A terrible, splitting headache was waiting for Ratchet when he finally came back online. His optics flickered and his vision slowly began to clear. As he regained feeling in his body, he noticed how heavy his limbs felt, like they were coated in wet cement. Looking down, he quickly figured out why. He'd been bound by the wrists with a thick pair of cuffs that limited his ability to maneuver his arms and servos. Megatron must've put them on while he was unconscious.

It took a moment for Ratchet's optics to adjust to the light, despite the fact that he should've been used to it already from the earlier incident which landed him here. Only one quick glance around the room was needed to confirm his suspicions.

He was trapped aboard the Nemesis.

Seeing that he was alone at the moment, Ratchet began pondering over what the relic could've released. Oftentimes, relics were used as vessels for information regarding weapons of mass destruction, scientific breakthroughs, ancient texts, etc. Things that were obviously meant to be kept away from prying eyes for a long period of time. That being said, how did a relic such as that wind up on Earth? Well, considering the knowledge of other relics that were also found on Earth, Ratchet supposed it wasn't too out of the ordinary.

Just as a precaution, Ratchet checked his internal systems to see if anything had been altered since he blacked out. While his discovery was somewhat disappointing, it was also relieving. There was no trace of ancient energy or any sign of abnormal functions. Even if he didn't find anything that had to do with the relic, at least he knew Megatron hadn't tinkered with his systems. Not yet, at least.

Speak of the devil...

Heavy steps could be heard coming down the hall, gradually growing louder and louder until they stopped directly in front of the cell door. Ratchet watched with an unamused expression as the door slid open to reveal Megatron's towering form.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, good doctor." The warlord's voice rumbled through the empty room as he stepped inside. He looked at Ratchet, his dermas curling into a conniving smirk.

Ratchet only gave him a bitter glare in return. "I assume the relic itself was no use to you, which is why I'm here." He pushed himself to his pedes, a soft grunt escaping him. "I only know as much as you do considering that relic and the information it holds. If you think I'm going to give you any sort of access to it, you're wrong."

Megatron chuckled, amused by the medic's behavior. He loved that fiery attitude. It made things more... entertaining. He approached Ratchet, his steps slow and calculated, and stopped just in front of him. "Am I, dearest Ratchet? You assume too quickly." He hummed.

"My assumptions are often correct." Ratchet shot back, his expression twisting into a scowl. He expressed no sign of fear, nor did he flinch as the warlord stood uncomfortably close. That's what Megatron wanted. It was what he thrived off of, and he wasn't about to give it to him willingly.

Megatron's smirk only grew, his sharp denta flashing into view for just a second before disappearing behind his dermas again. He reached out and took Ratchet's chin in one servo, gripping the medic's face tighter than necessary. Then again, why hold back? Little displays of power and dominance like this filled him with glee. "I'm sure." He said, a bit sarcastically. "But you aren't the only one here who is often right."

Ratchet tensed when he heard Megatron's blade unsheathe, feeling the edge of it against his neck soon after. He resisted the urge to pull his head away and drew in a strained breath. "Then what are you waiting for? Take what you want like you always have." He didn't really mean those words, obviously, and hoped Megatron wouldn't take them seriously. There was still no way of knowing how to extract the information from him or the effects it may have.

Megatron growled a little, pressing the edge of his blade closer. "You and I both know that is not completely true. Freedom was something I could never take myself." He jerked his servo, causing the blade to nick Ratchet under the chin, but not so much that it became a dangerous wound. "And with the relic empty, I have a feeling I cannot kill you just yet."

Ratchet winced as the blade sliced through his neck-cabling, energon already beginning to seep through the slit. He lifted his head a bit higher so the blade wasn't as close to his neck. "Like I said, you'll get nothing from me." He muttered.

"We shall see about that, doctor." Megatron seethed. He released Ratchet and sheathed his blade, watching as the medic rubbed the area where the tips of his digits had pressed against the metal. "For now, I have business to attend to. While I'm sure your fellow Autobots are aware of your disappearance by now, I would like to personally make it clear to them as soon as possible. Enjoy the peace while you have it, for it is only temporary."

Ratchet waited until Megatron had left the room before turning his attention to the cut. He lifted one digit to gingerly touch it, recoiling with a hiss of pain like he'd been burned afterwards. The wound was sensitive and would remain so until his systems began regenerating what was lost, which could take days depending on the amount of energon the Decepticons gave him. Until then, it would just be a nuisance. Nothing serious. He was sure he'd be painfully reminded of its presence whenever he went to move his head, should he forget.

For now, he needed to focus on finding the contents of the relic. If he knew what they were, he'd have a better idea of what he should be worried about if the information happened to fall into Megatron's possession.

---

And it only gets worse from here, hehe...

Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I can't wait to write more!