That morning wasn't a pleasant one.

"Alright, everybot up! C'mon! Research starts early, so we can get more done!" Samuel's voice rang through speakers in the assigned berthrooms, waking every bot almost immediately. Ratchet shot up, breath catching for a moment as he was startled, but Optimus tried to jump to his peds, but slipped on the blankets and came tumbling off the berth, landing on his back and shoulders with his legs in the air.

"Uunngghkk..." The Prime groaned, a servo resting on his helm where he banged it. "Oww..."

Ratchet let out an exhausted sigh. "This had better be some fragging good research..." He checked his neural clock, groaning when he saw it was only 4:30 in the morning. "Aw, frag them all!"

After laying there with his legs in the air for a few moments, silently praying that it was just a dream, Optimus got to his peds and picked up his chestplate armor, half-sparkedly clipping it on and tossing Ratchet's to him.

"We better go." He said with a small shrug.

"Why did we agree to this?" Ratchet grumbled, clipping his armor back on. "This is fragging ridiculous."

Optimus led the way out of their berthroom and down the hall, into the main hangar, where Samuel and a bunch of his soldiers and workers awaited them. Cliff, Arcee and Bee where the first ones out, and Bulkhead hadn't yet emerged.

"Still think this is a good idea, Prime?" Arcee growled, glaring daggers at him. "I haven't woken up this early in..... EVER!"

"Ahem..." Samuel cleared his throat, earning the attention of everyone in the room. He stared at Optimus with a firm gaze. "Research starts now. How about you and the orange and white one first?"

Ratchet inhaled deeply at the words Samuel used to acknowledge him, glaring down at the human with fury written in his optics. "I still have a name..." Optimus rested a servo on his shoulder.

"Samuel, I humbly request that you respect my Autobots, and speak to them like beings, not machines." He said softly, defending his mate. Samuel gave a tiny nod.

"Very well. Now, if you two would step this way..." The human gestured to a huge lab table. "We can begin."

"Ratchet," Optimus whispered to his mate, pulling him close. "Please don't fight or argue..."

Ratchet scoffed. "That depends on how I'm treated." He followed Optimus over.

The research went by painfully slow, and was rather agitating on the bots' part, humans poking and prodding, asking numerous questions and demanding they do this and do that, and by the time they were finished, it was two thirty in the afternoon. Ratchet had grown stubborn and short with them after a few hours, and now was just plain vicious, snapping at them consistently and complaining, ignoring Optimus's pleading looks.

The bots were on the tired side when it was all finished, and ended up traveling back to their berthrooms, all except Cliffjumper, who went out for a drive after getting a lecture on road rules and proper driving. He quietly listened without complaint before leaving.

Ratchet was already snuggled into warm blankets and half asleep by the time Optimus came in and got in beside him, clumsily plumping down on the berth and yawning.

"I want to thank you for putting up with it, even when you... became agitated with it." Optimus said softly in his mate's audio receptor, resting one arm around the medic.

He grumbled. "Only for you, Prime Almighty." But when he felt his mate's warm frame against his, a smile came to his lips, and his agitation slowly began to fade away, affection heating in his spark. "Mm.... your so warm..."

Optimus smiled, hugging him closer. "Get some rest, Ratchet."

~~

"Eernnngh..." Ratchet woke with a quiet groan, sitting up slowly, careful not to disturb Optimus, who was deep in recharge beside him. It had to be around eleven at night by now, about the time that Lightswipe generally started to-

"RAATCH! OP-MIIIIS!" She began to wail.

Ratchet sighed before getting up and leaving the berthroom, and traveled down the dark hallway, until he came to Light's berthroom door. He entered, and quickly made his way to her crib.

"R-Ratch!" She whimpered, reaching up to him. "Hung-y! Hung-y!"

"I know your hungry, I'll get you energon, but only if you quiet down." Ratchet said softly, picking her up and holding her close. Lightswipe squealed happily and stopped her whining, bringing a smile to her carrier's lips.

"Ratch!" Lightswipe giggled, hugging him.

"Alright, let's get you some energon." Ratchet carried her out into the main hangar, and fetched a bottle, which he filled with her formula energon and gave to her. "Better?" He asked, watching her devour the energon.

She stared up at him as she fed, her big blue optics shining.

"Good." Ratchet took her back to her berthroom and sat down in a chair, letting her finish her energon before he put her back in her crib.

"Ratch lemme s'ay up!" Lightswipe exclaimed.

"No, young one, I'm not going to let you stay up. You need rest." Ratchet said sternly, as he gently set her back down in her crib. "Goodnight, Light."

"Nooooo..." She whined.

"Oh, don't give me that." He shook his helm and laid the blanket over her. "You can play in the morning." Lightswipe yawned, and cuddled up in the blanket.

Once she was in recharge, Ratchet left quietly, a sigh escaping his lips. As he passed Cliffjumper's door, he heard a soft voice say, "hey, Ratch?" The medic stopped.

"Yes Cliffjumper?" He turned to face the door, which opened to reveal the red mech.

"Er... I have a slight problem..." Cliff smiled weakly and pointed downward; a gasp escaped Ratchet when he saw a huge gash in Cliffjumper's shin, which was leaking energon rapidly.

"By Primus, Cliff, what did you do!?" The medic shoved Cliffjumper inside and sat him down on the edge of his berth. "I don't even know how you did this..." He sighed.

Cliffjumper shrugged. "Erm... can you just patch it up please?" He quietly laughed when Ratchet rolled his optics.

"Of course." Ratchet replied as he lowered to his knees in front of him and transformed his left servo into a welder. "This may hurt a bit." He muttered as he started to weld the wound shut and patch it up. Cliff winced, and bit his bottom lip in pain.

When Ratchet finished and wiped the energon off his leg, it was eerily silent, and the medic felt rather tense.

"Well, that's that." Ratchet murmured, staring at his patching job. "Just don't strain it, alri-......." He trailed off when his gaze met Cliffjumper's...

And he came to sudden realization that the red mech's optics were red.

Ratchet stiffened, suddenly becoming very fearful. A sigh escaped Cliffjumper's lips.

"Oh... I was hoping you wouldn't notice." He shook his helm, before rising to his peds. Ratchet crawled backwards, away from him, optics wide. "But I knew you would. I can't keep up the act forever, can I?"

"C.... Cliffjumper?" Ratchet whispered quietly.

"No, not Cliffjumper. He's up on the Nemesis, as a prisoner." 'Cliff' replied, a dark smile coming to his lips, as he revealed pointed denta. "But now that you know I'm not the real Cliffjumper, I should introduce myself..." He knelt down in front of Ratchet. "I am Palladium, one of Megatron's fiercest warriors. Pleasure to meet you."

Ratchet transformed one servo into a blade and attempted to back away further, but the 'Con grabbed him by the legs and pulled him back in.

"Now now, don't be afraid," Palladium hissed, clawed servos taking Ratchet by the waist and pulling his frame beneath his. "I just wanna have some fun..."

"Get off me!" Ratchet exclaimed, thrashing about beneath him, as Palladium took hold of his wrists and held him down. "Let me go!" He stared up into the mech's red optics. "I'll scream," he threatened. "Unless you want the rest of the Autobots finding out about your little acting job, you should probably release me."

Palladium laughed, holding Ratchet's wrists above his helm with one servo and stroking his cheek with the other. "Oh, I have my ways of keeping my prey silent..."

"Don't touch me!" Ratchet growled, jerking his helm away. "Get off!"

"Shhhh. You don't want to anger me, now do you?" Palladium hissed. "Hold still." His free servo drifted downward and slid over the medic's hip.

"Don't touch me!" Ratchet raised his voice to a yell, inwardly beginning to panic.

"Shut up!" The 'Con backhanded him swiftly, earning a yelp of pain. A blue splotch became visible on Ratchet's cheek, where he had been struck.

Ratchet whimpered, Palladium's rough touch lingering on his cheek.

"That's better..." Palladium leaned down so their faceplates almost touched, smirking at him. Ratchet's cheeks turned a shade of pink, as he blushed, tensing beneath the larger mech. "You look adorable when you blush, you know..."

"I will," Ratchet growled, "scream."

Palladium didn't answer, only smashed his lips into Ratchet's in a fierce kiss, his servo pulling the medic's frame against his.

"MmmMMMPH!" Ratchet cried into the kiss, beginning to struggle much more. He froze as Palladium's digits began to fumble with one of the clasps to the medic's interfacial armor. "Nnn- Stop!" He screamed, managing to squirm away from the kiss. "Let me go!"

"Shut your trap." Palladium snapped, returning his lips to those of the medic's.

Ratchet whimpered as the 'Con's glossa invaded his mouth, feeling his frame heat up. "Mmmmnnnh!"

Purring, Palladium continued the ferocious kiss, his servo continued to fiddle with the clasps to Ratchet's armor, his way of intimidating the medic. After a good five minutes or so, Palladium pulled away, breathing hard.

Ratchet seized the chance. "OPTIMUS!" He screamed, his voice shaken with fear as it echoed throughout the base. "OPTIMUS!"

"Damn it!" Palladium wrapped his servos around Ratchet's neck, silencing him immediately. "Should've known you would do that!"

"K-Knngh-h..." Ratchet choked, servos wrapped around Palladium's wrists. "O-Optim-mus..." He squeezed his optics shut, which had begun to fill with tears. "Ugnnk..." He put up weak struggles, as he began to lose consciousness.

"Eergnh!" Palladium suddenly yelped in pain, and Ratchet felt the weight disappear as the 'Con was thrown off him. He began to gasp for breath, panting hard.

Optimus was at his side immediately, pulling him close. "Easy, Ratchet... your alright..."

"O-Optimus... he's n.... not Cliffjumper..." Ratchet whispered, before falling into stasis against his mate's chassis.

The Prime turned a glare onto Palladium, blue optics darkened with fury. "Who are you!?"

Palladium growled, rising to his peds. "Ugh, little glitch! Dare you take my prey!"

Bulkhead and Bumblebee appeared in the doorway, armed with cannons.

"Woah, is that Cliff?" Bulkhead asked, his blaster aimed in between Palladium's optics.

"No." Optimus pulled Ratchet's unconscious frame away from Palladium, before glaring at him again. "Autobots, take him into custody!" He growled.

Palladium pulled out a long sword, a smirk coming to his lips.

"Try me, I dare you."