Clever Thing | TFP AU

Chapter 7

The vent shaft led to somewhere outside of the Decepticon base. Once Ratchet had gotten out, Tipstreak used a sword to slice his cuffs off so he could use his hands again.

Taking a quick look around, Ratchet realized that he had absolutely no clue where he was. Nothing seemed familiar and it didn't help that they were essentially in the middle of nowhere.

"How far away are we from Iacon?" He asked, following Tipstreak when he started walking off.

Tipstreak shrugged, sheathing his sword. "Pretty far away, I'd say. I've never been there."

Ratchet deflated a little in disappointment. He had hoped that he wasn't too far from Iacon so that he could find his way back, but that idea was out of the question now. Sighing softly, the medic remained silent as he walked alongside Tipstreak.

So many things were whirling through his head at the moment, it was almost unbearable. Starscream was the leader of a band of Decepticons that had a hideout in the middle of nowhere, now this mech was taking him somewhere else! He was pretty exhausted at this point and was ready to call it a day.

•
•
•

After about an hour or so of walking, Ratchet finally spotted something on the horizon. It looked to be a camp of some sort, which eased the medic's nerves. If it had been some enormous base, he would've been skeptical.

As they approached the camp, two guards that were positioned at the entrance greeted Tipstreak in a friendly manner and moved aside so he could pass. Ratchet followed him silently, still unsure about all of this.

Upon entering the camp, he could see several groups of bots hanging around and talking. They were all different shapes and sizes. None of them looked like the standard Autobot or Decepticon. Who were they?

"Wait here. I'm gonna see if the boss is free." Tipstreak said, holding up his hand for a moment before trotting off towards one of the larger structures in the camp.

Ratchet watched him leave, a knot of anxiety forming in his tanks. He didn't like the idea of being left alone with a bunch of bots he didn't know, but he just had to deal with it for now. The medic stood there for a moment, just silently observing, until a firm hand on his shoulder made him jump.

"Woah there! You're a jumpy one, aren't you?" The mech who had put his hand on Ratchet's shoulder said, a bright grin on his face. He looked a little rougher than most, but his attitude didn't seem to match his looks. Why was he so friendly? "I'm Riot. You must be Ratchet!"

"H-How do you know my name?" Ratchet said, slightly stumbling over his words as he tried to compose himself.

Riot let out a hearty chuckle and playfully smacked Ratchet's shoulder. "Your name has been buzzing around camp since the boss brought it up. Is it true that you fought alongside Optimus Prime in The Great War?"

Was this mech not around when the war happened? He must've been part of the mass exodus! That was the only logical explanation.

"It is. I was one of his top medics and his closest friend." Ratchet said, feeling pride swell in his spark. It felt good to say that, even if the war was over. "Who is this boss that you speak of?"

"Glad ya asked. He's coming over here right now."

Ratchet looked in the direction Riot had gestured to and his spark nearly stopped. He saw Tipstreak walking alongside a much larger mech, seeming to be having a conversation with him. The mech looked so familiar... could it be? No, that was impossible! Ratchet felt himself inwardly panicking as the two grew closer, his spark pounding within his chassis.

It was Megatron.

Fear took over and he took a few steps back, holding his servos up in surrender. He was absolutely terrified, expecting Megatron to grab him with his cruel claws and rip him to shreds.

But, to his surprise, the former warlord simply paused when he reached Riot and tilted his helm.

What was he doing?

"Relax. I will not harm you." Megatron rumbled, his voice still exactly the same as it was before. It struck fear deep within Ratchet's spark. He was behaving much more passively than he usually would. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I'm pleased to see you are doing well, Doctor."

Ratchet was having an extremely hard time comprehending what was going on. Megatron spoke to him as if he were an old friend! Was this a dream? Was he hallucinating or something?

Just to be sure, the medic did a quick rundown of all his bodily functions and systems. Everything came back normal. He wasn't hallucinating. This was real. "But... But I thought you were—"

"Dead? Most assumed so. I only recently arrived here when I discovered Cybertron had been revived." Megatron said, folding his arms behind his back. He took a moment to gaze up at the darkening sky before returning his attention to Ratchet. "Optimus has done an admirable job restoring our home to its former glory."

This felt too strange for Ratchet to handle. There had to be a catch. "You're just planning to try and take it over again, aren't you? Is that why you've gathered all of these bots? To build another army?" His tone was harsh as he pointed an accusing digit at the former warlord's chest, a scowl on his face.

Megatron stood there for a moment and Ratchet thought he was going to lunge at him for sure. But instead of making any aggressive moves whatsoever, the silver mech merely chuckled and shook his helm.

"I see you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you." He said with an amused smirk. "No, Ratchet. I do not intend to repeat my past mistakes. I have grown weary of pointless war and conflict and I assume Optimus feels the same way." The former warlord gestured with his hand as he spoke. "You see, I have taken a calculated risk by bringing you here."

"Why is that?" Ratchet asked, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning.

Megatron didn't immediately reply. With one wave of his hand, Riot and Tipstreak left them alone. "Come with me. This conversation must be held in private." He said in a hushed voice, as if he were concerned that someone was eavesdropping. He then turned on his heel and started heading towards the structure he had come out of.

Deep down, Ratchet felt conflicted about what he was getting into. Should he trust Megatron after all he had done in the past? Optimus said that every bot deserved redemption and forgiveness at some point, but did Megatron really deserve it?

Seeing that he had no other choice, Ratchet sighed and followed the silver mech. He could only hope that this would turn out good rather than bad.

----

THE MIGHTY MEGATRON HAS MADE HIS APPEARANCE!

But is all as it seems? Did Ratchet make the right choice?

I wanted to give this story a twist, so here it is! If I shocked you, that was my intention! :D