Bumblemus_Prime You know what's up.

So I actually talked about this story a long time ago, and had a prologue written out but no real plot in mind at the moment. Like, I don't know exactly which direction I want this story to go, despite having an idea of what it is about. I am actually pretty happy with this prologue, so I hope you all enjoy!!

Summary (This may feel like a Prologue, but remember I like to do my summaries as snippets from the story; please be aware I kind of made this summary up on the spot):

"Megatron possesses a Point-One Percenter spark. In other words, he has abilities which extend past what a typical Cybertronian can do. That is why it is hard for him to die - and even harder to defeat him in combat."

Jack stared at the tyrant in front on him, feeling as if the blood in his veins had been replaced by solid ice. Ratchet, you failed to mention the part where he can shrink!

Talons reached out at lightning speed and gripped Jack's neck, cutting off a terrified scream with a squeeze. On instinct the human gripped the massive arm that had him in its grasp, fingers grappling for a hold as his feet lashed out. Wisely, Megatron kept the human at arm's length, watching him gasp for air - how primitive  - with hard optics.

Ratchet fought against the Vehicons and restraints, an insurance that the Autobot would not take advantage of the situation and squash the Decepticon warlord underfoot like an ant. It was rare to see Megatron display his mass displacement at such an extreme level, but it only solidified just how serious Megatron was in his threats.

"I will tell you only one more time, medic: take your energon ration, or I give it to the human," he did not take his optics off of Jack, watching him writhe. Only when he could sense the human's attempts at freedom weakening did he slacken his grip.

Sucking in air, Jack felt his eyes water in pain. He looked over at Ratchet, lungs too deprived of oxygen to formulate words. Not only would consuming energon kill him . . . it would be extremely painful. Surely Megatron could not be serious -

His Autobot companion hung his helm. "Fine," he snarled. "Give me the energon."

"I knew you could be reasoned with," despite the deal, Megatron did not release his prey. Jack shuddered, feeling chills run down his spine. There was something else going on, and the tyrant was all too aware that he would need Ratchet's continued compliance. His gaze shifted to Knock Out as the Decepticon CMO slunk into the room, a choked rasp escaping his throat as his bloodshot eyes landed on the cube.

No, no, no.

"You can't be serious!" Ratchet begged. "I said I would consume energon! I never agreed to -"

"You did," Megatron cut him off, his crimson optics fading to a sick purple color in the presence of the Dark Energon cube. "My previous threat - promise - still stands. Drink it, Ratchet, or he will."

Prologue:

Though relief crashed into his body the moment the Groundbridge roared to life, Jack felt a weight of insufficiency settle in his stomach. Turning his head he gazed up at the communications hub, his eyes trailing from the prone Knock Out to the data drive still stuck in its port. All that had been downloaded was four sets of coordinates - Rafael had mentioned the Iacon file was most likely huge - but to leave the Autobots with nothing was worse than a little something.

"Take Fowler and go," he instructed the two younger humans, striding toward Knock Out with purpose. "Something is better than nothing - I'm not leaving without that data drive."

Miko turned her head to see the junior scaling the Decepticon medic, her suggestion dying on her tongue. It would be easier, and safer, to just take a picture. The girl had her phone on her almost 24/7, save for the one time they were trapped in the Shadowzone, but even then Jack had whipped out his own cellular device. Taking a moment to pause and snap a good shot of the screen would take only have the time it would for Jack to scale Knock Out, grab the drive, and hop back down. But by the time she thought of such a thing he was already halfway up to the hub, so instead she hoisted Fowler's arm over her shoulder and with the help of Raf carried the semi-conscious agent back to base.

The Cybertronian race had plenty of handholds thanks to their sophisticated armor plating, though the protective shell proved to be slick and even sharp around some particular edges. Jack did not waste precious time trying not to cut his hands, instead focusing on hoisting himself onto the sleek keyboard, mindful of the array of buttons he could hit on his way over to the data drive. Rafael had managed to put it in with ease, so it would only make sense that the older teen could pull it out.

Gripping the sides with both hands he pulled, a few choice words coming to mind when the alien USB drive refused to move. Readjusting his grip he tried again, nervous sweat making it nearly impossible for him to grasp the streamline edges.

Intuition pulled at the back of his mind, chills going down his spine as something alerted him to a problem he could not yet see. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye he turned, eyes widening when he realized he somehow missed the bright red Aston Martin waking from stasis. Knock Out greeted him with a grin, raising his servo and exchanging it for the surgical drill his frame was equipped with. Jack fell on his butt in his mad dash to escape the psychotic medic's corkscrew weapon, scrambling back until his spine hit the LED screen full of alien text.

"Say ah," Knock Out jeered, bringing his drill closer until the tip nearly brushed Jack's chin. The human opened his mouth to do . . . something, be it scream or beg for his life, when another voice interrupted him.

"I'm here to give a second opinion!"

Knock Out turned to see just who interrupted him, his surprised ivory face met with the unforgiving fist of a 'bot who had seen it all. Jack yelped, jerking his feet back to avoid being crushed by Knock Out's careening body. The stunned Decepticon crashed to the floor, Ratchet carefully picking up Jack first before easily unplugging the data drive from its port. The medic's plating bristled when his audio receptors picked up the sound of an oncoming jet, quickly turning back toward the Groundbridge to escape the oncoming destruction heading their way.

Jack heard the sound of transformation before his world started suddenly careening, the human unable to help but scream this time as metal hit metal deafeningly. Ratchet drew the human close to his chassis for protection, going down hard and nearly dropping both Jack and the data drive. He grunted in intense pain, Megatron landing between them and the Groundbridge with a final slam. Jack almost expected cracks to appear beneath his feet, but then remembered the warlord had touched down on Cybertronian metal. It was not nearly as fragile as dirt.

"Take another step, medic, and it will be your last; along with your human pet."

Jack had rarely heard the Cybertronian dialect in its raw form, Ratchet occasionally swearing in it and the Autobots speaking it only amongst themselves. It had never occurred to him why they wouldn't speak English, though he supposed they did it for the kids' benefit and Agent Fowler's. The Decepticons, contrarily, had no humans to speak to and probably despised the "primitive" language.

Megatron sounded even more intimidating as he spat and growled the individual syllables, though Jack was unsure if it was because he could not understand the tyrant or if Megatron truly was menacing in his foreign tongue. Ratchet did not seem the least bit intimidated, instead curling his digits tighter around the human as he stood back up to his full height. His EM field pulled tight, Ratchet glared up at Megatron.

"If you have any sense left in that space-sick head of yours," he spat back in English, probably just being difficult, "you would let us go. We just saved your entire ship from an eternal sleep, I believe a thank you is in order and we will be on our way."

"I will demonstrate my gratitude by allowing you to live while standing on my ship," Megatron replied harshly, his voice grating against Jack's ears. "And not invade your pathetic base while its doors are still open to me."

Ratchet was no fool - Megatron knew the moment he stepped through that bridge he was good as dead. Though an admirable fighter he was at a disadvantage while in a small space; Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus most certainly had the advantage, and if Bulkhead could pin the brute it would be all over for him. Megatron did not refrain from a full on invasion because of a mercy, he did it because he wasn't stupid.

Nevertheless, Rafael should have closed the bridge by now. He knew the boy was most likely pleading for Ratchet to come back with Jack, but every second that Groundbridge stayed open the more likely a Decepticon would walk through. Ratchet needed to somehow signal that they were not coming back. His servo tightened around Jack ever so slightly.

"Let Jack return to base," he implored, "you can have the drive, you can have me, but keep the human out of this. This isn't his fight."

"On the contrary," Megatron sneered. "You allowed this human to venture on Cybertron to rescue Orion Pax. You allow him - and the others I'm sure - to accompany you on your little Autobot excursions. This fight is his as much as it is yours, Ratchet."

The medic felt his processor lag ever so slightly, trying to come up with another plan. Throwing Jack was out of the question, as he would be lucky to not only survive hitting the ground, but also make it through the entire Groundbridge and into the base. Humans did not skid, nor were they forgiving creatures in terms of injuries. Sound also did not travel through the Groundbridge, as the vortex actually had a near-vacuum on either end that absorbed sounds attempting to go in, or out. His opposable digit stroked the data drive. There was only one solution, and he had to make it count.

The movement drew Megatron's optics to the object, his lip plates parting to reveal his sharp denta.

"Though if you give me the data drive, I may consider allowing him to live a torment-less life," he extended his clawed, predatory servo. "In exchange for the sensitive information you possess."

Ratchet gazed at the servo, which was big enough to encapsulate the better half of his helm and rip it clean off his shoulders. There was no guarantee, as Megatron went back on his word more times than he kept it, and Ratchet was not about to take that risk. If Jack was staying on this Primus-forsaken warship regardless, with no guarantee that he was going to be spared from the sadism, then Ratchet knew what choice he had to make.

Jack's only warning that the medic was going to act was the sudden pressure around his ribs, yelping in surprise as he was tossed in the air.

Megatron acted with predictable surprise, the Decepticon jerking back just the tiniest bit and giving Ratchet the opening he needed. The ambidextrous Autobot threw the data drive past the warlord's helm, taking only a second to watch it soar and successfully make it into the Groundbridge before he reached back out for the screaming human. He saw Megatron's fist as it reacted to his movement, his digits closing around Jack's body just as he was hit for the second time. He managed to keep a hold of the boy, drawing him against his chest for protection as he hit the ground.

His plan succeeded, the Groundbridge closing just as Megatron spun on his heel with a mad plan to dive in and intercept the exchange. Bellowing in rage he turned his angry wrath on Ratchet, fully intended to tear him apart. He paused when Knock Out's startled EM field brushed against his own, the medic quickly correcting his mistake and pulling it in tight. His bristled plating relaxed slowly, the hesitation giving him some time to consider other possibilities aside from ending Ratchet's life. He watched the medic unfurl his digits around the panting, and clearly distraught, human, surprised when cerulean optics gave the organic a brief assessment.

Ratchet would rather perform self-surgery than ever admit it, but he and Megatron shared striking similarities. Their pride, for one thing, was nearly unrivaled by any other living creatures. And though Orion Pax was one of the masterminds behind the Revolution, Ratchet shared the same passion as Megatronus for change. They were both sick and tired of the tragedies of Cybertron, naive Pax only having an inkling of what the gladiator and medic experienced in their day to day lives.

So it was interesting to see that the medic did not show the same disdain for human kind that Megatron felt. Though perhaps that was where they differed; Ratchet had the spark of an Autobot, a true medic that helped even the weakest of creatures. He would have made a fine Decepticon, had he set aside his friendship for Orion and his compassion.

Perhaps he could use the organic to his advantage. Of course, a cortical psychic patch was the easiest way to pry the information he wanted out of Ratchet's stubborn helm, but the process would go much more smoothly with a litte . . . motivation.

"Knock Out," he said sharply, switching back to his native tongue. "Have our prisoners escorted to a holding cell to await interrogation. Optimus Prime now possesses the same four coordinates; we cannot allow the Autobots to obtain any of the relics! Report to me the moment you have them secured."

"Prison-ers, my liege?" Knock Out asked nervously, not one to question his lord but ensuring he heard correctly. "Even the human?"

"He will be kept as insurance that dear Ratchet behaves," Megatron answered, pointing at them and snapping. "Do not delay!"

His master's patience wearing thin Knock Out immediately jumped to it, striding over to Ratchet while pinging Soundwave a request for a few Vehicon drones. He put his servos on his hips, glaring down at the medic.

"Chop chop," He said with equal impatience, knowing that the longer Ratchet took to get going the harder Megatron's hit was going to be. "I don't have all day for you to get your rusted stabilizers moving. You heard the mech - let's go!"

Ratchet stood up, keeping Jack tucked close to him. The human was tall enough that his legs dangled and his arms were free as Ratchet held him, though he no longer felt secure in the old 'bot's grip. Despite his occasional joyride on a rollercoaster, the teen did not appreciate being thrown around without warning.

"Where are we going?" He asked, his question directed at Ratchet. "What is going to happen to us?"

"Nothing yet, fleshy," Knock Out answered him, waving a dismissive servo. Three Vehicons reported to the scene, their weapons drawn and aimed at Ratchet. Even if he survived the encounter, Jack ran the risk of getting hit with the weaponized energon. "As for where you are going, I believe you humans call it the five-star hotel."

"They are putting us in a holding cell until Megatron decides on what to do with us," Ratchet reported, ever the optimistic one.

"Great," Jack grumbled. "Perfect, just how I wanted to spend my day. At the Decepticon spa and resort."

Knock Out turned to the Vehicons. "Get them to their cell. Lord Megatron wants it completely secured until he is ready to interrogate them."

"Yes sir," One of the soldiers replied, the trio nodding before they began their march to the bastille of the Nemesis. Ratchet kept a firm hold on Jack, ensuring he wasn't going to slip or otherwise be exposed to the Decepticons. They were in deep scrap, but that did not mean Ratchet would not protect the human with every fiber in his body. Jack was only a child, though perhaps in human terms he was a young man. Regardless, that did not give Megatron any excuse to expose him to the ferocity of war. Not if Ratchet could help it.