CHERISH ME

"Oh, I'm brainwashed,
Double-O who, seven digits,"

⬵⤁

    Ratchet stared up at the black ceiling of his new room, his back struts thankful for the berth on which it laid. However, his processor was still reeling, and he found his digits searching for a human who was not there.

    It had been ingrained into his systems to check on Jack as often as he could muster. His spark pulsed with mild anxiety every time he wondered about what had happened to him, and if he even deserved dragging his pedes back to both humans who were now prisoners. They were still very much aligned with the Autobot cause, and he could not blame them; Megatron would surely destroy Earth if given the chance. With the four keys it was only a matter of time before he set course for Cybertron, Ratchet wondering just where they would access a convenient Spacebridge.

    Then it occurred to him that perhaps the Nemesis did not need to fly to Cybertron; Megatron just had to take his army to the Omega Lock's location. That in itself was a new challenge, as the Lock was still nothing more than legend at the moment. Megatron assured that he knew the Lock's location and how to use the keys, and would bring about Cybertron's New Age as soon as everything was in order. One of those things was the recharge of his newest disciple, Ratchet not wanting to miss his home's reconstruction.

    But recharge continued to evade him.

    Every time he would think his systems were shutting down a new worry bubbled to the surface, suppressing the offline protocols and sending him jerking back to life. And every time he would reach out for Jack, only to feel empty air and realize he was no longer in the prison cell.

    While he would not have been surprised if Megatron kept his pet in his own berth, the medic began to assume that he was actually given his own private quarters. "Private" was relative, as Soundwave was undoubtedly watching, but he could not imagine any Vehicons or other higher-ranking Decepticons recharging here. They had their own barracks.

    He closed his optics, trying again to just force an offline. And just like last time, anxiety rose to the surface and jolted his spark back to life.

    Murderer.

    "Stop!" He snarled to no one in particular, the Decepticon dialect tearing at his throat as he sat up and clutched his helm. "Just let me have peace!"

    As if summoning a guardian angel the doors opened, a shuddering coursing through Ratchet's frame as he tried to suppress the whirlwind of thoughts and code in his processor. He just wanted them to-

    "Be still, my pet."

    Digits caressed the top of his helm, and like a tidal wave the torment washed away and was replaced by a thick blanket of protection. His servos slowly came away from his face as the anxiety was further brushed aside, replaced by a wall of firm superiority and assurance. Nothing would torment the medic. Not while his sentinel was here.

    As his mind was laid to rest exhaustion finally crept across his systems, his optics becoming heavier by the second. A gentle touch drifted from his helm to his cheek, letting him press against a steady frame. He had no idea when Megatron sat next to him, or how he managed to wrap his arms around him without the normally astute medic noticing, but he no longer cared. Instead he welcomed the sweet embrace of slumber, his optics shuttering closed as warbled, unintelligible words coaxed him to shut down. He might have mumbled "master" at one point, but that too was lost as Ratchet finally managed to rest, the nightmares of the waking world no longer plaguing him.

⬵⤁

    Starscream groaned as he onlined, the ache in his helm all he needed to know there was going to be quite the dent there. As his optics burst to life he was surprised to see the blue light of the Nemesis prison cell filtering through above him. He assumed Megatron was going to kill him and be done with it, despite the Autobot's pleas.

    The Autobot. Now that was a new development the former second-in-command had not anticipated. He had been aware that Ratchet was captured; anyone with any sort of intel would have known. But it was what Megatron had done to the medic which left him reeling. The warlord was possessive over his Dark Energon, as it was now his fuel and lifeblood. To share it was . . . well, it was nearly inconceivable. And with an Autobot no less - that was a gamble.

    "Blasted space madness is going to be his complete undoing," he muttered out loud, sitting up and shaking his helm. His optics gazed around the room, landing on something truly disturbing. "Humans?!"

    Pressed on the opposite side of the room were two of the fleshlings, the Decepticon recognizing Arcee's charge almost instantly. Beside him was another human that shared similarities, and the Seeker correctly guessed they were somehow genetically related.

    From his brief period as a MECH operative, Starscream had grown used to switching to the more primitive human language of "English," from his natural dialect.   

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

    "I was going to ask the same thing, Starscream," Jack replied, his one good hand curling into a fist. "Ratchet was taken out of here, and you were brought in. What happened to him?!"

    The Seeker snorted, in disbelief over the human's ignorance. "Well, fleshling, it appears that Megatron has turned your precious Autobot into a Dark Energon puppet -"

    "I already knew that," Jack interrupted, unamused.

    "Oh . . ." Starscream's wings drooped, the animated Decepticon clearly searching for a new answer. "Well, I certainly don't know! I came to give Megatron the Omega Keys, but then he just took them and threatened to offline me! If that medic hadn't at least interfered a little, well, I would be scrap!"

    Jack's eye roll did not go unnoticed, and his fear of the Seeker dwindled. "So, he's keeping Ratchet at his side, then?"

    "It appears so, since I apparently am his replacement here."

    This troubled Jack, and he frowned. Glancing at his mother he returned his gaze to Starscream, no longer too afraid of him but certainly not trusting him.

    "You mentioned the Omega Keys. Are those some kind of relic?" He asked, carefully prodding him for answers. He figured once Starscream realized how little they truly knew, he would try to bargain with them. And Jack was not in the mood to haggle with a notorious backstabber and traitor.

    "Yes, yes, they are supposed to work on this Omega Lock," Starscream waved a servo. "And hopefully revive Cybertron. But the problem is, the ever so helpful Alpha Trion, who created the Iacon database encryptions, did not leave instructions on how to find this Lock."

    "And you gave them to Megatron."

    "Well, the two he didn't already have," Starscream stood to his full height, his slender build only adding to the predatory nature of his stalking. The Seeker briefly held the side of his helm, the only indication he was still in some discomfort, then refocused on his fellow cellmates. "And I surmise that he will soon use the Lock to revive Cybertron."

    "And win the war," Jack said quietly, very much aware of what would happen should Megatron use the Omega Lock. He could easily use it to bring the planet he had decimated back to life, and through his mastery at propaganda make his cause appear to be the peaceful of the two. Jack knew enough about wars to know that it was the victors who wrote history, and he had no doubt that Megatron would use his victory to demonize the Autobot cause. The cause that swore to protect his planet and their own.

    "Indeed," Starscream's wings fluttered with pride. "And this is why you always pick the winning team."

    "Except you're not on the winning team," this time, June was the one who pointed out the problem. "Megatron was going to kill you - and I'm sure he still is. He's just waiting for a time when it's convenient."

    The Seeker frowned, realizing she was right, and not enjoying that.

    "We have a common enemy," Jack prompted, knowing it was worth a shot. "Which is Megatron. Listen, I know what it feels like to receive the brunt of his wrath. And you do too. And I'm sure you've got a lot of hatred from that. Help us escape, help the Autobots beat Megatron, and the Decepticon cause could be yours. Or, even better, the Autobots let you live on Cybertron again."

    Starscream gazed at him, the wheels turning in the mech's analytical mind. He had no reason to believe Jack was lying - just one look at the cuts, the secured arm, and the overall haggard appearance was enough to convince him. The smallest of sly grins worked across his face.

    "It seems the Autobots taught you a thing or two about negotiating with the likes of a Decepticon," he sneered. "But what guarantees Optimus Prime won't just stab me in the back?"

    "Because Optimus isn't Megatron," Jack said firmly. "And if you help them, they owe you; then you can debate with them on what you deserve."

    The proposition was appealing. Jack certainly knew how to pluck at the right strings to get Starscream thinking, and the Seeker had to give him credit. If he could get these worms off the ship, they would provide insurance the Autobots - specifically that Arcee - would not blow his helm off. After pledging his allegiance and swearing to help them revive Cybertron, he could end Megatron once and for all. After that, he would be a war hero, and surely Optimus Prime would allow him to rule Vos in peace.

    That had been the Seeker's undoing on Cybertron. Megatron had promised him Vos in return for his political prowess, and Starscream did indeed receive what he was promised - but the caveat was not made clear to him until it was too late. He was a servant to Megatron, and Vos would do what Megatron wanted it to do. It was one of five cities to fall to the Decepticon cause, and now its name would live in infamy as synonymous for traitorism and hypocrisy. The Seeker numbers dwindled as their flying expertise was called to battles, and droves of them fell when the Autobots began devising traps specifically catered to the Seeker form.

    Surely, Optimus Prime would see the bloody past of Vos and allow Starscream to wash it away.

    "That is all well and good," he said finally. "But, escape is nearly impossible."

    Jack raised an eyebrow. "How? You know this ship better than most, I can almost guarantee it. If you got on without immediately being scrapped, surely you can get off."

    "That therein lies the problem," Starscream huffed. "I was . . . resourceful in finding the Nemesis, and could Groundbridge myself on board. But that was outside of its shielding, which is kept close to its surface as to avoid further detection and conserve energy. I cannot summon a remote Groundbridge in here, and I'm sure Soundwave is going to be watching our every move."

    "So just fly off then," Jack was puzzled. "Why bother with a Groundbridge?"

    The Seeker appeared to be personally offended, as he did not want to confess anything as embarrassing as this to a human. But if he was going to get the fleshlings to trust him, he figured it was better to reveal what information he could to them.

    "I . . . no longer possess a T-cog," he said, beginning to elaborate. "A transformation cognition, if you will. You see, when a Cybertronian doesn't-"

    "You can't transform?" Jack's knowledge of the biomechanism caught him by surprise, and only further embarrassed the Seeker. "How did you manage to lose a T-cog?"

    "Those animals you call MECH took it from me!" Starscream wailed. "Because that bug Bumblebee stole back the one they had taken from him. I have been living my life without one for some time, and I was going to perform surgery, but then this whole relic hunt distracted me!"

    June raised an eyebrow. "How were you going to perform surgery?"

    "It's a long story," the Seeker huffed. "I have a replacement, in my subspace of course, but hardly the tools or the . . . strength to do it."

    The human female eyed him, then looked over at her own medical supplies.

    Jack knew what she was thinking. "Mom, you're not serious?"

    "If we can find a way to locally anesthetize the area, and he has the tools to do it, coupled with what I know about surgery, there is a possibility we could successfully replace it," she said, crossing her arms. "Only if he swears to not run off right after the surgery is complete."

    Starscream could not help but bark out a laugh. "You, a human, perform surgery on the likes of which you have never had experience before?"

    "I have experience with surgery," June said evenly, "given I had three years of General Surgery residency under my belt before I had Jack. And lucky you, I know a thing or two about heart transplants, so this should be easy."

    "Energon is poisonous," Jack grabbed her arm. "The radiation could kill you, mom."

    "We don't know that for sure, but I will wear gloves," she said, pointing to one of the backpacks. "And extra layers. If Starscream is willing to help facilitate his own surgery, I can help with the delicate handiwork and get that thing in there. We patch him up, and we're ready to go. As long as the Energon bleeding is minimized, we should be okay."

    "One last problem," Starscream pointed to the ceiling. "Soundwave will be watching. Of course, not all the time, as I'm sure Megatron has him searching for the rest of your Autobot team. But if he catches wind of this, we are all scrap."

    "Then we better act fast," June threw on her sweater. "Are you in, Starscream? Or are we all going to sit here like ducks? Because either way, we risk getting ourselves killed. I would rather do it knowing I've tried something than doing nothing at all."

    The Seeker gazed down at her, tilting his slender head to the side. He had always referred to humans as the weakest link, but right now they were all he had. And truthfully, if this was the weak link, then it would explain how the Autobots managed to thrive on a planet such as this. The survival protocols of a human far exceeded that of a normal Cybertronian, as he knew of very few others who would entertain an idea as risky as this. But if it meant gaining his wings back, defeating Megatron . . .

    "Fine," he agreed. "We will go through with this mad surgery. In exchange, I fly you off this ship, and we find the Autobots."

    Jack knew better than to trust Starscream, but he was what they had. And the fact that he was predictably untrustworthy did assure the teen a little, as it meant he could accurately guess Starscream's next move. With a final nod, he let his mother begin pulling out the various medical supplies - including a few surgical kits - she had, not breaking eye contact with the Seeker.

    "Deal."

⬵⤁

    "Where is Arcee?" Optimus inquired Bulkhead and Bumblebee, becoming increasingly worried. The two mechs looked at one another, Bumblebee buzzing his confusion.

    "We haven't seen her," Bulkhead confessed, agreeing with what his yellow friend had said. "And I don't remember the last time I saw her. Maybe she's recharging?"

    "No," the Prime looked at the computers gravely. "I have been unable to pick up her signal, and she has neglected to answer her communication link. I fear she may have been located by the Decepticons."

    "That means they're getting close," Bulkhead looked at his long-time leader, his digits curling into fists. "We have to call Wheeljack."

    "I have already done so," Optimus assured him. "And he is en route. If the Decepticons have located our base we would have been overrun by now. But I agree, Bulkhead, that they may be closing in. Once their Spacebridge is online, we must go to it immediately. I feel the end of this war may be coming soon, and I pray that it is us who emerge as the victors."

    "We've got your back, Optimus," Bumblebee assured him, confidence in his prosthetic voice. "We won't let Megatron win."

    Optimus nodded, unable to conceal the exhaustion in his voice. He still lacked his left arm, and the warrior grew more tired every day. This had to end, no matter the cost.

    "I thank you, Bulkhead and Bumblebee, for your service," he said sincerely. "Not just with Team Prime, but the Autobot cause. Your contributions, and that of our other team members, have kept the spirit of our movement alive, and have prevented Megatron from taking over our home world with his bloodthirst and tyranny. Thank you."

    "Thank you, Optimus," Bulkhead told him in turn, "for being a leader we can get behind."

    Their moment was drawn away by the alarms of their base going off, a massive energon reading popping up on the screen.

    "The Decepticons are making course for Cybertron," Optimus quickly punched in the coordinates. "Autobots, prepare to roll out!"

    "What about Jackie?" Bulkhead inquired.

    "Agent Fowler will see to it that he joins us once he arrives," Optimus promised, gazing over at the silent human man. He appeared troubled, and rightfully so. Miko and Raf had been transported to school, to at least keep up appearances, and so he was the only human capable of watching out for the base. Optimus felt his spark falter, but a salute from the man steadied it once more. Agent Fowler would always be there for them; no matter how dire the situation.

    "And what about Arcee?"

    The Prime gazed towards his scout.

    "If she has not been captured by the Decepticons, then I have every faith she will return," he assured Bumblebee. "And when she does, she will join us on this endeavor. However, if she has been captured . . . once we defeat Megatron, we save our friends."

    Optimus turned on the Groundbridge, mindful to place it near the Spacebridge's coordinates, but not so close as to rip open a portal into the Shadowzone. He briefly considered the relics they had in their possession, but decided against them. The spark extractor was far too dangerous to use, especially at the risk of killing his own teammates - because Arcee was right. Optimus didn't know if Ratchet would be on the field, and he could not bring himself to sacrifice his old friend for the sake of this cause. As for the Apex Armor . . . as advantageous as it would be, Smokescreen had made it clear that if anyone had the Phase Shifter, they could easily lose it. Optimus was not going to jeopardize his team even more by facing a Decepticon who wore impenetrable armor.

He watched as the Groundbridge portal blossomed to life, energy crackling through his veins.

"Autobots, roll out!!"

With a determined gaze he charged towards the portal, his blade deploying and battle mask sliding into place.

    It was time to end this once and for all.