Note: Huge thanks to Tyroth Darkstorm for his input in this chapter!

Chapter One-Hundred and Twenty-One

Confrontation Alone

Back at the silo, everyone looked over to see the Autobots, Tyroth and the twins return.

Tyroth and the twins flew in first whilst the Autobots drove in before transforming.

Upon seeing them, Donatello ran down the stairs before anyone could stop him.

"What happened out there?" he asked then he saw all but Ratchet had returned "Where's Ratchet?"

Tyroth flew down to the purple masked turtle.

"We got a situation Don." he said then saw Arcee go over to the screens and try to look for Ratchet's signal on it.

"What happened out there Tyroth?" Splinter asked and before long Sephie and the rest of the Hamato Clan began asking the same question.

Tyroth looked at the concerned rat, turtles and two lizards, but before he could tell them anything Arcee looked at the others with worry.

"Can't get a fix on Ratchet's co-ordinates!" she said.

"What?" Everyone cried in unison.

"How?" Donatello asked running to the railings to look at the screen.

"That bogus energon must be scrambling his signal!" Bulkhead said.

"Yer darn tootin'!" Ironhide agreed "Damn that nasty stuff!"

"Says someone who drank from an artillery shell." Arcee muttered as she kept her optics on the screen.

"Keep trying." Optimus said, "We have to find Ratchet before he finds Megatron."

He narrowed his optics as he watched the screen hoping for a chance his old friend's signal would come up.

Even though he was still hurt by what the medic had said to him, he knew that it wasn't him talking, but the synthetic energon and he never wanted to abandoned his friend when he needed him, and this was when Ratchet needed his help more than anything.

Meanwhile in a location deep in some caves, many Decepticon Miners were harvesting blue crystals that were spread around the place and were carefully shaping it into cubes.

It was another Decepticon Mining cave they had set up, very much like the one the Autobots had blown up when they had tried to rescue Cliffjumper.

As the miners were hard at work, Breakdown who had been monitoring everything had been talking to another Decepticon Guard about Airachnid which surprised his companion as almost everyone on the Nemesis, apart from Megatron and Soundwave were wary of her, given her past and present actions.

"...Yeah, she's kind of domineering and the extra arms are weird but I find myself intrigued by her." he said, yet he was distracted as he heard a whistle and he looked in front of him to see Ratchet walking towards them from the other end of the tunnel.

Seeing the medic, Breakdown wasn't too intimidated and he sneered.

"I was wondering when you might show!" he goaded yet his spark sank a little as he saw the smirk on Ratchet's face and the deadly green glow in his optics.

Further down the tunnel, Megatron was towering over Knock Out berating him over a mission gone wrong.

"You call yourself a scientist?!" he growled "You were supposed to have located a fresh energon source by now!"

"Appologies Lord Megatron." Knock Out grovelled "We got a little distracted by the new Autobot who attacked us!"

"Really?" Megatron asked skeptically cocking his head "And what new Autobot would that be?"

Knock Out was about to answer when he and Megatron heard footsteps and they looked over to see Breakdown walking over, yet before either of them could speak, Breakdown was thrown down to the ground and Ratchet was revealed to have been standing behind him.

"Hoo-ah!" the Medic crowed as he flexed his arms.

Knock-Out stepped back in fear but Megatron scoffed.

"That is your new adversary?" he asked then laughed scornfully "He's Optimus Prime's Medic!"

"Oh no Megatron!" Ratchet said walking over confidently to the warlord "I am your Doctor of Doom!"

He then charged towards Megatron and before the Warlord could move, Ratchet punched him square in the face sending him flying into the rocky wall.

Megatron was stunned as he shook off stars and stood up wiping some energon from his mouth showing that the medic had punched him pretty hard.

"Alright then." he said glaring.

Ratchet then charged again hoping to take down the warlord.

"For Cybertron..." he began get he was stopped in his tracks as Megatron grabbed his fist and gave it a twist causing him to yell in agony.

"Ratchet is more spirited that I recollect." he said as he held Ratchet's fist tightly.

"Chemical enhancement perhaps?" Knock Out suggested.

Megatron didn't answer, but instead he punched Ratchet heard in the lower chest.

Ratchet gasped in pain and shock then Megatron threw him to the ground and the medic lay there gasping in pain.

"There's your laboratory samples doctor!" Megatron said gesturing to the fallen Ratchet.

"Find out! If a chemical can do this for Optimus Prime's lap dog." he chuckled evilly as he walked away "Imagine what it could do for our troops!"

Knock Out was only too happy to examine Ratchet as he lay there bleeding out the green energon that started to pool around him.

As that happened, Ratchet gasped as he thought about Optimus, his Autobot comrades and the mutants he had gotten friendly with and coming to his senses, he mourned his foolishness and how he regretted what he did and said to them.

"Optimus..." he gasped "I've been a fool..." he lamented.

Back at the base, Tyroth had finished telling the Hamato Clan and Sephie what had happened and they were all equally shocked.

"No way!" Michelangelo cried.

"He really did that?" Pandora asked.

The twins nodded.

"His behaviour almost mirrored that of Diablo!" Freya said and Monalisa winced as she thought of her younger brother and the mutant Raven and his behaviour towards his enemies to which Raphael put an arm around his wife.

"It's a side of Ratchet I've never seen." Ironhide said "I thought I was the battle hungry one, but I've got my limits."

"But why the synthetic energon?" Loki asked "Can't there be other ways to refuel other then energon? After all, we got gases here for cars and earth vehicles! We got unleaded petrol and diesel?"

Ironhide looked at the youngest geckoling.

"You sure are a curious one aren't you?" he asked.

"I have to say I'm intrigued too." Donatello added "After all, if you guys are able to consume other stuff, like you mentioned drinking out of an artillery shell, surely you should be able to consume other stuff to keep you alive?"

Ironhide sighed.

"I wish it were that simple young Donatello, but no, if it were that simple to consume other means of fuel to get by, then we would, not no, those minerals do not contain enough energy to be enough on it's own."

"No?" Loki asked and the other mutants and Kemeko leaned in to listen.

"How so?" Donatello asked.

"Energon holds the energy we need to function, and your fossil fuels do not hold the same energy we need in a single sip." Ironhide explained "Compared to the energon we use, it doesn't contain enough energy."

"He's right there." Bulkhead said "We did try your fuel before, but it didn't work."

"How?" Kemeko asked.

"Well." Bulkhead said "I tried a mouthful of diesel and even though it gave me a boost, it went flat after a few minutes."

"Almost like a sugar boost!" Donatello cried.

Loki then clicked his fingers.

"I got it!" he said "If I understand this correctly, if you guys were to fill your fuel tanks with normal petrol for example, it would be like if you ate a very large pizza, but we only got as many calories as a single grape from it! Our stomachs would be full, but at the same time, nearly empty, we'd be starving while full, as paradoxical as that sounds!"

Donatello looked at Loki as he listened and he nodded.

"My thought exactly Loki!" he said.

The rest of the mutants were confused for a while, but as they listened to Ironhide, and Donatello and Loki they soon realized.

"I see now!" Monalisa exclaimed.

"Me too!" Leonardo agreed.

Michelangelo and Pandora looked a little confused, yet they didn't have a chance to ask more when a bleeping on the screen alerted everyone and Arcee spoke up.

"Optimus!" She cried "Ratchet's signal! It's back online!" she pointed to the screen.

"He's online?" Donatello asked hopefully.

Optimus didn't answer but narrowed his optics in determination.

"Bumblebee." he said looking at the scout who nodded and fixed on Ratchet's co-ordinates before firing up the ground-bridge.

"Autobots! Roll Out!" Optimus commanded and he lead the way through the ground-bridge the others following him.

"Hey wait!" Donatello cried yet Leonardo and Monalisa stopped him.

"They'll get him back Don!" Monalisa said "We can trust them!"

Tyroth nodded as he watched them go.

"Be safe guys." he said.

Meanwhile Knock Out stood over the bleeding Ratchet as he had gathered a cylinder full of the energon Ratchet had bled out and held it before him smirking.

"Doctor to Doctor." he said "I must say, your contribution to the Decepticon cause is very much appreciated!" he then leaned over Ratchet "I will be sure to boast of your accomplishment when you are gone!"

as he spoke he morphed his servo into a buzz saw.

"Which will happen in three...two...one..." he lowered it to Ratchet's head yet he stopped as he heard the firing of blasters and footsteps running down the tunnel.

"Scrap!" he cursed as he reliased that help was on the way for Ratchet.

Seeing Knock Out distracted, Ratchet despite how weak and in pain he was took his chance and he punch the Decepticon medic back and stood up.

Knock Out was shocked, yet he ran at Ratchet and tried to pin him against the rocky wall and strike with his buzz saw, yet Ratchet used all the strength he had to hold him back.

After a long struggle, Ratchet was able to move Knock Out's buzz saw out the way and head butt him disorientating the Decepticon medic for a moment but Knock Out was quick to react and he aimed for Ratchet but ended up striking the wall and he got his buzz saw embedded in it!

As Knock Out was trapped in the wall, Ratchet took the chance to go over to the jug of synthetic energon and picked it up.

As he did that Knock Out struggled to get himself free of the wall and looked over his shoulder at the Autobot medic.

"What are you gonna do?" he mocked "Drink it?"

Ratchet held the jug then looked at his broken chest where Megatron had punched him and shook his head, remembering how it had changed him for the worst and how he had insulted his friends and those he considered his family.

"No!" he stated "I'm going to destroy it!"

He then threw the jug into the wall and it smashed to pieces near to Knock Out as he continued to try and pry himself free.

He soon managed to do so and he turned to Ratchet.

"You idiot!" he shouted "Megatron will have my head!"

Ratchet glared at him, but before he could try and fight him, he collapsed in a faint as the energy faded from him.

Knock Out was ready to go for him as he was done, but as he heard gunfire from the tunnel as well as saw Optimus and the other Autobots appear he decided the best thing to do was flee and he turned tail and transformed into his vehicle form and drove away.

Ironhide ran ahead and saw Knock Out driving away.

"Come back here coward!" he shouted yet Optimus stopped him.

"Ironhide! No!" he said "Ratchet's well being is our priority!"

Ironhide growled but as he saw Ratchet laying there in a pool of green energon he instantly went over to help.

Ratchet meanwhile looked up at his friends as they gathered around him.

"Optimus..." he gasped.

"Ratchet," Optimus soothed "It's alright, hold on."

"Stay with us Ratchet." Ironhide joined in, "We're taking you home!"

Ratchet blinked and tried to stay awake, but it was impossible as he slipped into stasis...

Ratchet wasn't so sure now long he had been is stasis but he soon awoke back in the Autobot silo and under the watchful eye of Optimus who stood above him.

"Uggh."

"Easy old Friend." Optimus's gentle yet form voice was heard and the medic felt the Prime's servo on his chest gently pushing him back on a medical berth he lay on.

"You lost a lot of energon, good and bad."

Ratchet blinked and he tried to sit up again remembering how he had treated his dear friends and comrades.

"I...I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" he said "I just wanted so...badly to..."

"To help us." Optimus finished for him, "We know, but you nearly caused us the loss of something, irreplaceable, our medic, and a most trusted friend!"

"You got that right!" Ironhide's voice was heard from the other side.

"And you did lead us to a much needed energon supply!" he added gesturing to Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee who were carefully organizing some blue cubes nearby.

"And for that." Optimus added "We should all be thankful."

Ratchet gave a weak smile.

"The Synthetic energon formula clearly needs refining before it can be tested again." he said "On Machines, not autobots."

"You got that right!"

Ratchet looked to the side to see Donatello appear next to him along with Loki.

"Hey!" he said "I'm so glad you're alright!" he said placing a hand on the Medic's head "I was so worried!"

"Hey!" Ratchet said with a smile.

"Let us take comfort in the fact that you were able to dispose of the quantity that remained." Optimus said.

"He's right!" Donatello said "Can you imagine if those Decepticon Goons were able to find a trace and use it against us?"

"Yeah!" Loki agreed "Then may the Gods help us!"

Meanwhile, unknown to the Autobots at their friends, back in the cave where Ratchet had infiltrated the Decepticons, the broken jar that had been smashed hadn't fully destroyed the green energon, and Knock Out had seen there was a slight drop left as he investigated it, and he wasn't prepared to let it go...

Yay Ratchet's been saved! Yet he didn't destroy all the energon as Knock Out as discovered a single drop...what does this mean for the future?

And that ends the 'Stronger, Faster' Episode, I hope you enjoyed it!

Stay tuned for what I write next!