To Heal a Mockingbird (TFA Ratchet x Mech! reader)

Chapter 1: A Decepticon's Decision

A/n this story takes place partially pre-series before going into the series.
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'War raged across the planet, just like our lord wanted. Death, destruction, chaos, all of this was his doing.

And I was one of his soldiers.

But how far can a soldier go before he begins to break? Before he crumbles? Before...'

"This is stupid." I muttered to myself as I stared at the datapad in my grip and the words I had written on them. I ended up turning off the data pad and returning it to my subspace before flopping back onto the cold berth of my quarters.

I stared blankly at the ceiling with crimson optics and a tired gaze, my mind running and racing despite not having a proper recharge in a very long time.

War had been raging my homeworld for Primus knows how long, a war I once thought was justified.

But with recent events, my loyalties and morals had begun to come into question.

"Y/D! Report to the Nemesis! Now!" My commanding officer, Starscream, shrieked over the comlink.

"Yeah, yeah, calm your circuits, Screecher." I grumbled in response.

"GET TO IT OR-" He started to bark before I cut him off by hanging up, my frame slowly rising up from the berth with a stretch of my wings and a satisfying round of pops from my joints.

I made my way out of my quarters and into the hall of the barracks I resided in, several other Decepticons looking over to me with suspicious glances before returning to their usual business.

I ignored their gazes and turned down the hall towards the take-off strip. My form shifting after a running head start sent me into the air. I cut through the skies with the grace and speed of a true Seeker, something that I was proud of but was far less vocal about compared to my C.O.

I eventually made my way towards the Nemesis's flight deck, where my forms shifted again as I landed. Almost as soon as my pedes made contact with the metal plating, Starscream came out and began to lecture me about 'being disrespectful' and 'uncooperative'. I tuned out most of what he said, at least until he said something that actually caught my interest.

"We have an Autobot prisoner for you."

Starscream's words caused me to perk up curiously, my optics meeting his as a result.

"Sir?" I asked. "What do you mean you have an Autobot prisoner?"

"Well, if you had been paying attention -"

"Aaaaand here we go again." I muttered to myself, cutting the second in command off.

"As I was saying," he continued with a growl. "We have an Autobot prisoner who may know the location of a great power source. However, I believe he needs some.... convincing."

I sighed in annoyance and waved my servo in a way that conveyed my distain for the whole affair.

"Like I told Lord Megatron, I'm no longer practicing nmemosurgery."

"Yet you still have the probes." Starscream said, followed by a smirk. "Surely they aren't there for show."

"Look, I don't think it's a good idea, okay?" I said firmly with narrowing optics. "But... I'll see if I can coax the information out of this bot."

Starscream sneered with a dark chuckle and motioned for me to follow. I reluctantly complied and followed the seeker inside the Nemesis, where we weaved through the various corridors to the brig. Inside one of the cells was a bot with a red and white paint job who looked no older than I was. His frame mildly dented and scratched from what I inferred was a struggle. Judging by the markings on his frame, I could tell he was one of the Autobot medics, something I did not like.