Previously...
"Tsk, tsk. You should've heeded my advice and joined back with the Autobots sooner... If you did, none of this would've happened..." Knockout chides.

Your head snaps up, tears of defeat rolling down your cheeks.

"Y-Y-You want me, so I can help you solidify that formula..." You stutter, the tears falling steadily now.

"Ah! Glad to hear that you've put the pieces together! You're much more intelligent than I would've given you credit for, fleshie."

From behind you, you hear the shifting of movement, as Your Guardian struggles to comprehend the situation.

"You monsters want Y/N just so she can help you and the rest of your bucket heads solidify the Synth-En formula! Might I inform you, Doctor, that I have tried to do so! I've stretched every available resource and I've still come up empty!" Ratchet explains harshly.

At this, your captor begins to laugh.

"There's a little something called Decepticon engineering, Doctor." Knockout chuckles, turning to face the open road behind him, swinging you haphazardly around in the air. "Well, if that will be all, I have a formula to solidify and a prisoner to lock up."

The tears begin to flow again as your senses become overwhelmed by all the noises suddenly erupting around you.

Shifting gears, screams of agony and sadness, the faint crackle of a radio... Was that Optimus' voice? You weren't so sure.

The next thing you know, the hand you were previously captured in is gone, replaced with the unfamiliar surroundings of a vehicle.

"Knockout... Please! Don't do this!" You yell, your voice merely a whisper as a sudden jolt of electricity choruses through your body, rendering you unconscious as the cherry red Aston Martin you'd once admired on the street side drives away, leaving your friends in the dust and leading you to what seemed to be your ultimate doom.

Presently...
Miko's POV
"Y/N!" I scream as the Aston Martin accompanied by Vehicons disappears from view through a Groundbridge further down the road. "Y/N... No..."

Collapsing to my knees, I sink to the sandy ground, covering my face with my hands.

"H-How can this be happening?" I murmur as Jack and Raf sit down beside me in a vain attempt to comfort me.

The black haired teen sighs.

"Just when things were starting to look up, too..."

The three of us go silent, listening to the whistle of the wind as it blows across the desert, a calming sensation that seemed so out of place within this moment.

"Just when things were starting to get back to the way they first were! Just when Y/N was finally coming back! Base has been too quiet without her! Ratchet would've been back to himself again..."

At this, I trail off, suddenly realizing the Autobot Medic hadn't said a word since our friend's disappearance.

I make my way to my feet slowly and turn to face the Cybertronian, who was rooted to the spot, staring off into the distance.

"Ratchet?" I muse aloud, staring up at Y/N's Guardian, tears pricking my eyes.

"What is it, Miko?" Comes the quiet reply, short, sharp and broken.

"We'll find her right? We'll get her back?"

No answer is given, only the sound of multiple vehicle engines approaching can be heard, echoing across the empty plains.

Hearing this, Ratchet tenses, activating a blade and turning to face the noise.

"More Cons?" Jack asks worriedly as I focus my attention on the now louder noise.

"No..." I whisper quietly. "It's-"

A large semi truck, a heavyweight SUV, a black and yellow muscle car and a motorcycle round the corner that Knockout had only disappeared moments ago.

"Thank the Allspark..." The Medic breathes, standing down from his defensive position and de-activating his blade.

"Bulkhead!" I cry happily, rushing towards the now transformed Wrecker, throwing myself at his leg plating.

"Woah! Easy there, Miko!" Bulkhead soothes, patting my head gently as if to comfort me.

I let go of my Guardian's leg, turning to face the solemn looking Medic.

"Well, are you gonna fill them in, Doc?" I croak, my voice breaking as the tears threaten to spill over once again.

"What is that supposed to-" Arcee starts, only to be silenced by a dismissive wave of Ratchet's hand.

"Y/N was taken." He states bluntly, his voice void of all emotion.

Arcee lets out a slight gasp of surprise, balling her fists in anger.

"If they lay so much as a digit on her!" The femme snarls, making her way to stand beside Ratchet, who's optics were once again fixed on the horizon.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee do the same, following the two-wheeler's lead, gathering around the Medic.

"We'll get her back, Ratch, you have our word." My Guardian reassures as I nod my head vigorously in agreement.

"Bulk and I will crush those bucket heads who took Y/N!"

Bumblebee beeps enthusiastically in response.

"What'd he say?" I question Raf, turning to face the younger boy.

"He said that the Cons will pay for what they've done."

The Team goes silent yet again, the feeling of anger and tension rising steadily as the moments tick by.

Finally, Optimus, who had been silent the whole time, speaks up from behind us.

"I cannot condone the loss of yet another human life at the hands of the Decepticons." The Prime begins, gaining the attention of all. "This leaves no other appropriate action other than to storm the warship in hopes of finding our human ally."

"But Optimus! A mission of this scale will take too long to prepare! Y/N doesn't have that kind of time!" Arcee argues, her point ringing true.

"We have no other choice." The Leader replies calmly. "Though I understand your urgency, we must gather our resources and re-asses the situation."

"It would be suicide!" The Medic suddenly exclaims, anger evident in his movements. "Arcee's right. Y/N doesn't have time for us to stock up on Energon or come up with a solid plan! Action must be taken immediately!"

Optimus puts a reassuring hand on Ratchet's shoulder.

"We'll find her, Old Friend."

As if that offers any reassurance! If the bots don't go after Y/N soon, I'll go myself!

Ratchet's POV
She can't be gone... Can she?

We've got to go after her. If we don't-

"...back to base." The voice of Optimus Prime snaps me out of my thoughts, angering me further.

"I see how it is..." I growl, turning away from the rest of the Team, stalking away down the road and transforming, leaving them behind.

If she breaks... if any information is leaked... The tide of this war would shift drastically... All form of life on Earth would end...

"Something needs to be done. And I think I know what that something is..." I mutter, driving through the Base's tunnel and transforming, my gaze resting on the empty Synth-En container and the various formulas scattered across my previously abandoned workspace.

I've got to get this formula stable before the Decepticons do... And then-

My thoughts wander back to my last endeavor with Synthetic Energon.

I caused so much pain... So much hurt...

But if I use it again... it will yield the same results, enabling me to go after Y/N...

Mind made up, I pick up the empty container, examining it closely.

Time to get to work.

Your POV
Numb.

Cold.

Tingling.

You roll onto your side, letting out a sharp grunt of pain.

Bruised side. Maybe broken ribs?

You allow your heavy eyelids to flutter open, the image in front of you rendering unfamiliar in your memory.

"Where the heck am I?" You muse aloud, dragging yourself to a sitting position and leaning against a nearby wall, being mindful of your bruised side.

Allowing your gaze to wander over the dark, cold, and sparsely furnished room, your thoughts suddenly come crashing down on you, catching you off guard.

The school... The fire... Decepticons were responsible for that one... Ratchet appeared out of nowhere... On our way back to Base... Back to safety... Cut off by Knockout-

An eerie realization settles within you as you now notice the vast size of the room you were currently in.

"I'm on the Nemesis... The same ship where my Mother endured so much suffering..." You murmur, a surge of overwhelming sadness washing over you at the same time, the pain in your side glowing brighter than before.

I'm alone.

Silently, you pull your knees up to your chest, closing your eyes in a vain attempt to block out your current situation.

I'm trapped. No way to escape...

They'll come for me.

Will they, though?

Alone with your thoughts, you hug yourself tighter, mentally cursing your bruised side as you allow your nagging brain to fall into an uneasy slumber.

**Timeskip**

"Wakey wakey, fleshie!" A faint voice chides from the outside of your conscience, dragging you back into reality.

You open your eyelids slowly, not wanting to confirm that all of this was real, because some part of you, a small part of you, hoped that this was all just some dream and that you'd wake up on the couch back at the Autobot Base.

However, you were horribly wrong.

This has been - and is - all real...

Your gaze rests upon the same cherry red mech that had originally been your stalker and now your kidnapper, who was casually standing across the room, staring at your small form.

"What do you want, Knockout?" You snarl, deciding to play it tough, the pain in your ribs urging you on.

At this, the Decepticon laughs.

"I thought you had figured that one out yesterday... Or is the pain from those broken bones playing with your head?" He jeers, waiting for some sort of reaction from you.

"My head is just fine, thank you!" You hiss in pain as you draw yourself up to a weak standing position, clutching your pained side.

Knockout just watches you, amusement evident in his optics.

"But I still have no idea why I'm here though..." You jeer back, the Aston Martin's amusement vanishing within an instant.

You watch passively as the Con stomps over to you, getting down on one knee so he was closer to your eye level.

"You're here so you can help me finish the Synthetic Energon formula, doll." He drawls, grabbing you by the torso and leaving the empty, bleak looking room behind.

Unable to do much more than go along for the ride, you calmly watch as the walls pass you and your captor by, your mind racing with all the possibilities of where you were being taken.

Likely some sort of laboratory...

Suddenly, Knockout abruptly comes to a halt to avoid hitting the sleek looking bot that had just rushed around a nearby corner.

You let out a startled shriek, expecting to fall to the ground and meet your demise, but your captor's grip remained firm as the bot in front of you turns to face Knockout, annoyance evident on his faceplate.

"Sorry about that, Commander Starscream." The Decepticon Doctor stammers hastily, his hand containing you being brought behind his back. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

Starscream! Oh scrap!

"It's fine, Knockout." The Commander sighs, suddenly pausing. "What seems to be the matter, Doctor? You seem... Anxious to get somewhere..."

"I'm fine! Just in a hurry to get back to the laboratory, that's all!" Knockout chuckles in a vain attempt to cover up his evident worry of being found out.

If Screamy finds me, I'm toast for sure.

"If that's all, Commander, I'll be on my way."

You watch from your position as your captor hurriedly scrambles past Starscream, leaving him behind in the long, bleak hallway.

Wait... I'm still behind Knockout! He'll see me for sure!

"Knockout!" Starscream's whiny voice yells, stopping the Doctor dead in his tracks.

"Scrap!" You hear him curse under his breath as he turns to face the Commander once more, swinging your small form around haphazardly as he does so. "What seems to be the matter?"

"I see you've found a new pet." Scream declares, gesturing for Knockout's other hand where you were presently being held.

"Oh. Uh. Yes! I found- captured- one of the Autobot's pets! I was just on the way to the lab so it can tell me how to solidify the formula for the Synthetic stuff!"

At this, Starscream huffs in disbelief.

Your captor brings you back to the front of him, facing you towards the Seeker, your face going chalk white, instantly.

"It's going to know how to do that? What makes you believe it knows our science!" The Commander questions, his voice sounding more annoyed than ever.

"Ah. You see, this one was Ratchet's - the Autobot's Medic - and I'm sure he taught you all you need to know about Cybertronian science and technology, am I right, fleshie?" Knockout explains, bringing you up to eye level with him as he finishes his statement.

You growl, the pain in your side driving you into an extremely pained state and sending your mind into a dizzying whirl.

"The names Y/N." You reply, voice steely. "And I'm not telling you anything, even if I did know it."

You hear Starscream snicker from behind you.

"Another uncooperative one? How lovely."

You notice the hand wrapped around your torso tighten as the sound of the Commander's footsteps come closer.

"I can take care of the prisoner, Starscream." Knockout warns, a slight edge to his voice.

Is Knockout protecting me? After he just sounded like he was gonna murder me?

"Oh, I insist, Doctor. I'm sure you have plenty to do back in the laboratory... that's where you were heading, wasn't it?"

The Decepticon Doctor's optics meet your wild gaze, an apologetic look on his features.

"Sorry, Y/N..." He whispers, too quiet for Starscream to hear.

"Wait. What?!" You shriek as the grip disappears from around your torso and you fall into another hand, which grabs you harshly making the pain in your side glow brighter than ever before.

You let out a howl of pain as your vision begins to swim, your weary gaze landing on the frame of the cherry red Mech who was such a confusing puzzle.

First he stalks me, then he kidnaps me, threatens to kill me, tries to protect me, but then betrays me? Where do his allegiances actually lie?

With that last thought your vision goes completely black, however your hearing hadn't quite faded away yet...

"I will get every piece of information out of you, human... even if it means offlining you in the process." The Commander's faint voice threatens as your hearing leaves you entirely, pushing you over the edge and into the awaiting void.

**Timeskip**

Your body felt heavy.

It felt as if your arms were the only things bearing your entire body mass.

You let out a small grunt of pain as you struggle to move, your attempt futile.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere for awhile." A voice sneers.

That voice... sounds familiar... in a bad way...

Allowing your eyelids to slowly open, you nearly pass out at the sight in front of you.

Massive weapons lined the walls of the room, many of which looked completely alien to you, but some of which resembled larger versions of Earth's weapons.

"What do you want?!" You scream, your voice sounding weak and pitiful as your gaze sweeps the area in front of you for the source of the previous voice's owner.

Suddenly, the same sleek looking mech appears in your view, coming from your left, his optics eye level with you.

That's when you realized.

I'm off the ground... chained to the roof... alone in a torture room with Decepticon Commander, Starscream... Joy...

"Well, Scream? What do you want?" You try once more, attempting to sum up as much bravado as you could, only to fail miserably again.

No answer is given as he turns to examine the weapons rack, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's simple of course..." The Seeker begins, turning to face you once more, an evil smirk plastered on his faceplate. "You tell me where your Autobot friends are hiding, and I'll spare you the same fate as your Mother..."

How dare you bring my Mother into this!

"Never!" You yell, anger and sadness evident in your tone.

Starscream sighs dramatically.

"Oh, how I hoped it would play out this way."

He reaches towards the weapons rack, grabbing the smallest item off the wall, bringing it menacingly towards your exposed and defenseless form.

"W-What is that thing?" You muse aloud, your voice failing you as the item draws closer and closer to you.

The Con' just smirks as a sudden burst of light emits from the end, and as you look closer, you realize that it's some sort of condensed energy.

"I-I-is that Energon?!" You shriek once more, your Guardian's uncertainty about the substance's effect on humans coming to the forefront of your tired mind.

Ratchet was always uncertain about what this stuff would do to humans... I guess we're gonna find out...

Smirking once more, the Commander brings the prod closer to your small form, the tip of the device grazing your midsection, sending an extreme jolt of excruciating pain through your entire body.

Your heart leaps.

Your brain slows.

Your vision fades.

Darkness consumes you once more.

****
Ratchet's POV
"I've done it!" I exclaim, watching the test motor running on Synthetic Energon roar to life once again, showing all the same signs as the last test. "It may not be stable... but it will work for what I need it to do..."

Casting my gaze to the stars above, I sigh in relief.

There's enough Synth-En for one, maybe two doses... I'll have to find Y/N and get her out of there before it wears off... or else I'm scrapped.

The motor comes to a halt, having ran out of fuel, and the world goes quiet, a welcoming sensation compared to the ruckus that always seemed to plague the Base ever since those humans came along...

Y/N wasn't like the others... She was more like Rafael, just more inquisitive and eager to learn... To help in anyway she could...

I give my head a shake in an attempt to clear the thoughts, only with no avail.

Enough sulking around and just get on with it already! She won't stand a chance of you don't act soon!

My gaze wanders from the bleak desert landscape to the half full container of Synth-En in my hand.

"It's got to be done." I sigh, picking up the small motor and looking up at the stars one last time.

I'm coming for you, Y/N... Just hang in there, a bit longer...
****
Your POV
Pain.

White hot searing pain.

Everywhere.

Your vision slowly returns to the sight of an impatient Starscream pacing the small room.

"Awake at last, are we?" He chuckles darkly, coming closer to your bloody, pain riddled form. "You do realize that those Autobot friends of yours... They've forgotten about you. You're all alone... No one to save you... You've been betrayed... So now tell me, where is the location of the Autobot base?"

Your muddled thoughts become clear as you think back on your friends, your family.

They haven't forgotten about me... I can't let them win. Ratchet will come for me...

"Fine..." You sigh tiredly, deciding to try the oldest trick in the book. "Here it is..."

"I'm listening..." The Seeker chides, leaning closer to hear your raspy voice.

"But here's the thing... I can't exactly remember... Was it behind that car dealership or that shopping center?" You smirk, your voice getting fainter and fainter by the second.

Starscream stares at you, dumbfounded and outraged.

"How dare you!" He yells, yanking on the chains holding you up by the arms, the rough metal biting into your skin and drawing blood.

You wince in pain but don't say anything as the Energon prod nears your form once more.

And the world goes black. Extremely black.

****

The first thing you notice when you come to is that the chains that once harshly bit into your skin no longer were wrapped around your arms.

The second thing you came to realize was that you were laying down on something hard.

The ground, maybe?

Allowing your eyes to flutter open and adjust to the bright light that always seemed to follow, your tired brain quickly takes in your current surroundings.

You were in fact, situated low to the ground, as various monitors and what appeared to be work stations, rose up past you.

"I must be in some sort of lab..." You muse aloud, attempting to drag yourself to a sitting position but failing, due to your various injuries.

Still on board the Nemesis...

Your hope of rescue was fading slowly, as were you.

Your injuries were likely already beginning to become infected, and your head wasn't right... at all.

Your entire body felt heavy, as if bricks were weighing it down.

What on Earth did Scream do to me?

You sigh tiredly, a single tear rolling down your blood-caked cheeks.

"I'll never get out of here..." You sob, your voice still hoarse from the torture you had endured earlier.

"That's the spirit! You'll never get out of here with that attitude, fleshie." The unfortunately familiar voice of Knockout sneers from a workstation across the large room.

The sound of his footsteps drawing closer fills your ears as you attempt to block out the deafening noise.

Definitely laying on the floor, then.

The footsteps stop, and you look up once more, met with a pair of red optics staring down at you.

"Your only possible ticket out of here is to successfully solidify the formula, so we best get to work."

A metal hand stretches toward you, causing you to desperately scoot away, expecting to be nearly crushed again, only to your surprise the Decepticon Doctor picks you up quite gently, setting you on his shoulder out of harm's way and making his way over to the workstation he had previously been at.

"So, doll... Where do we begin?" He chides, setting you down on the table with many various items scattered across it.

Your gaze scans the objects, none of them familiar in your overworked brain.

"W-what do you expect me to do with these?" You croak, your head beginning to spin as you run through every possible bad scenario that could happen if you don't get this formula stable.

Knockout stares at you questioningly.

I can't just give up and say I have no idea how to do this... I guess I could try... And see what happens...

"I can't do anything in this state... Do you have any human sized bandages? Or something... to stop the bleeding?" You murmur, staring down at your clothes, which had some rips in them, your blood beginning  to harden in somewhat large splotches.

Needless to say, you were not in good condition to be doing any fancy foreign science, yet alone performing simple tasks like speaking, breathing and moving.

You allow your gaze to tear away from the blood stains to your captor, who had wandered over to what appeared to be another workstation, this one with cupboards.

"I had to get some of your human medical supplies last time the other one was here... Such a pity she had to die... She was quite fond of automobiles..." Knockout chatters away to himself while digging through the cabinets in search of the requested supply.

Your heart skips a beat at the mention of your Mother, a sudden wave of grief washing over you.

Sobbing won't help at this point... Just keep going...

You chuckle softly to yourself, the Decepticon's prattle bringing back fond memories which had been cast aside when you first found out the news that had shattered your world and left you to piece things back together.

She was just a simple woman, working a regular office job... She had a love for sports cars...

Your thoughts take a darker turn as your captor returns to the table you were currently standing shakily upon, a small roll of bandages in the palm of his metal hand.

She had no idea I'd be dragged into all of this... It was all my fault that she had the fate she did... Killed by a cruel, power hungry alien Gladiator...

Knockout sets the roll of bandages down beside you, the action making you jump from your thoughts.

"T-t-thank you." You stammer, feigning a small smile towards the mech who was gazing at you with a passive expression, obviously waiting to continue on with his work, with your 'help'.

I won't have the same fate my Mother did. I'll get out of here, one way or another.

A small spark of hope bursts in your heart as you wrap the bandages around your various wounds, wincing slightly as you do so.

I've just got to stall until either the Synthetic Energon appears to be stable and they let me go, or the Autobots show up and smash these bucket heads to pieces...

"Alright." You declare suddenly, a confidence back in your voice that hadn't been present since the moment in the Darby's living room where you had made up your mind about everything. "Let's do this, Doc Knock."

At this, Knockout chuckles.

"Is that what you and your Autobot pals call me?"

You shrug, the bandages on your arm shifting slightly. They weren't the best, but they'd have to do.

"You could say that. Now, I'll need that, and that, and that..."