Clever Thing | TFP AU

Chapter 6

Optimus's office was fairly cramped when Ironhide arrived. Prowl, Perceptor, and Bumblebee were all conversing amongst themselves, the nervousness evident in their voices. It wasn't until he was noticed by Optimus that they silenced themselves.

"What did the autopsy of the Insecticon reveal?" The Prime asked as he shuffled a few datapads on his desk.

He had a weary look to his blue optics as he gazed at the older mech. Those who knew him well would immediately recognize that as a stressed look, which didn't happen often.

"Starscream killed it. I knew that fragger had something to do with Ratch's disappearance." Ironhide growled, striding up to Optimus's desk with a scowl on his face. "I don't know about you, Prime, but I'm ready to crunch some metal."

"Easy Ironhide." Prowl interjected before Ironhide could get too fired up. "We need to be cautious about this. Starscream could be trying to lead us into a trap."

"This is Ratchet we're talking about! If the doc's in trouble, I'm willing to put my life on the line for him! He would do the same for us." Bumblebee said wholeheartedly, placing a hand over his spark. "Even if it's a trap, Screamer is most likely alone. That makes him an easy target to take down if there's more of us."

"True, but we still have to track him down." Perceptor said with a sigh.

Ironhide rolled his optics. "Psh, that's easy. He leaves a mess wherever he goes, so there's bound to be a trail that'll lead us right to him."

While this conversation had been going on, Optimus had remained silent. The Prime was deep in thought, his digits stroking his chin. Considering where the evidence had taken him now, he knew that he needed to take action soon.

"Tomorrow, I shall lead a search party past the outskirts of Iacon. For now, we must continue our investigation and pray that Ratchet is alive and well."

•
•
•

Alarms blared in Ratchet's audio receptors, drowning out the pounding of his spark and the thump of his pedesteps. He had no idea where he was going. This place seemed like a maze! What was he thinking?

Decepticons swarmed the halls, trying to cut off any escape route. Ratchet dodged them whenever he could and tried to make it difficult for them to follow him while also making sure he didn't accidentally corner himself.

Shots rang out as he whipped around a corner, optics frantically searching for his next escape. He checked to make sure the path ahead was clear before looking over his shoulder to see if any Decepticons were still on his trail.

Then suddenly, he slammed into something and was flung backwards.

The medic landed hard on his side and grit his denta as pain spasmed through his core. He glanced up to see what he had run into and his spark sunk.

It was Skywarp, one of Starscream's trinemates.

"Woopsie! Better watch where you're goin', Doc!" The seeker cackled, a wide grin spreading across his face as he watched Ratchet struggle to get to his pedes. "Leaving so soon? It's my turn to play with you!"

Ratchet growled, trying to break out of the cuffs so he could protect himself. He was forced to duck when Skywarp swung at him, the seeker's fist whizzing just inches above his helm.

Huffing in frustration, he swung his arms up and smacked Skywarp's jaw with the cuffs. They cracked a bit, but not enough to break free. He went to deliver another blow, but the seeker disappeared into thin air before it could land. Confused, he didn't realize Skywarp had teleported behind him until he received a harsh blow to his backstrut.

"Too slow!" Skywarp taunted as he teleported again, just out of Ratchet's reach.

Ratchet realized that this game was pointless and tried to think of a way to beat it. If he stayed here any longer, he risked being caught. An idea came to mind when he spotted a trapdoor in the wall that most likely led to waste disposal.

He smirked and turned to face the seeker with his new plan. "Alright, Skywarp. I'm right here. Come and get me!"

Skywarp, not being the brightest bulb in the batch, took the bait with glee and teleported. Just before he reappeared, however, Ratchet stepped out of the way to make sure he was behind him. The seeker realized his mistake far too late, letting out a cry of surprise when Ratchet kicked him into the trapdoor and sent him hurtling down the chute.

With Skywarp out of the way, Ratchet was finally able to continue onward.

While staying and fighting had lost him some time, the medic was sure he would still be able to escape. He ran down hallway after hallway, searching for any possible way out. Things were beginning to look bleak until a voice rang out.

"Hey! Autobot!"

Ratchet stopped in his tracks, afraid he'd finally been caught.

"Up here!"

Ratchet looked up and saw a mech he didn't recognize dangling from an open vent. Not an Autobot, from what he could see. A visor covered the mech's optics. "Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter right now. You're Ratchet, right? Ratchet from Iacon?" The mech asked, seeming pretty casual about this.

Ratchet nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"Great!" The mech said with glee, a smile appearing on his face. After repositioning himself so he wouldn't fall, he extended a hand for Ratchet to take. "Grab on, I'm gettin' ya outta here."

Ratchet was skeptical at first, but considering the situation he was in, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Ignoring the questions and words of reason buzzing in his processor, he grabbed the mech's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up into the vent.

Once he was inside, the mech hurriedly closed the vent hatch and stuffed the cords he'd been hanging from into his subspace. It was a tight fit because of Ratchet's frame, but he could manage.

"May I ask where we're going?" Ratchet asked, watching the mech crawl away before starting to follow him.

"A better place than this cesspool, that's for sure. Save the rest of your questions for my boss, he'll surely answer all of them. The name's Tipstreak, by the way." The mech replied, glancing over his shoulder at Ratchet. He was slightly smaller than the medic, but there wasn't much difference.

Ratchet pursed his dermas, absorbing all of this information. Everything was happening so quickly that he was having a hard time comprehending it all.

"Thank you... Tipstreak." He said awkwardly, unsure of how else to react. He was thankful, sure, but this mech was still a stranger to him.

"Not a problem. Glad to have ya on board. Now, let's get outta here before ol' Screamer tans our hides."

----

OOOOOH I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS!

I want to tell you guys everything, but I can't.. XDD It would ruin the book!