"A-And... He just... Didn't call for a bridge, and... never came back..." Jennie's voice was barely more than a shaken whimper. "I tried reaching him... I got nothing... I knew he didn't want me to go in after him, and I couldn't leave without telling you guys what happened..." She stared at her hands, which were tightly clenched on the railing.

"Jennie, you were right to remain here. With your information, we have a better chance of finding out what happened." Optimus reassured gently.

"We'll find him." A hand squeezed her shoulder; Jennie didn't look at Jack, too distressed to accept his act of kindness.

"I know." She inhaled deeply. "Do you think it was Megatron?"

Optimus thought for a moment before shaking his helm slowly. "I have doubts that the Decepticons are responsible... However, we have seen this fashion of trap, in another threat..."

"M.E.C.H." Arcee finished for him, crossing her arms.

"Isn't this like how they got Bumblebees's T-Cog? Some kind of signal to lure someone in?" Jack leaned against the railing beside Jennie.

Jennie looked up at Optimus. "Then do we have a better chance of locating him?" She asked.

The Prime set his jaw, thinking. "I will contact Agent Fowler in order to find the means of locating M.E.C.H. He may have leads." He cast a sympathetic glance at her. "M.E.C.H. will be easier to find..."

"But Ratch may be in more danger with them then with the 'Cons." Jennie huffed. "Breakdown walked away alive... Maybe they won't do too much to him if we find him quickly."

Jack sighed, nodding. "Hopefully, they don't damage anything important..."

A series of whirrs and beeps in addition to an angry look escaped Bumblebee.

"Bee's right, they could be after more organs. They sure do love their T-Cogs." Bulkhead muttered.

"Ratchet's smart. No matter what they intend to do, he has to be able to stall, or talk his way out of it, or something. He won't go down without a fight." Jennie's voice upped a bit with hope. Her guardian had to have a way to get himself out of this...

He had gotten her out of harm's way...

Himself couldn't be any different.

Jennie held onto that sliver of hope. "Ratch will negotiate, will do anything, he'll figure it out." She looked at the others, only to find skeptical gazes.

"This is M.E.C.H. we are talking about," Arcee breathed, "This is Silas. As long as Ratchet is in their hold... He is in danger, and those monsters may not budge by words alone."

The hope never left Jennie's eyes. "Ratchet will figure it out." She repeated. "He has to."

"Aughh... Careful... It's delicate a-and one slip-up can be fatal..." Ratchet's voice wavered anxiously, each poke and prod at his fragile spark sending uncomfortable and vulnerable shivers through him.

"If you are not passing on intel, you will be quiet." Silas snapped him. He was standing beside his helm, watching his soldiers work, ignoring the irritated look from Ratchet.

One of them spoke up. "Those tendrils of light orbiting and circling the main source, what are they?" A hand reached for the streams of energy, making Ratchet jolt and look to Silas. Shame and annoyance flickered in his optics as he had to recieve permission to speak, such a level of submission in a situation like this outside the range of his pride.

Silas gave a nod to allow him to continue. Immediately, Ratchet was speaking-

"Don't touch them!" He exclaimed, squirming a little. "They are delicate and fragile... I will explain how they function, but you can't touch or grab..." A gasp of relief escaped him as the tiny hand left the streams of light.

"Explain." Silas ordered.

Ratchet bit back a noise of annoyance. "Those streams of energy and light are pieces of our being, containing emotions, dreams... Their main function is in..." He hesitated, not trusting more personal Cybertronian information in such humans. One look from Silas had him speaking again, however. "Sparkbonding."

"What is that?"

"I... I suppose it could be similar to the human custom of 'marriage,' except it is much stronger and unbreakable." He began. "In the bonding process, the sparks of two Cybertronians are exposed to one another, and the streams travel between the two... essentially, in the end of the process, both 'bots carry with them the energy, the emotions, and much more, of their sparkmate. It combines two sparks as one." Ratchet finished with a sigh. "Any more questions about sparkbonding?"

Silas was silent for a moment, before speaking, more to himself than to Ratchet. "Cybertronians have their own customs in relationships... How interesting."

How shocking it is that we have emotions. Ratchet vented and looked at the dark ceiling.

"And how are Cybertronians produced?"

I hate you.

I hate you, and your existence.

I don't want to talk about this.

Ratchet huffed. His mind went to a time when Jennie had asked about Cybertronian reproduction, and he gave her his medic speel about reproduction and the organs it included and the process of carrying a new life. Jennie had taken immense satisfaction in the fact that male Cybertronians could carry Cybertron's young as well, for a reason Ratchet didn't quite get. Something about equality and 'finally they know how it feels.' He didn't dwell on it.

The thought of his charge stilled his thoughts. She had to be worried about him. It was so soon after the last capture, as well... Jennie had come to need him, his guidance, his support, his friendship. Not being able to provide such things right after such a traumatic experience-

Suddenly, a wave of electricity slammed into him, him barely able to recognize the prick of a prod through the overriding pain. Ratchet screamed, jolting and struggling in his restraints. The prod pulled away after a brief moment.

"Do I have your attention, Autobot?" Silas said in a low voice. "I don't have time for spacing out. Perhaps it would be faster to cut you open."

"I-I... I apologize for the inconvenience..." Ratchet mumbled in soreness.

Because Silas was the one being inconvenienced, not the medic tied down to the floor.

"Do I need to repeat the question?"

"No..." Ratchet closed his optics and sighed. He began to delve into his medic speel, trying to keep his frustration out of his tone. The last thing he needed was to be 'punished' for bad behavior.

Silas and the soldiers listened carefully, some taking notes or recording the data. Ratchet finished with a vent.

"And then, the sparkling grows much like a human child."

"Fascinating." Was Silas' response.

Ratchet shifted a little. "Anything else?" He asked dryly.

Silas smirked a little. "Oh, much, much more."

The medic rolled his optics. "Can't wait."