"Goddamn right, you should be scared of me,
Who is in control?"

»«

The surgeon looked at his patient with a wavering gaze, intimidated not only by the challenge but the robot who gave it to him, the self-named "Shockwave" standing off to the side as another, somehow much larger and scarier robot approached. He had been briefed on the procedure, but wasn't sure how much the girl knew.

"Hello." He said as warmly as possible, trying to hide his panic. "Dana Frederickson?"

"Yes." Her voice was hard and steely. It sent even more chills down his spine, as he didn't know how to interpret the tone. Was she angry? At him?

"Have you been briefed on the procedure?"

The robot behind her shifted with impatience, his lips pulling back to show sharp teeth. Dr. Klindeston swallowed, feeling his hands sweat in the latex gloves.

"I haven't been told anything." She shot a look at the robot. "Except that I will be able to walk again."

"Yes, yes." He nodded, and gestures to the small surgical theater the robots had set up for him. Lights illuminated the bed on which his patient would lay, and the wheeling tables full of all the surgical tools he would ever need. Beside the bed and his operating space was the device he was going to be inserting into her back.

Klindeston began to explain: "I will be inserting this . . . Erm, replacement above your lumbar four and Lumbar five vertebrae, where the breakage is. As you can see, there are two cables - cords - on either end, and I will be attaching them to your spinal nerve. From what . . . Shockwave told me, they are full of both sensory and motor pathways that will communicate via the centerpiece here. In short, it will be a neural bridge."

Dana nodded in understanding from her wheelchair, still frowning. "And you're doing this all yourself?"

"Soundwave will be assisting with the procedure." The raspy voice of the robot behind her reassured. "And afterwards, if we find his work satisfactory, the surgeon will be released back to where he was found."

"Alive."

"Yes, alive."

Klindeston tried not to be obvious with his huge sigh of relief. Grabbing a wrapped, sterilized surgical gown he walked over to his patient and handed it to her.

"I will need you to wear this." He then explained: "It's more for your comfort and decency as I operate. It just covers your front."

"I know." She replied, unwrapping and opening the gown. "I worked as a OR technician for a little while, before I moved on to CNA work. I'll let you know if I have questions."

The surgeon nodded, feeling his cheeks flush a little as she reprimanded him. Her job description had been in her file, he recalled. He felt embarrassed that he had assumed she didn't understand; it made him look insensitive and rather stupid.

When his patient set her gown aside to begin undressing, he paused in his retreat back to the theater and took a step forward.

"Will you need help getting that on-?"

A metal hand slammed between him and Dana, Klindeston yelping and scampering back as the larger robot leaned forward and showed his teeth, red eyes shining bright through the narrowed slits.

"You will not touch her in such a vulnerable state!" The silver giant snarled. "Not until she has donned the appropriate wear."

Klindeston raised his hands, keenly aware that the robot could be contaminating the site if he had not sterilized beforehand. "I-I understand, I understand . . . My apologies."

"Lord Megatron," Shockwave carefully and precisely cut in, "she may be in need of assistance."

"Then I will provide it for her." Megatron replied, glaring at his subordinate. "The surgeon is here for one job, and one job only."

Dana bit her tongue, wanting to go off on the Decepticon but decided it was best to just get it over with. And though she appreciated the privacy, it wasn't necessarily private, as the owner of her Cybertronian curtain was staring at her, waiting.

"Close your eyes, Megatron." She snapped. "Optics, whatever. I prefer changing without supervision."

Megatron frowned at his. "I cannot assist you if I am unable to see-"

"I'm not changing unless you close them!" Her tone became angrier. "I don't need any assistance, not from you!"

Klindeston was shocked at how she treated the large metal being. He could squish her effortlessly, yet there she was, angrily yelling and making demands. It was even more surprising when Megatron reluctantly, unhappily, and even angrily, did as she commanded; but he didn't close his optics, instead he simply looked away, towards his fellow Decepticons.

Knock Out immediately also averted his gaze, not wanting to see what a flesh-being's protoform looked like, as well as not incite the wrath of his master by looking. Shockwave focused on the surgeon, watching the nervous wringing of his hands and the way some sweat perspired across his face despite the temperature being a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or 21 degrees Celsius.

Dana attempted to change as quickly as she could, still getting the hang of scraping her pants off of her legs.

"Can I keep my underwear?" She asked over Megatron's hand.

"I would not recommend leaving a bra on, especially a wire." Klindeston replied. "It can bruise after several hours. A cami is a definite no, as it covers the back area I need to access. As for underwear or boxers, they can't be waist-high. If they are they will need to be taken off; but I have a courtesy blanket to cover you."

"That's all I needed to know." Dana muttered, tying the gown straps around her neck. "I'm done."

Megatron slowly removed his hand, watching as Dana left her pile of clothes on the floor and wheeled over to Klindeston. It was a little surprising to see how smooth her backside was, though her vertebrae did protrude a little when she leaned down to wheel herself a little harder. He supposed it was like the rest of the human body - smooth, with no indentations to indicate moving parts that would allow them to transform into a different form. It was an organic trait, much different from the Cybertronian make up.

"Erm . . . Soundwave? Are you ready?" Klindeston asked the faceless robot which seemed to be constantly staring at him. In silent response the Decepticon released his tentacles and used the small feelers to help lift Dana onto the operating table, his screen lighting up with vital signs as Klindeston put the respective readers on Dana's arms and back, the soft beep of a heart monitor, breathing monitor, and blood pressure reader coming to life.

"I will be inserting the IV." Klindeston warned her before he carefully inserted the needle into her left arm, checking the saline bag before also inserting the oxygen tube into her nose, making sure her face was comfortable in the padded hole of the bed.

Soundwave quickly calculated the amount of anesthesia she would need, projecting the number on his visor to Klindeston, who nodded and carefully measured the amount, the liquid trembling in his hands. He allowed the Decepticon to double-check his measurements, and when he found it satisfactory, he gave a silent indication for Klindeston to proceed.

"I need you to count down from ten." He instructed as he slid the needle into her IV, taking a breath and slowly pushing the anesthesia into the drip. "Now."

Dana refrained from nodding, swallowing her collected saliva. "Ten, nine, eight . . ." Her eyes drooped, mumbling the next number before she was silent, her heart rate dropping ever so slightly and her breathing deepening.

Klindeston checked her oxygen and carefully palpated her back for any signs of life. When he was given none he nodded to Soundwave.

"Let's begin."

»«

"Where is she?" Ratchet demanded as Megatron stepped into his holding cell. "Where is Dana?"

"She is currently resting from her procedure." The warlord replied, warning Ratchet to watch his tone. "Which I think you will be relieved to hear was a success."

"Can she walk?"

"We have yet to test her mobility skills, however the transplant was done precisely as intended. Shockwave was able to get readings from the temporary device he had placed in order to confirm its function." Megatron stopped in front of the medic, trying to decipher the expression on his face. Relief, anger, and . . . Something else. Something he couldn't quite place.

"I want to see her."

Desperation.

"Why should I?" The Decepticon asked, unable to help a small grin. He wanted to get a rise out of Ratchet, wanted him to beg. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?

"Because I did what you asked of me." Ratchet snapped. "I gave you a piece of my spark so that you could complete this borderline insane procedure! So I deserve to see my part- my charge!"

While Megatron didn't appreciate the yelling, it was satisfying to watch the medic loose his cool. It returned a sense of control and power to the Decepticon's spark. It soothed the helplessness he felt in the surgical theater.

"And so you did, but the exchange was that I would give her the ability to walk." Megatron grinned viciously at him. "And I did."

Ratchet growled, his servos fisting in the cuffs. "What do you want?"

It was so easy, Megatron almost laughed. "The coordinates to your base."

"No." Ratchet replied. "I will do something - anything - else, but not that. I won't betray my faction."

The warlord tilted his helm, and studied Ratchet. His cyan optics were bright with stubbornness; it was clear Megatron could not just walk away and know he would change his mind. Ratchet would keep those coordinates secret until the day he died, or was forced to give them up. He would have to ask something else of the medic, if he truly felt gracious enough to give him an audience with Dana.

There was one other thing the Autobot could possibly help them with. In fact, he most likely could. Shockwave was making progress with the synthetic energon formula, but with a mind that could potentially possess the complete equation . . .

"Give us the synthetic energon formula," Megatron proposed, "and I will give you a choice."

"What is the choice?" Ratchet grumbled, not liking the vagueness of the wording.

"I can either allow you thirty Earth minutes with Dana, or, you will be given ten unsupervised minutes with her. Your choice."

Ratchet almost couldn't contain his surprise. Unsupervised? What made Megatron decide that allowing them that time was the best course of action? It seemed Ratchet was not the only desperate one.

"I don't have the completed formula," he answered slowly "but with the right tools, I could possibly come up with the solution. But why do you need endless fuel?"

"To revive our planet, dearest Ratchet." Megatron grinned. "Come, I will show you, and then I will put you to work."

"When can I see Dana?"

Megatron turned away from him, beginning to walk out. Ratchet could either follow and fulfill his end of the deal, or stay and possibly never see Dana again.

"You may see her when Shockwave sees the completed formula." Came his reply over his shoulder, almost completely out of the door. "So, you best begin working as soon as you are brought into the lab."

Ratchet frowned, not at all liking how advantageous the deal was for Megatron, but he followed.

For Dana.