Live to Tell

[Ratchet]

Ratchet refused to look back up at Tarn.  He kept his helm down, optics still wide after the pain that had been inflicted on him.  Don't show the mech any pain, any fear.  He had to stay strong no matter what happened.  That's what Wheeljack and Pharma would want, anyway.  Just hang in there..  That was all he had to do.  Tough it all out and survive.

Even after the question was asked, Ratchet remained silent for a moment longer.  How was he even supposed to answer that question?  If Tarn really knew who else was deceiving him, then it didn't matter what name was thrown his way.  It didn't even matter.  The only thing the medic would be doing is putting those close to him in further danger.

"And what point.. would there be in answering?  I know your type..  You already know who it is, but you want names so you can break me.  You'll find anyone I name.. bring them here and torture them in front of me so that you can get whatever it is you want out of me.  But I say no.  I won't name anyone else..  I'm going to protect everyone from you, even if it kills me."

He couldn't bare the thought of putting his Conjunx Endura in harms way, especially now that he was carrying.  He couldn't bring himself to throw Pharma in this sort of danger.  He'd been through enough already, and that was considering he didn't even know that Tarn was the one who had held him back on Messatine at the Delphi Medical Facility.

Ratchet grunted from the pressure of the stasis cuffs pulling at his wrists.  It forced him to straighten up to put some slack on the tether, but he did not dare look Tarn in the optics.

[Deleted]

Ratchet was refusing to look at him now. Had his little demonstration shaken him that much? Some show of resiliency perhaps? Ah, it was inconsequential in the end. Ratchet’s answer was about what he expected. It stoked the flames of Ratchet’s courage, his hope, his stubbornness. And that was good. Tarn did not want his old friend to break so easily.

“How valiant. But who is going to protect you?”

Turning around fully, Tarn knelt down again, extending one digit out toward Ratchet’s chin. He wanted to see the look in the medic’s optics as he said it. That being said, he wasn’t all too concerned if he pulled away either. His body language would speak for itself.

“Certainly not Pharma.”

Tarn let it sink in. Yes, the doctor’s student, if he recalled correctly. He could be wrong, but he liked to think that his memory was quite acute. He had the distinct pleasure of making the pupil’s acquaintance on Messatine at the Delphi Medical facility. They had made a rather mutually beneficial arrangement…in theory. In practice, it had been designed to supplant the facility and cause the most suffering.

[Ratchet]

Ratchet grunted once more as Tarn forced his helm up with his digit, jerking in an attempt to get out of his grip.  He tugged harder at his restraints, but to no avail.  Instead, he settled on glaring at Tarn.

"Protect me?  It doesn't really matter now does it.. because if I offline, I'm protecting them all from you.. and that alone is a fate worth fighting for.  I'll fight for them, and if they come to rescue me, then so be it.  Either way, I won't let you win, nor will I allow Megatron to get his hands on the Synthetic Energon formula."  He knew full well that was the only reason he was still online at this present moment, aside from being used as a hostage.

It was Tarn's next words, however.. that stirred something within Ratchet.  He looked to the Decepticon Justice Division's leader, mortified that he had said Pharma's name.  "Pharma...?!  What.. How do you even.."

And then it all began to sink in.

'Delphi. I've been trapped there for so long.'

'I couldn't let them get to you.'

'I...I...please trust me, you don't want to know about the barbaric Decepticons who were there. I promise...it wasn't Megatron's current legion. These ones were more cruel and barbaric than the soldiers he keeps at hand...'

'I couldn't let you be killed by those monsters.'

It all made sense now..

"YOU!!"  Ratchet seethed, glaring right into Tarn's optics.  "YOU were the one who held Pharma prisoner!  YOU are the one responsible for everything he went through!  What did you do to him?!"

[Deleted]

“There are worse fates than death, of that, I can wholeheartedly assure you, Ratchet,” Tarn replied lightly, flicking his digit up briefly to scratch the underside of the medic’s chin before retracting his hand. “And I specialize in them.” He sighed, not liking having to resort to base threats like that. “There are multiple ways to extract the information. I am asking nicely. Do be reasonable, won’t you?”

However, Ratchet did not immediately reply to that question as one of his barbs had hit home. He exploded in a fit of rage. Only. It seemed that he did not quite have his facts straight. A recurring theme in their discourse so far, but this one made more sense. Of course Pharma would not tell anyone the truth of what happened at Delphi. No, how could he?

“Prisoner?” Tarn shook his head tutting lightly at Ratchet, “Is that what he told you? I might have guessed. No, nothing as barbaric as all that. No…whatever hell he wrought was one entirely of his own making. Pharma made an arrangement with me,” he explained knowing denial would undoubtedly arise in Ratchet. It was to be expected. But now there would be doubt.

“We would leave Delphi alone, and in exchange, he would acquire and deliver a supply of something for me. I’m not sure how exactly he went about acquiring it. Perhaps, if you see him again, you can ask him that. I’m sure it’s quite gruesome.”

“But, in any case, the Decepticon Justice Division’s primary concern is traitors to our cause. I’m not so unreasonable as to not be able to strike up some sort of mutually beneficial agreement. So you see, we never touched the Delphi facility. No Autobot suffered any harm or died by our hands.”

Tarn leaned forward, staring coldly into Ratchet’s optics.

“Not one.”

Standing, Tarn moved toward the door as if to leave. “Speaking of the doctor, I think I might pay him a visit. It’s been some time since his last shipment.”

[Ratchet]

Ratchet flinched as Tarn scratched under his chin, wanting him to let go.  He honestly did not care what happened to him at this point.. so long as everyone he loved was safe.  It was selfish in some manner, but he wanted everyone else to be alright.  He could only imagine what the others had to have been going through right now..

But even in his fit of rage, Tarn still seemed to hold the trump card.  Since Pharma had arrived on Earth, the medic had wanted to know what had happened back on Messatine.  It was a sore subject for Pharma, and one that the seeker did not like to talk about.  That's why Ratchet had never pressed him, but then there was the argument just before he had been kidnapped.  Jazz knew what had transpired.. and it enraged Pharma.

One thing was for certain, and Ratchet wasn't going to allow Tarn to change the way he felt about his adoptive sire.

"No.  Pharma would never do something like that willingly!  You had to have forced him into that agreement so that he could save the lives of those he cared about."  He shuddered.. just thinking about what this 'supply' could have been, but whatever it was, it traumatized Pharma greatly.  He wasn't the same mech he had been when Ratchet had been studying at Delphi.  He wasn't the same mentor who encouraged him when he needed it.  He was a broken mech.. and Ratchet wanted to do everything in his power to help him.

His optics widened in horror as Tarn moved back towards the door.  He knew there was no way he knew where Pharma was, but it was the threat alone that sank in deep.  "NO!"  Ratchet pulled hard against his restraints, desperately trying to break free so he could chase after Tarn.  "It's me you want!  Leave Pharma out of this!  I'm begging you!!"

Exhausting himself from fighting against his bonds, Ratchet looked down in defeat.  "Don't.. don't you dare harm him.. when I'm the one you want.."

[Deleted]

A wicked smile curled up on Tarn’s faceplate at Ratchet’s reaction. Ah, how he savored it. Ratchet begging for mercy. That was the trouble with Autobots. One could always use the ones they cared about against them. It was all fair in war. Tarn simply did not understand why they formed such attachments that could be so very easily preyed upon. Oh well, it certainly made things easier for him.

“Oh, so Pharma is on Earth? Why thank you for telling me, Ratchet,” Tarn purred, returning to the medic’s side, “I genuinely appreciate that.”

Ratchet could deny it all he liked. His reaction had spoken volumes for him. The DJD leader kneeled back down. Hm. A reward was entitled to him. Perhaps more of the truth? Ah, yes. That surely would satisfy him. “Pharma did it quite willingly. And, I can tell you for a fact that he was not saving lives. Well, except, perhaps his own. Whether or not you believe me, I am telling you the truth. Deny it if you like. It won’t change what happened.”

Patting Ratchet lightly on the shoulder, Tarn looked him in the optic and smiled. “We can come to a similar arrangement. As I said before, I’m not unreasonable. You know what I want. What do you want? The lives of your dear friends spared? Something else? As long as its within my power to grant, you have my word.”

[Ratchet]

Ratchet quaked as Tarn acted as if he was going to leave, his helm tilted downward once more.  "Please.. don't go after him.."

He gasped as Tarn returned, realizing what had just come out of their conversation.  Tarn knew Pharma was on Earth somewhere now..  In all of his efforts to try and protect Pharma, he had feared he'd done more harm than good.  His vents trembled as the realization of what he had done sank in.  Pharma was now in great danger, and it was all his fault.  If there was any consolation.. he at least didn't know his adopted sire's current whereabouts.

"You're lying.. I.. I know he wouldn't.."  There was no way that Pharma would willingly do something to save his own hide.  He had to have been forced into some sort of deal.  Coerced into giving Tarn what he wanted for protection.  The Pharma he knew would never sink that low.  "Pharma would never willingly take a life just to save himself!"

At the patting on his shoulder, the Autobot shuddered, wearily looking Tarn in the optics.  There was no possible way he could make a choice like that.  He couldn't possibly make that sacrifice.  "And pray tell.. what is it that you want..?"

Whatever it was, Ratchet wasn't going to give it to him so easily.

[Deleted]

Ratchet was faltering. Cracking slowly but surely. It was a delight to witness. Tarn knew just how to answer him as well. “Perhaps not. I can’t say I know him all that well,” Tarn admitted, offering Ratchet a line to clutch vainly onto before he snipped it. “But…perhaps…to save another life? One? Maybe two or three?”

“After all, when you weigh lives, you tend to play favorites,” Tarn murmured softly, “Those you care about are a lot more appealing than say a stranger or acquaintance. What’s one of these random mechs that you don’t know to one you treasure? And, if your own life is spared as well…”

Tarn pulled back a bit, shrugging. “Just a guess. I can’t say with any certainty,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.

“As for what I want…it’s what I’ve always wanted really. The success of the Decepticon cause. Equality for all Cybertronians and peace through tyranny.  You are in the unique position to accelerate its progress.  To that end…the Synthetic Energon formula and your assistance,” he offered a hand out as a gesture of peace, “And you? What do you desire?”

[Ratchet]

Tarn certainly wasn't wrong about one thing..  Pharma was trying to save lives, but it was more than he thought.  Ratchet knew all too well.  He was one of those very lives the seeker was trying to save.  Aside from him, he knew Pharma had desperately wanted to protect Dr. Cogwheel.. which was why he had sent her away with as many students as he could get to leave Messatine.

Primus.. if he'd known this was what happened, Ratchet would have returned to help Pharma.  Of course, the seeker had been right.  If the younger medic had returned, he would have likely been put in a situation that would have killed him.

Not that he wasn't in one of those right now.

"Every life matters, whether you think so or not.  Just because they're a stranger or an acquaintance doesn't make them meaningless.  I would never sacrifice someone I don't know to save someone I love.  I'd rather be offlined myself."

Ratchet listened as Tarn explained his half of the bargain.  All he would have to do is do what Megatron wanted him to do anyway.. and there would be a promise that his loved ones wouldn't be harmed.  However.. these were Decepticons.  When had they ever been good about keeping promises?  And besides.. Tarn's word meant nothing when someone like Megatron could just finish the job anyway.  No, he had a few words for Tarn.  Just what was it that Ratchet desired?

"I desire for you to get scrapped."

[Deleted]

“Of course every life matters,” Tarn agreed waving Ratchet away and standing, “However, in my role as justice and Decepticon, I must decide which matter more. You can’t take the moral high ground. Autobots have killed scores of Decepticons. Whose lives do you think your Autobots value more?”

“And what you do with traitors? Stick them in a cushy prison cell to ride out the war without fear or risk of death hanging over them? That isn’t punishment. It’s a reward. And rewarding traitors encourages others to do the same!”

“You’re a hypocrite if you think your hands are clean. You and your Autobots have sacrifed. Sacrificed us. For what? For each other and your noble cause. Preservation of a system that was fundamentally flawed.  Someones and somethings you love. Don’t preach morality to me, Ratchet! You betrayed me! You abandoned me! You and Orion and all of the others!”

Tarn snarled rising to his feet indignantly. No. He needed to calm down. This was no way to conduct a negotiation. Right. Calm. Couldn’t let himself get flustered so easily. Ratchet’s next words made that thought fly from his head however.

“RAAAAAAHHH!” Tarn roared as he reeled back and backhanded Ratchet across his face with all of his might. The medic was secured to the floor so the impact would do more than merely damage the face. A fact Tarn relished.

“I’ll have to correct you on something you said earlier,” Tarn stated with a low growl and wide optics, “It does not pain me that I cannot harm you because I very much can, Ratchet. Megatron needs you alive. He does not require you whole. And, as I’ve said before,” his voice lowered, edging with menace as he stepped over the medic, his shadow descending upon him, “There are fates worse than death.”

[Ratchet]

Ratchet looked dully to Tarn as he decided to rant to him.  He didn't care if Tarn felt the medic was a hypocrite for joining the Autobots.  He had his own views on the war, and many of his friends (if not all) had joined the Autobots as well.  It was a given which side he was going to choose, but he absolutely refused to let someone like Megatron take control of their now dead world.  They would have been better with the flawed system the Council had set in place than a dictatorship where any who opposed the ruler were enslaved.

Megatron would run everything into the ground, and somehow.. Ratchet got the feeling he wouldn't have just stopped with Cybertron.  The mech was too power hungry now, and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.. and then some.

Before he could even think to react, the medic was struck hard against the face.  He heard a loud crack as Tarn made impact, the force of the blow knocking him onto his side.  All Ratchet felt was extreme pain from the side of his helm all the way down to his neck, but also in wrists.  Falling onto his side had caused him to pull his wrists against the stasis cuffs, dangerously close to the point of damaging his wrists.

Energon began to leak from the damage on his helm, the medic not even realizing the blow had broken his chevron.  A large portion on one side had broken away from his helm.  Ratchet lie there with one optic tightly closed, the other glaring up painfully at Tarn.  He watched as the purple mech stepped over him, threatening him further.

"For someone.. who very much believes in being deceived.. you don't even pay attention to the fact that your 'lord and master' is deceiving you at this very moment.  You think Megatron cares what you do?  The moment he sees you as a threat.. he'll terminate you to.  But then again.. how could a monster like you notice something like that?"

[Deleted]

The medic’s continued defiance aggravated Tarn endlessly. Not only that, but he had the gall to imply something so impossibly laughable that Tarn knew he was grasping at straws now. He planted one heavy foot on Ratchet’s head and kneeled down to increase the pressure and lean his masked face into Ratchet’s own.

His voice lowered even more, returning to that lethal whisper.

“That is where you are mistaken. Megatron sees something in me. Do you know what? He sees himself. All those vorns ago, he saw himself in me, and he saved me. Gave me a purpose. Not that you could ever understand that. The depths of my loyalty. Oh no.”

Pushing off of Ratchet’s head, careful not to crush it, Tarn moved away, knowing that Ratchet’s spark could not handle much of his careless whispers. He stepped back, flexing his hand into a fist and back again. “I believe it’s time to dispense with pleasantries, don’t you?”

Ratchet would be made to beg. Beg for death like so many Decepticons and Autobots had before him. It would like some of the variety without the others present, but Tarn could make due. He very much knew how to. He just preferred leaving most of the brutality to the others. It was so inelegant. But Tarn would sacrifice his own comfort for the cause without the least amount of hesitation.

Malevolent crimson optics drifted to the medic as his hand clenched lightly into a fist once more. Anger boiled up within him again, and he descended on Ratchet once more with only thoughts of how to maximize the doctor’s suffering in his mind.

[Ratchet]

Ratchet wasn't going to let Tarn win so easily, even if there was no escape.  He had people he loved that he wanted to protect, and now he understood just what Pharma had to have gone through.. even if just a little.  Was this the suffering Tarn put him through?  If his adopted sire could keep him safe from the Decepticon Justice Division's leader for this long, then he could do the same for those he cared about.

"Gaah!"

Both optics snapped tightly shut as the brute placed a ped on his helm, only to cry out in further pain as Tarn once more displayed his vocal 'talents'.  The combination of the two was agonizing, and it took every ounce of willpower to not give in.  No matter how much pain Tarn put him in.  No matter what he did.  He'd keep fighting for those he cared about.

In one last act of desperation, knowing full well Tarn wouldn't be able to hear his connection to Wheeljack through their bond, the medic tried desperately to communicate to his love.  Even if there was no response due to the distance between them.. even if he had somehow found the Nemesis and was invading as this all took place.. it would ease his mind.

'Wheeljack..  Please.. don't come for me.  I can't let.. Tarn find you.  You or Sprocket.  Please.. you need to take care of Sprocket and Pharma for me.. and Strongarm too.'

Ratchet groaned as the pain in his chassis came to a stop, his tormentor releasing his helm.  Wearily, he watched as Tarn planned his next move, swallowing hard.

'Please..  Just do me this last favor.  Take care of them.. and tell them just how much I love them.  Every waking moment if you have to.  I'll protect you for as long as I can.. but I can't lose you to this monster.  I just can't..'

The medic screamed as Tarn struck him once more, the force of the blow causing just enough pressure on his cuffed wrists to cause minor damage to the joints.  He'd take everything Tarn threw at him, and he would take it for as long as possible.  He'd cry out some of the time, other times he would take it, but by the time Tarn finally stopped.. all was too eerily silent.

Ratchet stopped moving, though he was fully conscious.  Not a word came out of him, let alone a shriek of pain or even a whimper.  He was far too exhausted and in too much pain for it.  His helm hurt, as did his arms, shoulders, and.. everywhere really.  It all hurt, and while Ratchet wanted it to all end.. he refused to give in.

[Deleted]

When Tarn finally did stop, he felt a bit better. Splashes of energon decorated his visage now. And a pool of it lay at his feet as did the husk of the medic on whom he had vented a considerable amount of rage. Tarn let out a hefty sigh, stepping back from his prey and considering him with crimson optics. The silence rang out thunderously in the brig.

“Now,” Tarn said finally, kneeling down to Ratchet once more. He grabbed Ratchet’s head by his chin and lifted it up so that the medic would meet his optics. “You've forced my hand.”

“The Synthetic Energon formula,” Tarn demanded pleasantly, “You will help complete it. Do you know why?”

Tarn leaned closer, practically inches away from Ratchet’s faceplate. “Because if you don’t, I will find the ones you love, starting with Pharma,” he continued, tone still filled with warmth, “Bring them here.” Tarn ran a clawed digit down the side of Ratchet’s faceplate, “And then make you watch as I put them through every bit of the hell that you just experienced. And when you plead for me to spare them,” Tarn’s optics grew cold.

“I will not be reasonable.”

Releasing Ratchet with a harsh flick of his hand, Tarn stood wiping the energon from his hands disinterestedly. He walked toward the door, pausing just before he opened it.

“Ah, I seem to recall you’re rather terrible with goodbyes. So I suppose I’ll say it. Farewell, Ratchet. It was nice catching up. Until we meet again.”

Tarn opened the door and stepped outside, looking to one of the Vehicons. “Clean the mess in there, would you? And fetch Knock-Out. We need the doctor in good enough health so that he can work.”

The Vehicon hastily saluted, running off to do as ordered. Casting one last glance back at Ratchet, Tarn smiled beneath his mask as the door hissed shut with a resounding slam.

[Ratchet]

Without a single sound emitting from him, Ratchet stared at Tarn without so much as a flinch.  His optics were half lidded, his optics dull with a dazed expression.  He could barely even comprehend what it was Tarn was saying to him.  He vented unevenly, his optics losing focus as the purple mech threatened to find and harm anyone he cared about.

As Tarn released him, the medic unceremoniously collapsed onto the ground, staring blankly as the Decepticon Justice Division leader left, not even noticing the Vehicon that had looked back towards him before the doors shut once more.

He'd done it.  He'd made it through Tarn's torture, but he didn't have much strength left from the damage that had been done.  His armor was cracked in many places, paint scratched off here and there, and of course his chevron broken in two.

As he lie there in the darkness, Ratchet's optics closed as whispered to himself.

"At least... you're all safe.. for now.  I love you..  Don't.. forget that.."

And with that, the medic was out cold.