"Psssst. Ratchet." A digit poked Ratchet's cheek. "Raaaaaatchet. Wake up."

The medic opened his optics with a agitated groan. "What is it Orion?!" He glared at the archivist, who was standing next to the berth poking him. "For Primus' sake! Someone had better be dying!"

"Y-You need to see this..." Orion said in a panicked whisper, his optics wide with terror.

Ratchet sat up immediately. "What? What's wrong?" He demanded.

"Just... Just come with me." Orion took his servo and led him out of the berthroom, down the hall, and outside. Ratchet went with him in silence, wearing a puzzled expression. Until he saw what was in the middle of the road.

Three dead mechs, all in a stack with a flag pole stabbed through them, and on the flag, a purple insignia. Mechs and femmes gathered around, whispering to eachother, all wearing horrified expressions.

Ratchet's spark skipped a beat. He jerked his servo from Orion and ran to the gruesome scene, dropping to his knees in front off the lifeless husks, taking one's arm and checking for a pulse desperately in the wrist. He knew he wouldn't find one, but he did it anyway. Sadly, he pulled his servos away from the dead mechs, arms trembling.

"Wh-Who... Who did this?" Ratchet whispered, as Orion rushed over lowered to one knee beside him, putting a servo on his shoulder.

"Witnesses say there were three mechs- a grey seeker, a faceless gladiator and..." He trailed off, lowering his gaze, squeezing his optics shut and withdrawing his servo, "and... M-M-Megatronus... They came in at night, putting up a few signs. They were scheduling a meet, to form a group called the Decepticons... and these three mechs tried too..." His breath became shaky and he curled in on himself slightly. "I-I... I didn't mean for this..."

Ratchet put one servo on his shoulder and the other on his lower arm. "Orion this isn't your fault... You couldn't have known he would do this."

A femme strode up behind them, a servo on her hip. "Move it mechs. This crime scene is only accessible by the authorities." It was then that they noticed all the other mechs and femmes had left, and some investigators had come in. "Please leave the area."

Ratchet pulled Orion to his peds, who was still broken down. "Yes Miss... Uh... Do you happen to know what... the Decepticons are?"

She narrowed her optics at him. "Classified."

"Apparently it isn't if this is what's going to happen!" Ratchet argued, gesturing to the dead mechs.

The femme sighed, rubbing her temple. "Look, after a meeting with the high council, this gladiator turned cold. He's started a large group called the Decepticons." She pointed to the insignia. "That's their symbol. Anyway, their leaving scenes like this all over... they've taken a portion of Kaon already... The gladiator that started this says that... war is coming. So," she turned her back to them, "I'd lay low for a few days."

"Thank you." Ratchet nodded in appreciation before leading Orion back into his housing unit, sitting the shattered archivist down on the couch.

"I-I-It's all my fault..." Orion whispered, hugging himself. "It's all my fault...."

"No! N-No." Ratchet stood in front of him, putting his servos on his mate's. "None of this is your fault." He removed one servo before comming Nightdaze. "Night, I won't be in today. I need to stay home and work out some issues."

::Don't come in at all!:: She hissed over the com link. ::The authorities came in and took our best doctors... says that they need them on the battle field. Field Medics Ratchet, their taking Field Medics!::

Ratchet froze. "N-No..." His gaze drifted down to his mate. "War really is starting..."

The archivist stood up. "We need to reverse this!" Ratchet put his servo on Orion's chestplating.

"Orion, leave it to the authorities." He sat Orion back down. "They can handle this... But if this is really happening... I... I might as well join the other Medics going onto the field..."

"Ratchet please no..." Orion whispered. "I... I can't lose you..."

"Not now. I mean if a war really starts." Ratchet sat beside the archivist, moving close. Orion draped an arm around him, and they snuggled up to eachother. "Orion..."

"I need to speak with Alpha Trion..." Orion murmured quietly. "I need to see if he's alright. He is my mentor and all..."

"Come back, okay?" Ratchet looked at him with a sad gaze. "Stay here for a few days... I don't want to be alone..."

"I will." Orion stood, his optics still dull from shock. "Love you, Ratch."

"I love you too..." Ratchet replied, as his mate left, leaving him alone. He could feel Orion's pain from the bond, he could feel the agony.

I need medical supplies, He decided. If anyone nearby was injured from an.. act of terrorism, he'd need to be prepared to care for them.

Ratchet grabbed an empty kit and left his housing unit hurriedly, running down the empty street. It was eerily silent and gray, and the morning had a cold chill to it. He kept running all the way to the medical office, bursting through the doors and skidding to a stop.

Nightdaze jumped up from the chair behind her desk; it looked like she had been crying. "Ratchet what are you doing here?!"

"I need medical supplies from my office." He replied, coming to stand in front of the desk, glancing around the empty room nervously. "Where is everybody?"

"I told you... most of our medics have been recruited to work on the field." She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Did you know this was going to happen?!"

"No... I-" He was cut off by voices down the hall.

"Sir-" A femme's voice began.

"You heard me! Get to the ranks and start training!" A commanding mech snapped.

"Oh no!" Nightdaze gasped, before reaching across the desk, grabbing Ratchet's arm, yanking him clear over the desk and hiding him beneath it. "Shhh!" She hissed, and despite his absolute shock, he nodded.

"Nightdaze, are there any more high quality medics left?" The mech asked, as the femme ran out the door.

"Nope! You got 'em all!" Nightdaze smiled big and lied, as the commander looked her over suspiciously.

"If you happen to find one, inform us. That's an order."

"Yessir!" She nodded. "Anything else you need?"

"No." He replied grimly before turning and leaving, his bitter tone sinking into Ratchet's processor.

"Ugh.. that was close.." Nightdaze sighed in relief, as Ratchet climbed out from under the desk. "Get what you need quickly and get out of here. Now."

With a curt nod Ratchet jumped the desk and ran down the hall towards his office, his pedsteps echoing through the empty halls. Once inside his office he stuffed the kit full of whatever he could grab. I need to be fast... the commander could return at any time... He filled the kit, grabbed the few datapads on his desk, and ran out.

When he came back into the lobby, Nightdaze wasn't there, so he ran out the door and ran back to his housing unit, his spark pounding viciously in his sparkchamber the whole way.

Inside his housing unit, he put the kit inside the energon storage, and got a few extra blankets for the berthroom.

Ratchet took an energon cube and laid down in his berth, drinking it slowly, snuggling in underneath the blankets. It just didn't feel safe anymore...

"Ratch? I'm back!" Orion's voice called as the front door opened and closed. He came down the hall and into Ratchet's berthroom. "Alpha Trion's doing well, but he's hiding something from me... anyway, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Ratchet replied quietly. "Are you..."

"I'm doing better..." Orion climbed under the covers beside him, pulling his mate into a cuddle. "I'm sorry for all this..."

Ratchet snuggled up to him. "You have nothing to apologize for..." He stopped for a second, and sat up. "I'll... be right back." The medic got out of the berth and headed to the energon storage.

He returned with two high grade cubes, earning a puzzled look from Orion.

"I... figured we might as well, everything else is going downhill." Ratchet shrugged climbing back into the berth, settling beside Orion once again and handing him a cube.

"Yep..." Orion took a drink, after moving closer to Ratchet.

Ratchet drank some of his own, his optics clouded with thought. Everything that's already happened that day...

Before they knew it, both cubes were empty, and on the floor, and the two bondmates were laying on the berth, staring at the ceiling as if it could give any guidance, like that was going to happen.

Ratchet stared solemnly, unsure of what to do anymore. There would be so many murders, so many deaths...

Suddenly Orion rolled halfway on top of him, smirking down at him. He... had the same sparkle in his optics that he had before Megatronus went bad...

"Orion what are you doin- Ack!" Ratchet yelped as Orion started to nip at his neck cabling, jaw, and underneath his audio receptor. "O-Orion!" The playful archivist didn't answer, only kept biting and kissing at Ratchet's neck. Ratchet couldn't help but laugh... it tickled. Orion continued, slowly going lower and lower until he was just above the medic's chassis.

"O-Orion!" Ratchet laughed, as Orion stroked his sides with his servos, from the aft to his chassis. "Orion what are you doing!?"

The archivist slid his servos over Ratchet's aft, pulling him closer, continuing to nip and kiss Ratchet's neck cabling, drawing a tiny and quiet moan from the medic.

"I love you, Ratch."

~~

"Mmmmmmm..." The medic snuggled closer to Orion's frame as he became awake. Light shined through the window; morning.

"Good morning Gorgeous." Orion yawned, waking up as well, smiling when he noticed how Ratchet's helm was on his chestplating, and how his arms were around the medic. The night before had most definitely paid off.

"Good morning-- Who are you calling 'Gorgeous'?!" Ratchet turned onto his stomach to glare at him.

Orion couldn't help but snicker, his optics drifting lower.

The medic stopped and looked down, before realizing he wasn't wearing any armor. "ACK! Wh-What... did... we?" He pulled the blanket over himself, staring at Orion.

"We.... got a little more than affectionate." The archivist shrugged, pulling Ratchet up beside him and put an arm around him.

"Wow..." Ratchet murmured, though he remembered most of it and certainly didn't regret it.

"I love you so much..." Orion whispered, before kissing the medic's forehelm and got out of the berth, putting his own armor back on. "But I've got to go to work... maybe Alpha Trion will let me get off early."

"Love you too." Ratchet slipped off the berth and grabbed his armor timidly, blushing a bit. "See you later."

Orion nodded and left.

With a yawn, Ratchet went and got himself an energon cube- a normal one- and sat on the couch, drinking it down.

::Ratchet!:: Suddenly Nightdaze's voice rang over the com link.

"Night?"

::He's coming! You have too- KKKKKKK:: Static took over the line.

"Nightdaze?!" Ratchet jumped up, dropping the energon cube. "Night!"

No response.

"Scrap!" Ratchet ran to the door and threw it open, bursting out the door and onto the porch,

When a servo clamped over his mouth and dragged him aside.

"MMMMF!" His cry of protest was muffled by the servo, as he was pulled out of view.

"Shhh." Megatronus hissed into his audio receptor. "I'm going to need you to be quiet, Medic, and you'll be coming with me."