Hours after Megatron had left, Ratchet heard steps approaching his cell yet again. However, they were far too light to belong to the warlord himself. Perhaps they were Vehicons?

The door slid open to reveal two Vehicons. One of the Vehicons stepped into the room and gestured for Ratchet to stand.

"Lord Megatron requires your presence in the medbay." The Vehicon said.

Ratchet scowled in dismay. He'd been hoping to avoid Megatron for as long as possible while he tried to figure out what the relic did to him. It seemed like that was about to be done for him, unfortunately.

He pushed himself to his pedes, having to awkwardly maneuver his arms due to the cuffs, and walked out of the cell. The Vehicon who had come in followed behind him, with the other taking the lead once he entered the hall. While it was rather nice to be out of the cell, he knew he wasn't being taken out just to stretch his legs. As soon as Megatron finished his business, he'd surely be thrown right back in. 

Upon approaching the medbay, Ratchet could hear Megatron speaking with Shockwave. Just the thought of the one-eyed scientist sent shivers through his frame. Shockwave's presence meant bad news.

Megatron turned when the door opened and Ratchet entered with two Vehicons. His dermas curled into a smirk as he folded his servos behind his back. "Glad you could join us, doctor." He said. The Vehicons quickly made themselves scarce, as if they knew something bad was about to happen. "You've met Shockwave before, haven't you? He leads all scientific endeavors on the Nemesis."

"Yes, I'm very much aware. Care to tell me why I'm here?" Ratchet huffed, glaring at the two Decepticons.

"But of course." Megatron rumbled as he shifted his weight. "Shockwave believes it is quite possible that whatever information the relic released was transferred into your mind. If that's the case, I shall require access in order to retrieve it."

"Like I'd ever let you poke around inside my head." Ratchet sharply retorted. "You don't even know what kind of information we're dealing with. It could be sensitive or utterly useless to us."

"Ah, that is the reason we perform tests, is it not? Learning the contents of the relic will further enhance our ability to determine whether it benefits us or not. If it proves to be useful, then it will be safely out of Autobot hands." Megatron gestured to the chair in front of him with one servo. "Have a seat. Shockwave is eager to begin."

Seeing that he had no other choice, Ratchet reluctantly walked over the chair and sat down. He didn't like that it put his back towards Megatron. He heard movement behind him and assumed it was Shockwave preparing something for the procedure.

After a few agonizing minutes, there was a small beep. A soft whirring noise came to life, sounding like a bug in Ratchet's audio receptor. Some sort of scanner slowly made its way around Ratchet's head. It had a light that constantly beamed up and down. Ratchet squinted and turned his head a bit when it shone in his optics. Once the scanner had finished, it returned to Shockwave's servo and flashed the information it had gathered on the screen.

"Well?" Megatron asked, almost anxiously, as he turned to the scientist.

Shockwave tinkered with the little machine for a moment before responding. "The information recovered states that the relic contained details of a hidden weapons cache. However, coordinates and specific weapon types have been left out, or perhaps encrypted beyond this scanner's capabilities."

A soft huff escaped Megatron. Ratchet couldn't tell if it was one of annoyance or thought. "I see." He laid his servo on the chair, right beside Ratchet's head. "It appears we have more work to do."

Ratchet didn't acknowledge him. He was too busy pondering over the news. A hidden weapons cache? He knew of several that were left for later use during the war, though most were built off-world once Cybertron went dark. This one was no different. And of course, it had to be located on Earth. Just his luck. Good thing Megatron didn't know that, though he knew the warlord would try to get the coordinates from him.

As for the weapons it contained, the results were definitely worrying, to say the least. This particular cache possessed enough destructive power to throw an entire planet off balance, not to mention eradicate any living being it came into contact with. Weapons such as these were hidden away with the intended purpose of making sure they stayed out of the wrong hands. In this case, Megatron's. Sentinel had previously outlawed them, but that was before things got bad. It was a dark period of time in Autobot history.

"Shockwave, you are dismissed." Megatron said after a brief moment of silence. Once Shockwave had left, he returned his attention to Ratchet. "I say we give the Autobots a call. Tell them the news. I'm sure they're all dying to know what has happened to their precious medic." He sneered, removing his servo and walking around the chair.

Although Megatron hadn't verbally told him to follow, Ratchet knew he should follow anyways. The other option would've probably included being dragged through the hall against his will. He wanted to keep his dignity in one piece, if possible.

***

Ratchet stood there, anxiously eying the dark screen in front of him. Megatron had yet to make contact with Optimus, which made him wonder if they were out searching for him at that very moment. Then, the screen suddenly blinked to life. Video feed from the Autobot base expanded to take up the entire screen, Optimus's red and blue paint job being the first thing he saw. To his dismay, everyone was there aside from the kids. Each of their expressions held mixed emotions. Fear. Confusion. Anger. He found himself unable to look, his spark sinking.

"Well, Optimus.. since you are obviously worried about the well-being of your lapdog, I took it upon myself to personally give you the confirmation that he is in fact alive and well." Megatron began, his sharp denta flashing into view as he spoke. His tone was strangely calm, but still possessed that unsettling edge that made Ratchet's plating crawl. The warlord noticed that Ratchet wasn't looking at the screen and chuckled. Grabbing him by the head with his servo, he forced the medic to look at the screen while holding him in a firm, tight grip. "Say hello to your friends, Ratchet."

Ratchet only stared, trying to take in everything. The amount of emotion that was seeping through the screen was almost overwhelming. Optimus looked right at him, his normally stoic gaze filled with concern. Ratchet couldn't speak. He was afraid to even try to with Megatron standing so close.

Megatron smirked, amused by the medic's unusual silence. Seeing that Ratchet wouldn't talk, he decided to give him a bit of encouragement. He slowly curled his claws inward so they pinched the medic's metal, threatening to pierce it. "Go on. Don't leave them waiting..." He then bent down and hissed into Ratchet's audio receptor, "...this may be the last time you will ever see them."

Ratchet swallowed thickly, trying not to wince as the pressure on his head grew stronger. He drew in a shaky breath and chose his words carefully. "Optimus.. I'm sorry..." His voice nearly cracked. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know." Optimus gazed softly at Ratchet, then narrowed his optics as he lifted his gaze to Megatron. "Megatron, there is no reason for you to hold Ratchet prisoner. Let him go and there will be no consequences."

"I'm afraid I cannot let him go until he gives me what I want." Megatron replied smoothly, his grin growing.

Optimus frowned. "And what might that be?"

Ratchet couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. "Optimus, don't. It's too-" He choked on his words when Megatron suddenly wrapped his digits around his throat.

"Yes, Optimus. Listen to your precious medic." Megatron growled softly, his red optics glaring daggers at the Prime. "You will be met with force if you attempt a rescue. Once I get what I wish for, I shall return him to you. The more he refuses, the longer he stays. That seems like a fair game, doesn't it?"

Optimus let out a heavy sigh. He had no other choice. The others stared at him in disbelief as he spoke. "It will have to be."

Megatron very much enjoyed the defeated look on Optimus's face. He released Ratchet, allowing the medic to recover. "Excellent. I suppose you had better hope Ratchet isn't as stubborn as he proves himself to be, or else this will take far longer than necessary."

Ratchet glanced up right when the call disconnected, now staring at his own reflection in the black screen. His spark swirled with various conflicting emotions, none of which mattered to him. Seeing his teammates so worried and concerned for his safety bothered him the most. He could only imagine their reactions later on, if there ever was another time he got the chance to speak with them. Things were only going to get worse if he continued to refuse, but he couldn't let Megatron get his hands on those weapons. Not now, not ever.

"My patience grows thin with each passing day. Choose your next move carefully, good doctor." Megatron seethed. He gestured for the two closest Vehicons to come over. "Take him back to his cell. I shall return later to hear his decision."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." One Vehicon said, taking Ratchet by the arm and tugging him out the door.

A pit of dread settled in Ratchet's tank. What was he going to do?

———

Whew! That turned out way longer than I thought it would be lol

Hope you enjoyed it!