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wyntir_knightTitle: Bad Day
Fandom: G1 Transformers
Characters: Ratchet and Wheeljack
Prompt: 022 – Enemies
Word Count: 7,349
Rating: T
Summary: Ratchet and Wheeljack get caught behind enemy lines in the early days of the civil war on Cybertron.
Author's Note: Good lord this fic refuses to let me end it! I think that it's close to done now, just one more section left to do. For those who want a refresher, Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here. You'll notice that I've given this baby a name and changed the prompt from Days to Enemies. I've also given the unknown mech a name, sort of. Anyway, you can have fun guessing who he is. Also, this fic takes place after Lost Opportunities and Regrets.
Warnings: If you squint and tilt your head to the left, you might see some implied slash coming from Wheeljack's direction.
Disclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara, and are licensed to IDW and Dreamworks. My original characters are my own and any similarity between them and any existing characters from canon or fandom is purely coincidental. I claim no ownership by writing this work.
Argent stepped out of the wet corridor and made his way to the makeshift jail his people had created to house the two Autobots. The Decepticons would surely renege on the deal so he had to be sure that he got a working copy of the plans for himself. Once that was done he’d have the Engineer hollowed out and provide faulty plans to the ‘Cons. By the time they realized they’d been had, he and his people would we well out of the sector.
He entered the jail and found Ratchet and Wheeljack sitting in their appointed cells, speaking together in quick, low voices. Wheeljack had his arm through the bars and was holding onto Ratchet’s hand tightly. Ratchet was obviously trying to talk Wheeljack into something and the engineer was protesting.
“I won’t have secrets here, gentlemechs,” Argent said, approaching Wheeljack’s cage. “Now, I believe I have made everything clear to you, Engineer. Have you made your decision?”
A quick and pained look passed between the two Autobots before Wheeljack sighed and stood up. “I won’t give you the plans,” he said. He sounded defeated.
“You’re sure about that? You understand the consequences and you still are refusing to provide me with what I want?” Argent asked.
“We both understand quite well. And we’re not letting you get the machine,” Ratchet said defiantly, but there was a hint of fear at the edges of his voice.
Argent sighed. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I had really hoped that you two would be reasonable. After all, I’m not doing this for profit; I’m doing this so that my people can be safe.”
“But we’ve offered you an alternative!” Wheeljack said, pleading. “Come with us to Iacon. You’ll be able to stay neutral and you’ll be safe for as long as we hold the sector!”
“Ah, but there’s the flaw, Engineer,” Argent said. “You Autobots are going to loose this war. And when you do, I want to be friendly with the winning side. Lord Megatron is not known for his compassion, but he also doesn’t waste his resources against his allies.”
“We won’t loose the war. But if you’re that worried about it we can get you and your people out on a refugee ship,” Ratchet said.
“And end up like the Stormchaser? I don’t think so,” Argent asked. He stopped when he saw the pained look on Ratchet’s face and added, “So you had someone on the Stormchaser did you? That actually explains an awful lot.”
Argent motioned to his troops. “Take the medic out to the other room and introduce him to Slice. Let’s see if we can’t … persuade our good Engineer as to the error of his ways,” he said.
Ratchet shot Wheeljack a determined look before allowing himself to be led out of the room.
“Now I want the rest of you to leave us alone,” Argent said to the guards. “I would like to have a word in private with the Engineer. … Oh, and leave the door open.”
Once they were alone Argent pulled up a chair and sat directly across from Wheeljack. He watched the engineer in silence for a long time, until Wheeljack began to fidget. Then, with a smile, he crossed his arms and leaned back casually.
“I understand that you have faction loyalty. And I can certainly understand why you don’t want to give us those plans. However, Slice is very good at his job and he enjoys it greatly. He will make what’s left of your friend’s life very, very painful. So you have to ask who your loyalty really lies with,” he said.
A scream echoed through the hall and Wheeljack flinched.
“I … No. I won’t give you those plans. … And if you don’t bring Ratchet back then I’ll delete them from my memory core and you’ll never get them.”
“You’re not very good at this are you?” Argent asked. “If you delete those files, then you and your friend are of no further use to us.”
Another anguished scream rang out.
“But the Decpticons don’t know what the plans are. I can help you create something that’ll fool them. By they time they realize they’ve been had you and your people can be long gone!” Wheeljack said quickly, a desperation edging into his voice.
“My, my! You’re not as bad at this as I thought. However, there’s a problem with your logic,” Argent said with a sly smile. “You see, I had intended on doing that all along, but I was also going to keep the real device for my own uses. So either way, I need those plans.”
A third scream cut the silence, this one broken off by the static sound of a vocaliser shorting out.
“Ratchet!” Wheeljack screamed, throwing himself against the bars of his cell in a bid to escape.
“Oh, now that’s a pity,” Argent said, cocking his head to the side. “Slice always does prefer it when his patients are able to sing.”
“You’re sick,” Wheeljack whispered. “You’re no better than the Decepticons.”
“I never claimed that I was. You may call me sick, but I’m doing this to save my people. And they’re more important to me than your pointless war of ideals. It doesn’t matter which side wins because either way, Cybertron and her people loose,” Argent said, his voice at cold as frozen steel.
He stood and moved to the hall. “Your precious medic will stay with Slice. Hopefully you’ll change your mind soon. If not, then I’ll make your regret your nobility for the rest of your short existence.”
When Argent was out of site Wheeljack’s legs gave out and he slipped to the ground. He needed to think of a way out of this before they killed Ratchet. He’d never be able to live with himself if he lost the medic, he couldn’t imagine life without him …
“Alright, think, Jack. They want the plans and they’ll kill Ratch if they don’t get them,” Wheeljack said to himself. “But if I give over the plans then … no, I can’t. … I don’t know what to do …”
٭٭٭
Back in the water filled corridor Red Eye cocked his head as his keep hearing picked up the faint sound of a scream, ringing out in the darkness.
“Slag,” he muttered under his breath.
The two Autobots were useless to him dead, and it was obvious that the neutrals were trying to get the plans for themselves. He had two choices, he could bide his time and hope that he was granted access to the Neutrals’ hive, or he could call in reinforcements. Before he could make his decision he heard the tell-tale scrape and splash of someone entering the tunnel.
“Terribly sorry to keep you waiting, Seeker,” a voice said. This was different from the one before. There was the faintest trace of the Towers in the accent and a smoothness that wasn’t in the other voice.
“Not a problem. Are ye the one in charge?” Red Eye asked.
“I’ll be bringing you to see him and from there, the engineer,” the voice said. “If you’d be so kind as to take ten steps forward, turn to your right 90 degrees and then take another 3 steps forward. There’s a door with a bit of a step so be careful.”
“Why don’ ya just turn the lights on?” Red Eye asked.
“I’m afraid that that isn’t an option in this scenario. Now please step forward. … If we wanted you dead Seeker, we wouldn’t use such an obvious ploy,” the voice said.
After another moment’s hesitation, Red Eye did as he was told and quickly found himself in a wide dry corridor. A red and blue mech stepped into the hall after him and shut the door.
“If you’ll be so kind as to follow me?” The mech motioned down the hallway, then walked away, pausing to ensure that Red Eye was following.
With a quick look around and a stretching of his wings, Red Eye moved down the hallway until he came to a large, circular, amphitheatre-like space.
“You’ll have to excuse our lack of accommodations,” the mech said. “It’s a bit dusty and ragged around the edges, but you’ll find the seats quite comfortable. I will return shortly with Argent. He’ll explain everything to you.”
The mech bowed slightly at the waist and turned to leave. As he did, Red Eye glimpsed the faintest touch of a smile, pulling at the corners of the mech’s mouth.
“Hold on a second there,” Red Eye said. “I’ll be wanting to see the engineer now, if ye don’ mind.”
The mech turned and cocked his head to the side. “Of course you do,” he said. Again there was that hint of a smile. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll gladly bring you to the detention area.”
Red Eye was getting the firm impression that he was missing something very important.
“Sir, if we wanted you dead we would have done something well before now,” the mech said smoothly, spreading his hands. “Besides, we all know the reputation of the Mighty Seekers. Personally I don’t have a death wish and I doubt that anyone else here does either. And while Argent would prefer to meet with you first, if you wish to see the engineer, then I will be more than happy to bring you to him. After all, you are the one in charge.”
“I definitely want to see the engineer first, and Argent afterwards,” Red Eye said. There was still something wrong but he’d deal with whatever it was when it was sprung on him.
٭٭٭
Wheeljack paced his small cell. Three steps left. Turn. Three steps right. Turn. He had tried sitting quietly, but soon found his thoughts wandering to Ratchet and whatever was being done to him. He needed to think of a way out and he needed to do it quickly. The neutrals wanted the plans and wouldn’t let them leave without getting them. He would have provided false plans, but after having suggested that to Argent, it would never work. Besides, there was no way that he could bluff his way out of this, and even if he could, Wheeljack was convinced that Argent wouldn’t let either Autobot leave.
But what if he didn’t bluff … what if he gave them exactly what they wanted. The matter converter was delicate under the best circumstances, and even then, it had blown up four times before Wheeljack had perfected it. Argent had asked for the plans to the device, but he had never said which version he wanted.
His thoughts were interrupted by voices drifting in from the hall.
“Now, is it simply the engineer that you want to see? Or would you like the medic as well?” Wheeljack quickly recognized Blue’s voice.
“Th’ engineer will do fer now, but I’ll be wantin’ t’ see th’ medic too. That can wait until after I’ve spoken t’ Argent, though.” Wheeljack froze as he recognized the voice of the black Seeker.
Blue entered the room first, followed closely by the Seeker. Wheeljack stepped back from the approaching Decepticon until he felt his back hit the wall and there was nowhere else to go. He glared at Blue and the Seeker, attempting to look defiant, but knowing that he was failing.
“As you can see, he’s perfectly intact,” Blue said. “I will admit that he’s been a tad more stubborn than we had originally suspected, but we have people working on that as we speak.”
A scream rang out and both Wheeljack and Red Eye jumped at the anguished sound.
“Ah, I see that Slice got the medic’s vocaliser working again,” Blue said, nonchalantly.
“Stop! Please, make him stop!” Wheeljack begged, staring out the door. “You’ve made your point! I’ll give you the plans, just make him stop!”
“Well, truly you should be giving those plans to Argent, not me,” Blue said, doubtfully. “I could bring you to see him, Sir, but by the time I get back, Slice may have inflicted irrevocable damage on the medic. …. And if I went to fetch the medic first, then I’d have to leave you alone, and I can’t do that. You understand, right?” he added, turning to Red Eye.
“Of course. An’ I don’ imagine that ye can let me wander about yer base unattended either … So, why don’ you have that guard outside escort me t’ Argent? I can tell him th’ good news and you haven’t left me alone,” Red Eye said, smoothly.
“I suppose that could be okay,” Blue said. “Yes, in fact I think that’s probably the best course of action.”
He stepped out into the hall and brought back a small, powerfully build mech.
“I need you to escort this Seeker to Argent. The commander is waiting for him in his office,” Blue instructed.
The new mech looked at the Seeker doubtfully and motioned for him to follow. Once both were out of the room, Blue turned to Wheeljack.
“We don’t have long. I was supposed to bring the Seeker directly to Argent, and he won’t be happy about the delay. I’ll see what I can do about your friend, but you’d better make sure that those plans impress Argent, otherwise we’ll all be scrapped,” Blue said.
He quickly left the room, leaving Wheeljack completely confused.
٭٭٭
Ratchet struggled weakly against the bonds holding him to the medical palette. Slice had turned away from his inspection of Ratchet’s insides for a moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the psychopath began his work again.
“There’s very little point in fighting. You can’t break the bonds and even if you could, you couldn’t get out. So just sit back and let me finish my work,” Slice said, without turning around.
Ratchet exhaled slowly, preparing to pull again against the restraints when he felt a light hand touch his arm. A blue and red mech stood there, the same mech who had escorted Wheeljack into the auditorium. He shook his head and the look on his face made Ratchet cease his efforts.
“Slice? Argent wants this one put back into his cage,” the red and blue said.
“What? But I’ve only just started!” Slice said, a petulant whine tingeing his voice, a sneer etched on his pink and yellow face.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity later. I seriously doubt that Argent will just let these two go. From what I’ve heard, this one is likely to be CMO within the vorn,” the red and blue said, poking Ratchet painfully in the side.
“Hmmm …,” Slice hummed, leaning in to look at Ratchet with his one good optic. “Hmmm … All the more reason to keep him here. Tell Argent that I know what’s best. I’ll return him once I’m done with this battery of tests.”
“I think that Argent wants him back in his cell now.” There was a dangerous edge to the red and blue’s voice and Slice looked up sharply.
“Argent doesn’t want him back at all, does he?” Slice asked, narrowing his optic. “I always knew you were a danger, Sm- ARGH!”
Slice’s voice was cut off as the red and blue threw a small bead at his head. The bead exploded on impact, filling the air with a thick, choking fog. Ratchet felt his intakes begin to clog and he shook with silent, wracking coughs. He heard a crash and a sickening thud, then hands were moving over his body, removing the bindings, closing his chest, helping him to stand, and the next thing he knew, they were in the hall.
“I need you to come with me quickly,” the red and blue said.
Ratchet opened his mouth to speak, but found himself quickly silenced by a light blue hand.
“Be quiet. No questions. And if anyone asks, Slice sent you back to your cell. Nod if you understand,” the red and blue said.
Ratchet nodded and allowed himself to be led away from the psychotic’s lab.
٭٭٭
Wheeljack sat in the corner of his cell, readying the plans that he was going to give his captors when Argent walked into the room, followed closely by the Seeker.
“So I hear that you’ve finally seen reason, Wheeljack,” Argent said. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come around.”
“I’ll give you the plans, but please, you have to bring Ratchet back,” Wheeljack pleaded.
“Are we back to this again?” Argent asked, exasperated. “You’ll give us the plans, and then I’ll consider returning the medic when Slice is done with his tests. This isn’t a negotiation.”
Wheeljack hung his head, looking as defeated as he could. He noticed as he did so that the Seeker looked amused by the whole thing.
“Fine,” he said. “Give me a data pad and I’ll give you the plans.”
With a superior smile, Argent produced a data pad and handed it to the engineer. Wheeljack quickly uploaded the plans and handed it back.
“There, you have what you want, now let us go,” he said.
Argent snorted indelicately. “Hardly. You and the medic will stay right here until we’ve built the device and confirmed that you aren’t trying to pull something.”
Wheeljack allowed himself to collapse in defeat as Argent and the Seeker left the room. He had known all along that they would never be set free, but his plans were complicated enough that he had bought them a few days. Now he just had to figure out how to get Ratchet back.
“Yes, I’m sure that Slice said he could come back,” Blue’s exasperated voice floated in from the hall. “Why else would I have him? Now are you going to let me in or not? He’s heavy!”
“I think I should probably confirm this with Slice …,” came the unsure voice of a guard.
“Slice took off to get his secret supplies,” Blue said sarcastically, “and you know how long it takes him to get those. So are you going to make me stand here until he gets back or are you going to let me in?”
“Well, I guess it’s okay,” the guard said hesitantly.
The door to the jail opened and Blue stumbled in, Ratchet leaning weakly on his shoulder.
“Ratch!” Wheljack cried out.
“Shhh!” Blue hissed. He pressed a few buttons and the door to the cell came open.
As soon as he could Wheeljack jumped forward and took Ratchet, holding him close.
“You both have to get back into the cell,” Blue said. “I can only spin this so far and if you try to escape now they’ll kill you for sure.”
“I … I understand, I think,” Wheeljack said, leading Ratchet back into the cell and allowing Blue to relock it.
“I’ll do my best to get you out, but you’ll have to be a bit more patient,” Blue said before walking out of the jail.
“Ratch? Ratch are you okay?” Wheeljack asked, looking into Ratchet’s face, his fuel pump fluttering with fear.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay, I think,” Ratchet said, hoarsely.
“Thank Primus!” Wheeljack cried, sweeping Ratchet into a hug.
Ratchet froze for a moment, before returning the embrace.
Fandom: G1 Transformers
Characters: Ratchet and Wheeljack
Prompt: 022 – Enemies
Word Count: 7,349
Rating: T
Summary: Ratchet and Wheeljack get caught behind enemy lines in the early days of the civil war on Cybertron.
Author's Note: Good lord this fic refuses to let me end it! I think that it's close to done now, just one more section left to do. For those who want a refresher, Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here. You'll notice that I've given this baby a name and changed the prompt from Days to Enemies. I've also given the unknown mech a name, sort of. Anyway, you can have fun guessing who he is. Also, this fic takes place after Lost Opportunities and Regrets.
Warnings: If you squint and tilt your head to the left, you might see some implied slash coming from Wheeljack's direction.
Disclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara, and are licensed to IDW and Dreamworks. My original characters are my own and any similarity between them and any existing characters from canon or fandom is purely coincidental. I claim no ownership by writing this work.
Argent stepped out of the wet corridor and made his way to the makeshift jail his people had created to house the two Autobots. The Decepticons would surely renege on the deal so he had to be sure that he got a working copy of the plans for himself. Once that was done he’d have the Engineer hollowed out and provide faulty plans to the ‘Cons. By the time they realized they’d been had, he and his people would we well out of the sector.
He entered the jail and found Ratchet and Wheeljack sitting in their appointed cells, speaking together in quick, low voices. Wheeljack had his arm through the bars and was holding onto Ratchet’s hand tightly. Ratchet was obviously trying to talk Wheeljack into something and the engineer was protesting.
“I won’t have secrets here, gentlemechs,” Argent said, approaching Wheeljack’s cage. “Now, I believe I have made everything clear to you, Engineer. Have you made your decision?”
A quick and pained look passed between the two Autobots before Wheeljack sighed and stood up. “I won’t give you the plans,” he said. He sounded defeated.
“You’re sure about that? You understand the consequences and you still are refusing to provide me with what I want?” Argent asked.
“We both understand quite well. And we’re not letting you get the machine,” Ratchet said defiantly, but there was a hint of fear at the edges of his voice.
Argent sighed. “I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I had really hoped that you two would be reasonable. After all, I’m not doing this for profit; I’m doing this so that my people can be safe.”
“But we’ve offered you an alternative!” Wheeljack said, pleading. “Come with us to Iacon. You’ll be able to stay neutral and you’ll be safe for as long as we hold the sector!”
“Ah, but there’s the flaw, Engineer,” Argent said. “You Autobots are going to loose this war. And when you do, I want to be friendly with the winning side. Lord Megatron is not known for his compassion, but he also doesn’t waste his resources against his allies.”
“We won’t loose the war. But if you’re that worried about it we can get you and your people out on a refugee ship,” Ratchet said.
“And end up like the Stormchaser? I don’t think so,” Argent asked. He stopped when he saw the pained look on Ratchet’s face and added, “So you had someone on the Stormchaser did you? That actually explains an awful lot.”
Argent motioned to his troops. “Take the medic out to the other room and introduce him to Slice. Let’s see if we can’t … persuade our good Engineer as to the error of his ways,” he said.
Ratchet shot Wheeljack a determined look before allowing himself to be led out of the room.
“Now I want the rest of you to leave us alone,” Argent said to the guards. “I would like to have a word in private with the Engineer. … Oh, and leave the door open.”
Once they were alone Argent pulled up a chair and sat directly across from Wheeljack. He watched the engineer in silence for a long time, until Wheeljack began to fidget. Then, with a smile, he crossed his arms and leaned back casually.
“I understand that you have faction loyalty. And I can certainly understand why you don’t want to give us those plans. However, Slice is very good at his job and he enjoys it greatly. He will make what’s left of your friend’s life very, very painful. So you have to ask who your loyalty really lies with,” he said.
A scream echoed through the hall and Wheeljack flinched.
“I … No. I won’t give you those plans. … And if you don’t bring Ratchet back then I’ll delete them from my memory core and you’ll never get them.”
“You’re not very good at this are you?” Argent asked. “If you delete those files, then you and your friend are of no further use to us.”
Another anguished scream rang out.
“But the Decpticons don’t know what the plans are. I can help you create something that’ll fool them. By they time they realize they’ve been had you and your people can be long gone!” Wheeljack said quickly, a desperation edging into his voice.
“My, my! You’re not as bad at this as I thought. However, there’s a problem with your logic,” Argent said with a sly smile. “You see, I had intended on doing that all along, but I was also going to keep the real device for my own uses. So either way, I need those plans.”
A third scream cut the silence, this one broken off by the static sound of a vocaliser shorting out.
“Ratchet!” Wheeljack screamed, throwing himself against the bars of his cell in a bid to escape.
“Oh, now that’s a pity,” Argent said, cocking his head to the side. “Slice always does prefer it when his patients are able to sing.”
“You’re sick,” Wheeljack whispered. “You’re no better than the Decepticons.”
“I never claimed that I was. You may call me sick, but I’m doing this to save my people. And they’re more important to me than your pointless war of ideals. It doesn’t matter which side wins because either way, Cybertron and her people loose,” Argent said, his voice at cold as frozen steel.
He stood and moved to the hall. “Your precious medic will stay with Slice. Hopefully you’ll change your mind soon. If not, then I’ll make your regret your nobility for the rest of your short existence.”
When Argent was out of site Wheeljack’s legs gave out and he slipped to the ground. He needed to think of a way out of this before they killed Ratchet. He’d never be able to live with himself if he lost the medic, he couldn’t imagine life without him …
“Alright, think, Jack. They want the plans and they’ll kill Ratch if they don’t get them,” Wheeljack said to himself. “But if I give over the plans then … no, I can’t. … I don’t know what to do …”
Back in the water filled corridor Red Eye cocked his head as his keep hearing picked up the faint sound of a scream, ringing out in the darkness.
“Slag,” he muttered under his breath.
The two Autobots were useless to him dead, and it was obvious that the neutrals were trying to get the plans for themselves. He had two choices, he could bide his time and hope that he was granted access to the Neutrals’ hive, or he could call in reinforcements. Before he could make his decision he heard the tell-tale scrape and splash of someone entering the tunnel.
“Terribly sorry to keep you waiting, Seeker,” a voice said. This was different from the one before. There was the faintest trace of the Towers in the accent and a smoothness that wasn’t in the other voice.
“Not a problem. Are ye the one in charge?” Red Eye asked.
“I’ll be bringing you to see him and from there, the engineer,” the voice said. “If you’d be so kind as to take ten steps forward, turn to your right 90 degrees and then take another 3 steps forward. There’s a door with a bit of a step so be careful.”
“Why don’ ya just turn the lights on?” Red Eye asked.
“I’m afraid that that isn’t an option in this scenario. Now please step forward. … If we wanted you dead Seeker, we wouldn’t use such an obvious ploy,” the voice said.
After another moment’s hesitation, Red Eye did as he was told and quickly found himself in a wide dry corridor. A red and blue mech stepped into the hall after him and shut the door.
“If you’ll be so kind as to follow me?” The mech motioned down the hallway, then walked away, pausing to ensure that Red Eye was following.
With a quick look around and a stretching of his wings, Red Eye moved down the hallway until he came to a large, circular, amphitheatre-like space.
“You’ll have to excuse our lack of accommodations,” the mech said. “It’s a bit dusty and ragged around the edges, but you’ll find the seats quite comfortable. I will return shortly with Argent. He’ll explain everything to you.”
The mech bowed slightly at the waist and turned to leave. As he did, Red Eye glimpsed the faintest touch of a smile, pulling at the corners of the mech’s mouth.
“Hold on a second there,” Red Eye said. “I’ll be wanting to see the engineer now, if ye don’ mind.”
The mech turned and cocked his head to the side. “Of course you do,” he said. Again there was that hint of a smile. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll gladly bring you to the detention area.”
Red Eye was getting the firm impression that he was missing something very important.
“Sir, if we wanted you dead we would have done something well before now,” the mech said smoothly, spreading his hands. “Besides, we all know the reputation of the Mighty Seekers. Personally I don’t have a death wish and I doubt that anyone else here does either. And while Argent would prefer to meet with you first, if you wish to see the engineer, then I will be more than happy to bring you to him. After all, you are the one in charge.”
“I definitely want to see the engineer first, and Argent afterwards,” Red Eye said. There was still something wrong but he’d deal with whatever it was when it was sprung on him.
Wheeljack paced his small cell. Three steps left. Turn. Three steps right. Turn. He had tried sitting quietly, but soon found his thoughts wandering to Ratchet and whatever was being done to him. He needed to think of a way out and he needed to do it quickly. The neutrals wanted the plans and wouldn’t let them leave without getting them. He would have provided false plans, but after having suggested that to Argent, it would never work. Besides, there was no way that he could bluff his way out of this, and even if he could, Wheeljack was convinced that Argent wouldn’t let either Autobot leave.
But what if he didn’t bluff … what if he gave them exactly what they wanted. The matter converter was delicate under the best circumstances, and even then, it had blown up four times before Wheeljack had perfected it. Argent had asked for the plans to the device, but he had never said which version he wanted.
His thoughts were interrupted by voices drifting in from the hall.
“Now, is it simply the engineer that you want to see? Or would you like the medic as well?” Wheeljack quickly recognized Blue’s voice.
“Th’ engineer will do fer now, but I’ll be wantin’ t’ see th’ medic too. That can wait until after I’ve spoken t’ Argent, though.” Wheeljack froze as he recognized the voice of the black Seeker.
Blue entered the room first, followed closely by the Seeker. Wheeljack stepped back from the approaching Decepticon until he felt his back hit the wall and there was nowhere else to go. He glared at Blue and the Seeker, attempting to look defiant, but knowing that he was failing.
“As you can see, he’s perfectly intact,” Blue said. “I will admit that he’s been a tad more stubborn than we had originally suspected, but we have people working on that as we speak.”
A scream rang out and both Wheeljack and Red Eye jumped at the anguished sound.
“Ah, I see that Slice got the medic’s vocaliser working again,” Blue said, nonchalantly.
“Stop! Please, make him stop!” Wheeljack begged, staring out the door. “You’ve made your point! I’ll give you the plans, just make him stop!”
“Well, truly you should be giving those plans to Argent, not me,” Blue said, doubtfully. “I could bring you to see him, Sir, but by the time I get back, Slice may have inflicted irrevocable damage on the medic. …. And if I went to fetch the medic first, then I’d have to leave you alone, and I can’t do that. You understand, right?” he added, turning to Red Eye.
“Of course. An’ I don’ imagine that ye can let me wander about yer base unattended either … So, why don’ you have that guard outside escort me t’ Argent? I can tell him th’ good news and you haven’t left me alone,” Red Eye said, smoothly.
“I suppose that could be okay,” Blue said. “Yes, in fact I think that’s probably the best course of action.”
He stepped out into the hall and brought back a small, powerfully build mech.
“I need you to escort this Seeker to Argent. The commander is waiting for him in his office,” Blue instructed.
The new mech looked at the Seeker doubtfully and motioned for him to follow. Once both were out of the room, Blue turned to Wheeljack.
“We don’t have long. I was supposed to bring the Seeker directly to Argent, and he won’t be happy about the delay. I’ll see what I can do about your friend, but you’d better make sure that those plans impress Argent, otherwise we’ll all be scrapped,” Blue said.
He quickly left the room, leaving Wheeljack completely confused.
Ratchet struggled weakly against the bonds holding him to the medical palette. Slice had turned away from his inspection of Ratchet’s insides for a moment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the psychopath began his work again.
“There’s very little point in fighting. You can’t break the bonds and even if you could, you couldn’t get out. So just sit back and let me finish my work,” Slice said, without turning around.
Ratchet exhaled slowly, preparing to pull again against the restraints when he felt a light hand touch his arm. A blue and red mech stood there, the same mech who had escorted Wheeljack into the auditorium. He shook his head and the look on his face made Ratchet cease his efforts.
“Slice? Argent wants this one put back into his cage,” the red and blue said.
“What? But I’ve only just started!” Slice said, a petulant whine tingeing his voice, a sneer etched on his pink and yellow face.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity later. I seriously doubt that Argent will just let these two go. From what I’ve heard, this one is likely to be CMO within the vorn,” the red and blue said, poking Ratchet painfully in the side.
“Hmmm …,” Slice hummed, leaning in to look at Ratchet with his one good optic. “Hmmm … All the more reason to keep him here. Tell Argent that I know what’s best. I’ll return him once I’m done with this battery of tests.”
“I think that Argent wants him back in his cell now.” There was a dangerous edge to the red and blue’s voice and Slice looked up sharply.
“Argent doesn’t want him back at all, does he?” Slice asked, narrowing his optic. “I always knew you were a danger, Sm- ARGH!”
Slice’s voice was cut off as the red and blue threw a small bead at his head. The bead exploded on impact, filling the air with a thick, choking fog. Ratchet felt his intakes begin to clog and he shook with silent, wracking coughs. He heard a crash and a sickening thud, then hands were moving over his body, removing the bindings, closing his chest, helping him to stand, and the next thing he knew, they were in the hall.
“I need you to come with me quickly,” the red and blue said.
Ratchet opened his mouth to speak, but found himself quickly silenced by a light blue hand.
“Be quiet. No questions. And if anyone asks, Slice sent you back to your cell. Nod if you understand,” the red and blue said.
Ratchet nodded and allowed himself to be led away from the psychotic’s lab.
Wheeljack sat in the corner of his cell, readying the plans that he was going to give his captors when Argent walked into the room, followed closely by the Seeker.
“So I hear that you’ve finally seen reason, Wheeljack,” Argent said. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come around.”
“I’ll give you the plans, but please, you have to bring Ratchet back,” Wheeljack pleaded.
“Are we back to this again?” Argent asked, exasperated. “You’ll give us the plans, and then I’ll consider returning the medic when Slice is done with his tests. This isn’t a negotiation.”
Wheeljack hung his head, looking as defeated as he could. He noticed as he did so that the Seeker looked amused by the whole thing.
“Fine,” he said. “Give me a data pad and I’ll give you the plans.”
With a superior smile, Argent produced a data pad and handed it to the engineer. Wheeljack quickly uploaded the plans and handed it back.
“There, you have what you want, now let us go,” he said.
Argent snorted indelicately. “Hardly. You and the medic will stay right here until we’ve built the device and confirmed that you aren’t trying to pull something.”
Wheeljack allowed himself to collapse in defeat as Argent and the Seeker left the room. He had known all along that they would never be set free, but his plans were complicated enough that he had bought them a few days. Now he just had to figure out how to get Ratchet back.
“Yes, I’m sure that Slice said he could come back,” Blue’s exasperated voice floated in from the hall. “Why else would I have him? Now are you going to let me in or not? He’s heavy!”
“I think I should probably confirm this with Slice …,” came the unsure voice of a guard.
“Slice took off to get his secret supplies,” Blue said sarcastically, “and you know how long it takes him to get those. So are you going to make me stand here until he gets back or are you going to let me in?”
“Well, I guess it’s okay,” the guard said hesitantly.
The door to the jail opened and Blue stumbled in, Ratchet leaning weakly on his shoulder.
“Ratch!” Wheljack cried out.
“Shhh!” Blue hissed. He pressed a few buttons and the door to the cell came open.
As soon as he could Wheeljack jumped forward and took Ratchet, holding him close.
“You both have to get back into the cell,” Blue said. “I can only spin this so far and if you try to escape now they’ll kill you for sure.”
“I … I understand, I think,” Wheeljack said, leading Ratchet back into the cell and allowing Blue to relock it.
“I’ll do my best to get you out, but you’ll have to be a bit more patient,” Blue said before walking out of the jail.
“Ratch? Ratch are you okay?” Wheeljack asked, looking into Ratchet’s face, his fuel pump fluttering with fear.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay, I think,” Ratchet said, hoarsely.
“Thank Primus!” Wheeljack cried, sweeping Ratchet into a hug.
Ratchet froze for a moment, before returning the embrace.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 30 Mar 2007 03:05 (UTC)Then there's 'Blue', for a second I thought he might be Mirage, but all I have to say now is ohmygoshsmokescreen! ^^ You'll have your 28 Smokescreen up and running again in no time.
Slice is scary. Neutrals are scary, but then again, Desperate mechs and cornered mechs are always those that fight back the hardest and nastiest.
I love how you're writing Wheeljack. He's definitely a smartie, but he's got a softer side to him that makes him very affable, unlike some other smarties we know.
J'aime beaucoup ton histoire!
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Date: 30 Mar 2007 03:14 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Mar 2007 04:34 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Mar 2007 11:36 (UTC)I'll be interested to hear what you think once you've had the opportunity to read it :)