Chapter Text
“Dearest Ratchet, you do understand the price of denying my offer.” Megatron leaned close into Ratchet’s face, his optics glowing intensely.
Ratchet scoffed, leaning deeper into his chair.. “All you have done is wasted your time in bringing me to your slagged ship. I’ll never work for you nor will I give you the location of my team.”
A moment of silence…before a large smile grew onto Megatron’s face.
“So be it.” Megatron chuckled. “I won’t extinguish your spark but make no mistake…I won’t dispose of a perfect opportunity, In fact, you're the perfect bot we need for a new project we are working on.”
Ratchet’s optics narrowed as he squirmed in his bonds. Megatron walked towards the exit of the cell before he turned around to give Rachet one last look. “And to be clear dear Ratchet, you never had a choice from the beginning.” He slammed the door shut, leaving Ratchet alone in miserable darkness.
Ratchet pulled against his bonds as a deep feeling exploded out of him. “Damn it!”
He was a fool for going out on his own. He should've known better when the call from the kids to pick them up from school sounded way shady. Now he was trapped, on this con’ ship at the mercy of that warlord.
The autobots…
A deep shiver went through his entire body. He wondered if the autobots knew he was never going to return. Had Megatron possibly sent them a message to gloat or for an exchange perhaps? He wasn’t sure, but he feared becoming like Cliffjumper, another blow for his dear autobots. He couldn’t imagine the look of horror on his Prime’s face or any of the kids at the base when they realized he was never coming back. He lowered his head and closed his optics as that uncomfortable feeling grew with the unknown of what Megatron had planned for him.
A moment later, His cell door swung open. He looked up and saw Shockwave and Megatron enter. His optics glowed with heat that pierced Megatron’s gray paint.
Megatron chuckled. “ You have that fire, Good. All the more exciting to make it withered out. Shockwave if you would.”
Shockwave took a step closer to Ratchet and he saw it. Within Shockwave’s servo was a black mask, with the front having a shape of the decepticon marking.
Ratchet started to struggle in his bonds. “If you're going to look into my processors for information, I’ll make this as hard as I can for you.”
A deep laugh rumbled his entire being, making that cold feeling grow. “You misunderstand Ratchet.” Megatron replied. “This isn’t like the cortical psychic patch. I fully intend to have you join our cause.”
Ratchet snarled. “Shove it already ! I made my decision perfectly clear!”
Megatron optics narrowed. “And I made it clear that your choices don’t matter. By the end of this you’re going to help us bring your former faction down.”
He leaned closer, revealing in the terror of Ratchet’s face. “And you will enjoy every bit of it.”
As Megatron finished, Ratchet's vision went dark as he felt the mask cover his entire face. Every sound went numb as he could only hear his quickened breathing. Then the mask turned on.
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Megatron watched with amusement as the medic struggled viciously in his bonds. The mask covering his face as blood-curdling screams filled the entire cell.
“Remind me again how this process goes Shockwave.” Megatron said.
Shockwave nodded. “This mask is designed to play a recording which, if watched, will manipulate the subjects’ own emotions and make them more vulnerable to the suggestion programmed within the recording.”
Megatron hummed. “And what recording is being played?”
“Currently, all documented casualties and attacks on autobots from Cybertron.”
Megatron watched as Ratchet’s servos clenched and unclenched onto the chair's armrest as more words spewed out from his glossa.
“TURN IT OFF, DAMN IT!”
“STOP, I BEG OF YOU!”
“I’LL MAKE YOU PAY!”
“Strange..” Shockwave muttered. “The programming should have been downloaded by now. I seem to underestimate his willpower. ”
Megatron's grin widened. “Interesting. How do you wish to continue then?”
Shockwave pulled out a large needle from his chestplate. “ It seems I may have to point him into the right direction.”
Megatron stared at the needle in his servo. “Shockwave please understand that I wish for him to be comprehensible and not fully damaged.”
“At ease Lord Megatron.” Shockwave went behind Ratchet and raised the needle above his helm looking for the right spot to aim. “I'm merely knocking down his resistance.”
With that, Shockwave slowly inserted the needle in.
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It was the same scene over and over again. More deaths. More screaming. More despair.
He recognized these faces, those huskless bodies, rid of their own sparks. He can almost feel their energon on their hands. Over and over again. It didn’t seem to end. He couldn’t look away.
Because he seemed to crave it. And he hated it.
Why?! Why did he seem to enjoy this feeling?
Ratchet snarled and tugged even harder, but he can feel his body become disconnected from his own mind.
He was losing himself. For time he seems to bring himself back, the scene being displayed seems to pull back like a tugging war.
He subconsciously gripped tighter and screamed out words that fell deaf his audials.He couldn’t give in. He couldn’t give Megatron what he wanted. His own mind. His team was waiting for him. He tried to think of their faces. Arcee. Bulkhead. Bumblebee. The kids….Optimus.
Then he felt pain in his head and all those images disappeared. All that was left was those damn scenes of despair replaying again and again. He felt the pain in his head intensify as it forced him to focus on the deaths of his fellow autobots.
This time a sudden burst of joy slowly seeped his way into his mind, overpowering the terror he previously felt.
No, it can’t end like this. Not like this.
Ratchet heard his own screaming turn into static chuckles and sighs of europhia.
Those images of deceased bots with the Autobot symbols brought a sense of excitement down his entire body as something wet seemed to slip down his cheeks.
He felt himself slip away before he had one last thought
I’m sorry Everyone. Sorry I wasn’t strong enough.
He slipped into blissful despair.
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Megatron watched Ratchet’s entire body twitch before he went still. The small chuckles turned into a breathless sigh as he went quiet. The bonds holding the medic down seemed to strain as all the energy left him and he slumped forward in his seat.
Shockwave pulled the needle slowly from Ratchet’s head before backing up slowly. “The reprogramming has been completed. When he wakes he should have a desire to destroy his fellow autobots.”
Megatron laughed. “Good. Good indeed. You're free to go Shockwave. Be sure to stop by Knockout’s medbay and tell him to clear his area. Since we now have a new member of the decepticons.”
“Yes my lord. “ Shockwave removed the mask on Ratchet’s helm, exposing tears staining his face and the small smile as if he experienced a bitter-sweet dream before leaving the cell.
Once alone, Megatron took a step and gently caressed Ratchet's face.
“Dear doctor, with you, we will both watch your former Prime be consumed by great despair when he sees that his lap dog is no longer his.”
Megatron deeply chuckled.
“Because you're mine now.”