A little over a year ago...

Ratchet's optic came online again as he felt himself being dragged, a harsh grip on his pede. He was chest chassis first on the ground, and his arms were sprawled out in front of him, sparks glinting slightly as they scraped the metal flooring. The medic was still a little confused, before he noticed the poor condition of his servo. Remembering instantly, he felt his spark break from within him, but not for his own loss, although that was part of him. He missed Bumblebee terribly, but knew that Optimus himself had probably lost it. He remembered the look in the Prime's optics as he had been hauled away by Megatron. His leader had seen so much death, but what was different now was that it had been those he had deeply cared for, those he had considered family. He hadn't even been that bad when his sparkmate, Elita One, was reported offlined in battle. Ratchet had seen the hurt in his friend then, and he could now. A hurt that would never leave the both of them, no matter what happened.

Then he was angry. Furious. He felt his chest chassis burn with rage, unbridled rage he couldn't control. Despite the pain, his good servo clenched into a fist, the digits digging into the metal palm and nearly drawing Energon. He felt a rush enter his spark, and his entire chassis twitched. He saw nothing in his processor but anger and determination. Determination to rescue Optimus, stop them from returning to Cybertron, and kill any Decepticon that stood in his way.

His gaze hard and furious, he slowly turned his helm to see who was pulling him down the hall. He found that it was the thin seeker Starscream, his long digits forcefully squeezing Ratchet's pede as he dragged him. He was grumbling to himself, probably complaining why he was doing a Vehicon's job, his optics staring straight ahead. Ratchet, watching him carefully, shifted his weight and started to turn himself over. Starscream noticed the movement and turned sharply, his optic ridges up in surprise. Ratchet kicked his pede out of the seeker's grip before he could react, jumping up despite his injuries, and the ache in his chassis that told him not to.

Starscream would normally have smirked and challenged any Autobot who was hopelessly out of his league. Especially to this one, knowing that the mech was old and was loosing his touch as of a long time ago. But as he stared down the orange and white medic, he felt a familiar fear rise up in his spark. One that came every time he knew he had good reason to fear for his life. He saw a fire within the vibrant blue optic, ablaze over his whole chassis and processor. There was just... something about the mech, something horrifying.

"You're not really going to attack me," he managed to scoff, despite his shaking knee plates. "I'm the commander of an entire army!"

The medic brought up his servos in a battle ready position, his gaze hard and angry. "All the more reason to offline you," he spat. "You're going to pay for everything you've done to my family."

Starscream shrunk back at the darkness in the medic's voice. Before the commander could act, Ratchet let out an enraged battle cry, the utter pain of loss in his voice only evident to him, and charged at him. He was surprisingly quick for an old and injured bot, and punched the Con in the faceplate. The two of them crashed to the floor, Ratchet on the top and showering Starscream with punches to his chassis, his fist eventually coming up with Energon stains. The seeker screamed for help, pleaded for him to stop, struggles from underneath him, but nothing slowed the medic's blows. Starscream eventually was reduced to whimpering, raising his servos in a desperate attempt to grab his arm.

"Please," he rasped. "Let me go. I'll change! No, I won't even let myself be seen. I'll go into hiding forever! Yes, that sounds desirable!"

Ratchet slammed his fist into his faceplate as his answer. He continued and continued, unrelenting and unforgiving. As Starscream's optics started to dim, he saw that angry tears were falling from Ratchet's optic, his denta gritting as he finished beating the Con to death. Starscream groaned one last time, surprised that this was how he was to be ended, and his chassis went limp to the floor. Even so, the medic did not stop for a few minutes more, too furious to realize that the annoying seeker was gone. When he finally did, he was venting heavily, tears still sliding down his faceplate. He made no attempt to wipe them away, instead getting up and giving the Con one last kick. He did not feel refreshed, he did not feel soothed. The fire was still spreading within him, and he turned sharply down the hall, his optic narrowed.

He found a platoon of Vehicons as he went farther down, and they each met the same fate as their commander. Ratchet's attacks grew more and more frenzied, shouting and growling like an animal as he battled. He paused at the last one, holding his chassis up at the neck cords.

"Where is Optimus?" he snarled, tightening his grip. "WHERE!?!"

The trembling Decepticon pointed down the hall. "A-at the end of the ship," he stuttered and rasped. "Me-Megatron is h-holding him."

The enraged mech slammed the Con into the floor, immediately crushing his neck cables, and stormed off in the direction of his leader. Fortunately for the other Vehicons, they were not patrolling that hall, and stayed away from granted death. Ratchet hurried through the metal walls, his spark still racing in the adrenaline. Seeing the last door, he body-slammed it with all his might, sending it flying. He tumbled in, gaining his footing quickly and getting in a battle ready stance once more.

Megatron, who had left Optimus out cold on the floor, blinked at Ratchet in surprise. He looked the medic up and down, honestly shocked at what he saw. Though he was injured and out of his league, the mech looked like he was ready to take on Unicron himself. The warlord tried to push away the rising sense of fear and smirked at the new arrival.

"You honestly think you can defeat me?" he sneered, tiring to face him with his servos clasped behind his backside. "I command an army!"

"You should see the last one who stated that to me," he growled back. Megatron noticed that he had Energon stained on his fist and splattered across his chassis. It took him a moment to realize that this medic had murdered his second-in-command in cold blood. He felt no remorse over Starscream, but he was shocked, and his spark involuntary tightened in fright.

"I find it hard to believe that you of all mechs managed to kill Starscream," he said, bringing his balled servos out from behind him and laying them at his sides. "A simple medic, one who is weakened and old."

"Believe it, Megatron!" Ratchet snapped, jumping forward suddenly. "The next one to die by my servo will be you!"

His good servo turned into a blade, and quicker than Megatron could reflect, he plunged the sharp point into the warlord's upper chest chassis with a furious shout. Megatron stumbled back, growling in pain and kicking the medic away. Using the opportunity, Ratchet stabbed him again, this time coming very close to his spark chamber. Megatron cried out and punched the Autobot in the helm. Ratchet teetered back, stunned, trying to blink the confusion away. Megatron, despite his new injury, leaped forward with his blade out. Time seemed to slow, the blade flying in air.

Ratchet gasped as he saw the Energon flying from his lower side before he felt the pain of the fresh gash. He was utterly still for a moment, his optic wide in shock and agony. The Energon leaked from him heavily, sending a wave of dizziness to Ratchet's processor. He gasped again and choked on Energon, stumbling a little as it ran from his mouth. It was then, as he fell backward onto floor, that he came to his senses. The fury left him, and was replaced with unbearable pain.

Megatron glared darkly at the medic, atop his own pool of Energon. He glinted his sharp denta in a smirk, standing up straight even though he was injured.

"It seems you overestimated yourself," he chuckled, firing up his cannon. He lumbered over to Ratchet, pointing the gun at his helm. "Any final words?"

As Ratchet looked into the barrel of the cannon in terror, images began to flash in his processor. The faceplates of his friends, his team, his family blinked at him, the living and dead versions of them. Optimus's limp chassis filled his helm, and Taylor's bloody one came last. He grunted, panic washing over him like a thick blanket. It couldn't end here, not like this. He wasn't done yet.

Crying out in agony, he used all the strength he could muster to lurch himself forward. His servo turned into the blade again, and in a split second he slashed at his friends' murderer. The blade hit facial plate, earning a painful scream from the warlord. The force of the blow knocked him out and sent him backwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Ratchet gasped sharply and knelt on the floor, holding himself up with his mangled servo (by some miracle). There was Energon all around him, covering his gash and flowing from his mouth. Ratchet coughed, trying to clear his clogged throat and vent better. He looked up to Optimus fearfully, and was only met with the Prime's closed optics. He wanted to get up and help him badly, but he knew he would be unable to do so if he couldn't function. Begrudgingly, he shakily turned his blade into a welder, bringing it to his wound. He held back more cries of pain behind gritted denta as he closed it the best he could. It took an agonizing fifteen minutes, and at the end, it was sloppily done, the weld twisted horribly and Energon still leaking from the corners. The stopped Energon flow then erupted from his mouth, and Ratchet coughed violently onto the floor. He wheezed as he looked back up, trying to form a plan. He knew that he couldn't fix Optimus here; they needed to escape. Ratchet also had to find some way to stop the Nemesis from reaching Cybertron, which meant deactivating the SpaceBridge. He thought for a little longer, before shakily getting up. He knelt over at Optimus' side, turning him onto his backside. He glanced worriedly at the Energon spilled on the floor, knowing that he had lost a lot more Energon then he had.

"I'll be back soon," he whispered, his optic shining in concern. "Don't die on me."

With those parting words, he got up and ran out the door. He raced to Soundwave's control panel, glad to see the the creepy Con wasn't there. He reached with both of his servos, but winced as he started to type with his maimed digits. He coughed again weakly, and a wave of nausea hit him. He was weak and drained from the Energon loss. He felt himself slipping and snapped to attention, focusing his gaze on the screen. He searched madly, not allowing himself a second of rest. If he was going to do this, he had to be done quickly. Optimus wouldn't survive that wound for long. He finally found his way into the SpaceBridge controls. He wondered for a moment if he should shut down the Omega Lock, but thought against it. 

His derma twitched up into a small smirk as he released his secret weapon upon the SpaceBridge database. He had been working on a virus before their capture, and his picture perfect memory allowed him to put the absolute correct code into the system. The SpaceBridge controls would shut down on themselves every time they ever tried to use it, and the only one who knew how to fix the virus was him. He released it without a second thought, and while everything looked normal, he knew that it had worked. He shut down the computer, pleased with himself. The Decepticons wouldn't know about the virus until they tried to reach Cybertron, which meant Ratchet didn't have long before Soundwave would arrive to do just that. 

He was about to turn and leave when something caught his optic. A small remote control was resting up against the console system. He immediately recognized it as a GroundBridge remote. Seeing as he had lost his previous one a year ago, he snatched it in his good servo before hurrying away. Now he had a ticket to get out of here, Optimus in tow, without fighting any more Decepticons. Feeling his wound throb, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to if he tried.

Ratchet tried to erase the spots from his vision as he knelt over his leader again. Megatron was still unconscious off to his side, a small pool of Dark Energon under his helm. The medic slung Optimus' arm over his shoulder, and saw the Prime's optics flutter. He knew not to allow hope into his spark as they opened, knowing that Optimus was only in a daze. Even so, Ratchet had to make sure that Optimus helped him, for he couldn't carry his whole mass by himself.

"Optimus," he said quietly, reaching for the remote with his mangled servo. "I need you to help me. We're getting out of here, but I can't hold all your weight." 

The Prime blinked at him, only his instincts registering what Ratchet had told him. Still in a daze, he slowly got to his pedes the best he could. He was slumped over, and still heavy, but Ratchet felt ease as he helped him up. He looked to the remote, wondering where he should transport them. He remembered Agent Fowler talking about an emergency base, one that was old and unused. While he couldn't remember exactly where it was on earth, he did remember the GroundBridge coordinates. He typed them in the best he could, his twisted digits screaming in pain, and a second later the portal opened. He grunted as he helped Optimus through, grateful that no Decepticons had caught onto him yet.

Once inside, he paid no mind to look around. As soon as he saw the medical berth, he placed Optimus there and immediately got to work. He was exhausted, dizzy, and in pain, but forced himself to do it right. He didn't allow himself one slip up, or for his optic to be distracted on anything else. It took over an hour in earth time, but he finished with satisfaction in his work. However, both Optimus' and his Energon readings were low, and needed to refuel desperately.

A console caught his optic on the other side of the room, and he limped over to it quickly. He felt himself nearly tip over, but snapped himself awake. If he were to recharge now, he may never wake again, and then, neither would Optimus. Optimus needed to live, and if he was going to do that, Ratchet needed to live, too. The medic typed madly until he fell upon a small Energon mine, one that had yet to be uncovered. Praising his luck, he opened the Bridge with his new remote and raced through. 

The rest of it all seemed to travel in a blur. Stealing the Energon, processing it, refueling Optimus and then himself. It seemed like flashes of moving pictures, too quick to catch everything. He found himself slumped against the wall, his readings reading higher, but still a bit low. He had given most of it to Optimus, so that he would recover well. He was staring up at the ceiling with a half lidded optic, pain throbbing in and out of his entire chassis. His wound burned like fire, and it hurt to even vent. He groaned, exhausted and dizzy, and closed his optic.

Visions of his life on earth went through his processor. He saw the children, and remembered how much he had actually cared for them. Jack had been a lot like Orion, always placing others' needs before his own, constantly watching out for the others. He had been kind and caring, and Ratchet had found himself admiring the boy. Miko had certainly been the most annoying, but as time went on, she had proved determined and fit for battle. Raf had been so sweet, and intelligent. He had helped Ratchet more times then he could count, and he had found a particular liking to the boy. He remembered his team, in all their glory. Cliffjumper had been taken from them too soon, and Ratchet had honestly missed the mech's constant jokes and snide remarks. Arcee had been fierce and brave, but proved gentle and kind in desperate times. The femme had been a good fighter, and the first to go after Cliff. Wheeljack and Smokescreen had both been annoying in their own kind of ways, but he had enjoyed their company nonetheless. Their deaths had been hard, on all of the team. Bulkhead had had a big spark, too big for his chassis. The sweet mech was always concerned, and he missed that. Ultra Magnus, while he had been stony, had been determined to get things done, but after a time he learned to put the team first. He learned to care, in his own special way. And poor, sweet little Bumblebee. The scout had probably been the closest to Ratchet other than Optimus, always ready and raring to go. He had been kind, adorable in his own way, and selfless.

Taylor was the last to dill his helm again. He had never expected to meet her, or find himself going back to her. Their acquaintanceship had turned into something more, and the old medic had been surprised with himself for making his own human friend. She had never been annoying, always gentle and sweet. Her kind exterior gave way to a selfless, scared interior, one he found himself wishing to protect. He remembered the conversations, the night time star gazing, the small drives she had hesitantly insisted on taking. The surprise pictures had turned more into a joke, a routine. She would take one every time he came to see her, and he eventually came to expect and enjoy it. His spark had shattered when he had seen her aboard the warship the one time he had tried to save her. She had been absolutely terrified of him, which he had never seen coming. She had screamed, thrashed, and cried while he had tried to reason with her. She was up against the wall when he had been dragged away, and he had been depressed for weeks after. 

Ratchet felt himself crying through his one optic. His vent hitched, and he started sobbing slightly. Why did things have to be this way? He would never know, and never forgive Megatron or any of the Decepticons for what they had done. He felt awful for Optimus, knowing that when the Prime woke up, he would find all of it gone.

The medic quietly cried himself into a restless recharge, his processor filled with both joyous and painful memories.

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This is the longest chapter I have ever written. 3000+ words.

Sorry I haven't updated recently, I was going to last night but I was tired and wasn't feeling so good. I will update Guardians next, don't worry.

This chapter made me cry again. A LOT.