The next time I closed my optics, I wasn't greeted by the warm embrace of the light. I wasn't as close to death as I previously was. Instead of light, the only thing that enveloped me was darkness.

I wandered around aimlessly in my mind, scouring every corner and crevice for something. I found nothing. I was alone.

Cold.

Frightened.

Lost in the depths of my own mind.

Even my own memories had deserted me.

I searched for a few more minutes before suddenly, the seemingly nonexistent ground gave out from underneath me and set me hurtling through the darkness. My limbs flailed uselessly as I tried to stop myself from falling in any way possible and I shut my optics tightly in fear.

When I hit the ground, or what I thought was the ground, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. It was almost like something had cushioned my fall. I opened my optics and nearly fainted in horror.

I had fallen into a pile of bloody Cybertronian corpses, all Autobots.

I tried to scramble away from them, slipping on the energon that absolutely coated the ground. There must've been hundreds of corpses, all staring at me with their dead optics. The black holes that threatened to burn through my head.

I felt bile rising up in my throat and went to purge, but nothing came out. The feeling lingered, but nothing came out. I couldn't do anything to rid myself of the sensation.

The more I looked around, the more terror filled my spark. I slowly backed away from the pile of corpses, though I jumped in surprise when I ran into something. I whipped around and froze at what I saw before me.

It was Optimus. His hands were absolutely covered in energon. The blade he was holding was stained bright blue with the blood of Autobots.

This wasn't right. Optimus would never do such a thing!

"I didn't want you to find out this way, old friend." Optimus spoke, slowly turning around to face me. There was this wild look in his optics that sent shivers down my spine. It was incredibly eerie...

"Find out about what...? Optimus, what's going on?!" I pleaded, placing my hands on his forearms and trying to reason with him. I stumbled backwards when he pushed me away, trying to ignore the smears of energon across my armor. "You didn't do this..... it's not possible..."

"Megatron's vision of what Cybertron should be like is ideal. I was a fool to believe that my way would bring peace to our world." Optimus continued, his voice growing subtly darker with each word he spoke. "Peace through tyranny is the only way to save our planet, Ratchet."

"No... no, it's not! You're delusional!" I cried out, slowly backing away when Optimus took a step forwards. "You're our leader! A prime, for Primus' sake! You can't side with that monster!"

My back hit a wall of darkness and I couldn't move any further. I only watched in horror as Optimus slowly approached me, his grip tightening on his dripping blade. He stopped when he was a mere two inches away from me. I could feel his hot breath on my face as I stared up at him.

"A prime must do what's right for his people, Doctor." Optimus replied, a cruel smile spreading across his face before he lifted his blade above his head.

That word echoed through my mind as the blade came down on me. I screamed, but no sound came out.

And then.... I woke up.

———

"The Cortical Psychic patch was successful, my liege. I have full control over his thoughts."

"Excellent." Megatron rumbled, folding his hands behind his back as he gazed at the one-eyed scientist. "How long will you have control once he is disconnected from the patch?"

"However long you want." Shockwave replied with a nod. "You will be able to control what memories he sees and the intensity of his nightmares. However, there is a limit. If an action performed in his mind causes too much stress on his body, his systems will automatically overload and place him in an eternal stasis. A vegetative state, medically speaking."

Megatron pondered on this for a moment, his gaze flicking from the motionless medic that laid nearby to Shockwave, who was standing next to a computer console. "Understood. Inform me when he regains consciousness."

"Of course, my liege."

Megatron nodded and turned on his heel, lumbering out of the laboratory with a sinister grin on his face. He had just found a new way to play with his little pet and he was planning on exploiting every little aspect of it.

Ratchet was going to suffer.