Clever Thing | TFP AU

Chapter 3

Ragged claws swiped through the space that Ratchet had just occupied. A bloodcurdling snarl filled the air.

Ratchet didn't stop to see what tried to attack him. There was another exit that he could possibly get to, but it was in the back of the building. He could hear whatever was back there chasing him, its thundering pedesteps growing closer and closer until he swore it was right on top of him.

Then, a heavy weight was suddenly placed on his shoulders and his knees buckled, sending him crashing to the floor. Forgetting about what he'd been carrying, the medic blindly swung at his attacker. His fist connected with metal and a grunt of pain followed. The pressure on his frame was released, allowing him to scramble away and get to his pedes.

The last thing he saw before he started running again was a pair of blood-red optics glowing in the darkness.

Venting heavily, Ratchet turned a corner. To his dismay, he had gone the wrong way.

It was a dead end.

Before that thing could catch up, he darted into a room and quickly locked the door behind him. In case he had to fight, he unsheathed his blades.

Silence now gripped the air and a sense of uneasiness overcame him. Although he felt safe at the moment, something just didn't seem right. It was too quiet. Did the thing leave? Or was it just waiting for him to let his guard down? Either way, he had no idea what to do.

Unknown to him, he was still in danger.

After a few more minutes of silence, Ratchet heard a small hissing noise coming from somewhere in the room. He looked for the source of the noise and eventually realized it was coming from a vent in the ceiling. As he turned to look up, his headlights illuminated green gas as it slowly filtered into the room. Panic filled his spark yet again. He tried to hold his breath, but he inevitably had to take a vent and inhaled the gas. His throat immediately felt like it was closing up and he choked, trying desperately to breathe.

He became unconscious in mere seconds.

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"Hey, wake up!"

A smack to the helm brought Ratchet's systems back online after being unconscious for who knows how long. The medic groaned softly and opened his optics, his vision blurry for a few seconds before it cleared up.

After quickly scanning the room, he realized he wasn't alone. Two mechs stood in front of him, each with a murderous gleam in their optics, while another stood beside him to keep him in check. He could still feel a twinge of nausea in his tanks from the effects of the gas.

"Where am I?" He demanded with narrowed optics.

The larger of the two mechs chuckled and folded his hands behind his back, proudly displaying the Decepticon insignia on his chassis.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He sneered, taking a step forwards and roughly grabbing Ratchet by the chin. "I ask the questions here, Autobot. Not you." He bared his sharp denta in Ratchet's face before pulling away. A smirk appeared on his face as he gestured to the insignia on his chassis. "I'm sure you know what this means, yes?"

"You're a Decepticon. I thought we vanquished your kind long ago." Ratchet said bitterly. It unsettled him that there were still Decepticons prowling around, even after the war. How had Optimus not taken notice of this?

A few chuckles filled the room before it became silent again. The lead mech sneered, folding his arm behind his back again as he began to slowly pace back and forth.

"You Autobots are so predictable." He paused for a moment to glare at Ratchet. "You think you can just exterminate us like roaches? Think again. The Decepticon name lives on. You cannot get rid of us no matter how hard you try. We will rise again to take back what is rightfully ours."

"Have you learned nothing? History will only repeat itself!"

"If that is how it plays out, then so be it. Take him to Lord Starscream. I'm sure he will be pleased."

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After being cuffed, Ratchet was led by two Decepticons down the hall to what he assumed was Starscream's throne room. Just the thought of the seeker sitting on a throne didn't sit well with him. How in the world did this happen?

As he entered the room, it was exactly the way he had imagined it.

Over-the-top decorations, portraits of Starscream on the walls, and more. The sight of it actually made him sick to his tanks. To top it all off, the seeker himself was lounging on a luxurious throne that was nowhere near as threatening as Megatron's was.

Ratchet couldn't believe it. It almost felt like he was stuck in some kind of bad nightmare.

"Oh, how far the mighty have fallen." Starscream said with a smirk on his faceplate, his sharp digits lazily tapping on the arm of the throne. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I thought you would've wasted away by now, but you still look lively as ever." He purred in amusement. "Kneel before me."

Ratchet scowled, glaring daggers at the seeker. "Never." He seethed through clenched denta.

Starscream growled in frustration, but somehow managed to keep his composure. With a flick of his wrist, the two Decepticons forced Ratchet to his knees. His smirk returned and he sat back in his throne.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this? How long I've been waiting to show you fools that I am capable of leading the Decepticons? You didn't think I could do it back then; nobody did. Yet here I am."

"You aren't going to get very far, Starscream. Everything is going to catch up to you and you won't know how to face the facts." Ratchet said. While he despised the seeker, he couldn't help but feel the need to steer him in the right direction. "The path you are following will only lead to destruc—"

He was cut off when he felt some sort of force start to squeeze him. A cry of surprise escaped him as he was yanked from the ground and dangled in mid-air. That was a power he definitely didn't remember Starscream possessing...

"You don't know anything! You're just a medic who's outlived his usefulness!" Starscream snarled venomously, his outstretched servo seeming to be the only thing keeping Ratchet in that position. He slowly curled his digits into a fist, smirking in satisfaction when he heard Ratchet's metal crunch, which was then followed by a choked gasp of pain from the medic. "Perhaps you'll think twice before crossing me again. Take him away."

Ratchet dropped to the floor once he was released, wheezing as he struggled to breathe. His chest was dented in several places, but none seemed life-threatening at the moment. Just painful. He caught one more glimpse of Starscream before the Decepticons who had brought him here dragged him away.

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Didn't see that coming, did you? To be honest, I didn't either, but I wanted to do it to change things up a bit XD

Where do you think Starscream got that power from? He's a scrawny boi, so I had to give him something that would at least make him intimidating. I ain't tellin' y'all where he got it from, though. You have to wait XDD