"You only love to see me breaking,
You only want me cause I'm taken,
You don't really want my heart"
»«

Ratchet swerved, his tires groaning and screeching against the uneven off-road terrain as he gunned his engine, avoiding yet another blast from the Vehicons. He was far outnumbered, and twice as outgunned, but by Primus he was going to avoid capture. His comlink buzzed on and off, and he cursed under his breath.

Must be blocking my signal.

The medic spun 180 degrees when the canyon came to an end, no other escape route in sight. The Vehicons - seven of them - quickly surrounded him, and he transformed quickly into his bipedal mode. His optics narrowed as he checked his shielding.

100%

I can do this.

His servos transformed into his surgical scalpels.

"You want a piece of me?" He growled, one foot sliding behind the other. "Come and get it!"

A few Vehicons attacked at once, their servos turning into guns and shooting at the medic. The Autobot dodged as many as he could, spinning and slicing at the first, then the second, kicking the third as he dodged the initial attack of the forth and then stabbed him from behind.

"You're going to have to try harder to beat this old mech." He muttered, shoving a fifth Vehicon into the side of the canyon, causing a cascade of rubble to fall on top of him. Taking a long vent to cool his systems, he prepared to take on the last two. His comlink continued to only feedback static, increasing his frustration.

Come to a last minute decision that it was better to run instead of fight, Ratchet transformed into his alternate mode, tires screeching as he increased the gas, and sped past them both, managing to knock one over.

"Optimus, can you read? Arcee? Bumblebee?!" He shouted into the com, but to no avail. "Will somebody-"

The Autobot suddenly careened off course, flipping several times before he transformed and landed in his feet, tumbling a few more times before looking up, joints creaking.

Soundwave silently stalked up to Ratchet, blank visor reflecting his prey's defiant and angry expression. The communications officer paused in front of him, clearly asking him to surrender quietly.

Ratchet attempted to get to his feet, growling. "I don't know what that warmonger wants, but I will never-"

The medic was silent with one violent slap to the helm, collapsing on his side and groaning softly before shutting down, Soundwave looking in the direction of the approaching Vehicons.

Mission: Accomplished. The words flashed on his internal visor, one only he could see. Apprehending Autobot medic Ratchet: Successful.

»«

Dr. Klindeston walked slowly to his car, keys jingling in his hands. Today was a rather successful day, two surgeries having gone by quickly and smoothly. Both had minor spinal cord fractures, nothing a few screws couldn't fix. Tomorrow, however, he was schedule for a tumor removal on a 65 year-old patient. He would be doing a lot of praying tonight.

As he unlocked his car, a red Aston Martin pulled up in front of him. If it hadn't been for the jerk move, he might have admired the car. But they were blocking his exit.

"Hello, doctor." A smooth voice spoke from the car, but he couldn't see anyone inside. "Or should I say, neurosurgeon."

Klindeston took half a step back, slowly reaching for the handle of his Tesla. "I'm sorry . . . Do I know you?"

The engine revved, and before his eyes the car began to shift and transform, becoming a humanoid robot that towered over him. The hand came down and smashed his car, causing both anger and panic to rise up in him.

What in the world is that thing?!

Red eyes peered at the surgeon, mouth part twisting into a nasty grin.

"You're coming with me."

Klindeston almost tripped over himself as he tried to run, sprinting towards the hospital doors. If he could just make it inside-

His plan was immediately foiled as slender fingers wrapped around his waist and picked him up, the human thrust into the robotic being as it transformed back into its car mode, seatbelts wrapping around his body and only giving him the ability to squirm.

"Squirm all you want, flesh-being. You won't be going anywhere." The robot sped out of the hospital parking lot, kidnapping the doctor with him.

»«

Four Hours Earlier

"Lord Megatron," Shockwave began as his master stepped into the laboratory, "I have completed the final product. Unfortunately, I have stumbled upon a few setbacks."

Megatron did not like hearing that. "What setbacks?" He growled.

"There are two. One, the device lacks an efficient power source in order to circulate energon. A second is that the patient and the device are far too small for me to operate on without complications." The scientist listed briefly.

The warlord gazed at him briefly, thinking. "Do you have any particular solutions in mind, Shockwave?"

Shockwave tapped on his tablet, pulling up a profile. "Soundwave has done extensive research, and narrowed his findings to one human who specializes in 'neurosurgery.' His workplace has also been identified."

"Doctor Frederick Klindeston." Megatron read aloud, scrutinizing the human's profile.

"He will suffice as a proxy for installing the spinal cable into the human." Shockwave explained. "His field of expertise happens to be spinal injuries, thus making him qualified."

"Then I will send someone to get him for you." Megatron tapped a few buttons on the monitor. "Soundwave. Send Knock Out to retrieve our neurosurgeon. Be prepared to meet any requests the human makes. We want him to be as comfortable as possible in his new operating room."

Soundwave acknowledged him silently before cutting the link, Shockwave satisfied with the eradication of the first problem. Now, for the makeshift energon pump . . .

"Energon always requires a power source to work." Megatron cut into his thoughts, but the scientist didn't seem too perturbed. They were thinking along the same topic. "And we know of one which works most efficiently."

"Creating a spark is nearly impossible." Shockwave rebutted. "And to create one of such a small size is incredibly improbable. The most logical course of action would be to have a donor."

"But such a small mechanism does not exist." His master frowned. "There are no Cybertronians even close to the size of a human."

Shockwave paused, then turned to his computer. "We may not need an entire spark." He reasoned. "If a shard can be kept alive long enough to be installed in the mechanism and working, then the problem will be solved. But the odds of such a small piece surviving outside conditions for very long is . . . Unlikely."

"Is it unlikely because it is unprecedented?" Megatron inquired.

The Decepticon nodded. "Yes. The shards we use to bond with other Cybertronians are not meant to survive outside of the body, away from the core and energon, for very long. It would be logical to assume an even smaller piece from those shards would not be able to persevere for very long."

"Well, considering it has not been done before, we never know." Megatron said, tapping his digits against the keyboard. "Could the mechanism be installed already running, alive? Establishing the spark shard and allowing it to pump the energon will keep it alive for much longer."

"That in itself is true." Shockwave acknowledged. "However, we are lacking in a donor."

"There are hundreds of Vehicons." The warmonger reasoned. "Surely one of them will give up a shard."

Shockwave shook his helm. "No, I do not want a simple Vehicon shard. The spark donation itself would create a semblance of a bond; the Vehicons are far too delicate to be trusted with such a thing." As if knowing what his master was going to say next, Shockwave continued. "I also do not trust Starscream or Knock Out with the bond, and Soundwave's spark is far too modified to tamper with. Additionally, I do not want to partake in my own experiment. As for you, my lord, I highly advise against it. Due to the dark energon in your systems, it would taint the energon and could possibly damage the mechanism itself. Because it has the property to bring inanimate objects to life, the spinal cable could come alive, and if it does so inside the human's body, it would kill her."

"So, if not a Decepticon spark, we would require an Autobot's." Megatron's mouthpiece twisted in a dark grin. "And I know of one who I am sure would be more than willing to give up a piece of his spark for her."

"The Autobot medic." Shockwave stated.

"Yes. Her guardian, as I've come to find out." Megatron pressed the sequence of buttons again. "Soundwave, send out a team of Vehicons, as well as yourself, to retrieve the good doctor, Ratchet. I want him alive."

Once again, he received a silent acknowledgement that the communications officer had heard, grinning as his optics settled on the small, almost miniscule device that Shockwave had meticulously created.

Soon. Soon everything will be as it should.