starscream. He stood, gazing down at the mangled remains of the male that had tried to harm his mate.
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Jazz couldn't contain the shiver that ran down his spinal relay. The sight of the energon spattered medic standing slowly, moonlight glinting off of his armor, was nothing short of terrifying. Then when Ratchet turned his blood red optics toward the room where Nightshade was, Jazz took a step back out of fear.

"We need to move before he comes back," Optimus said quickly, noting that the medic was drawing closer…with his weapons and glowing red optics trained on the others in the room.

"Wh-" Jazz suddenly found himself under Optimus's arm, Ironhide being pulled by the other. The femmes had (bravely) elected to stay beside Nightshade. Ratchet entered the room once more and his optics narrowed at the sight of two others crouched by his mate. He let out a low growl, not caring if the intruders were mech or femme – he did not want anyone near his mate.

"Nightshade," Chromia hissed, "Tell him to chill!"

"Ratchet, it's me, Elita." At her voice he went silent, his optics narrowing a little more. He raised his rifle. Optimus gasped reflexively and Ratchet spun around, the weapon trained on the leader. Optimus boldly held his ground, his hands out in front of him. He steeled himself against the frightening look he'd received, although on the inside he was almost shaken. Optimus had never seen a mech lose control like that before. Then again, he'd never heard of a mech trying to steal another's bonded.

"Ratchet, you're frightening Nightshade. Please calm down," Elita said, motioning over to the femme. Ratchet looked and felt his spark drop at the look of terror on his mate's face. He immediately ran over to her and scooped her up into his arms. Nightshade trembled in terror – she could not feel Ratchet.

"Nightshade? What's going on?" His optics flickered to back to blue as he spoke.

"Oh, Ratchet," she said, tears streaming down her face.

"Nightshade…please forgive me… I wasn't there to protect you," Ratchet begged gently, holding the femme tightly to his frame. He softly murmured to her as she wept into his chest plates, rubbing her back gently. Nightshade clung to him physically. She'd been so close to being forced to spend the rest of eternity with Starscream.

She gagged and shuddered violently, clutching at Ratchet's arms, desperately seeking his protection. Ratchet gathered her close, nuzzling her softly. Nightshade only burrowed into his arms, trembling as she tried to purge the memories from her data banks.

Ratchet held her even more tightly, mindful of her wounds. It was like pure ice in his chamber, her fear, pain and unrest finally catching up to her and to him. He pushed away the thoughts racing through his CPU – what if I hadn't made it in time? What if he actually managed to - Ratchet begged her to forgive him.

When Ironhide and Optimus came into the doorway, they found themselves staring down the business end of Ratchet's handy laser cannon, his optics red and narrowed once more. Nightshade only wrapped her arms around his waist, trying her best to calm him down. The mech was on a hair trigger.

"Back off, he's still upset," Elita said, slowly backing away from Ratchet. Chromia followed and they were both whisked behind their respective mates.

"Ratchet, please, just take me home," Nightshade whispered, wiping a tear from her face. The medic blinked in confusion, his optics back to their normal azure color.

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Once they arrived back in the base, Ratchet and Nightshade, along with the other two femmes were escorted back to the medical bay. Ratchet gently set Nightshade down on a surgical table. Red Alert approached slowly, tools in his hands. Ratchet let out a low growl, narrowing his optics at the intruding male. …okay, so maybe Red Alert wasn't going to operate on Nightshade.

Red Alert backed down, instead calling a femme into the room. Maybe Ratchet would let another femme tend to Nightshade…

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In the end, it'd taken a full hour to get Ratchet out of his state and another before Nightshade would let anyone but Ratchet touch her. Finally, when all of her physical damages had been fixed, Optimus put the both of them on indefinite leave. This was something that they had to heal through together…or else neither of them would survive much longer.

In essence, Ratchet had indeed failed to protect his mate. Even though Starscream hadn't been able to access her spark and rape her, he still managed to uphold one aspect of his promise to Nightshade.

Starscream had broken their bond.

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OH, SHNAP. What's going to happen next?!