This was the last time Ratchet agreed to leave base for a supposedly "simple" task. Gathering energon itself wasn't difficult, but the appearance of the Decepticons made things complicated. Ratchet had no idea what they were looking for, not that he cared. Based on the distant sounds of mining drills, however, he could make a few guesses. Energon and relics were the main two. They could never just leave well enough alone, could they? 

The medic grumbled curses under his breath as he navigated the tunnel. He could hardly see anything ahead of him. It all just seemed to be an endless tunnel of darkness and rock. While he would normally switch on his headlights to illuminate the area, he was afraid that would give away his position should the Decepticons begin wandering down this way. For now, they were busy mining in another sector, which would hopefully give him enough time to escape with the energon he had managed to collect.

As Ratchet used his servo to guide him, his digits brushed against something that had a very different texture compared to the rough rock surrounding him. Was it another exposed vein of energon? He paused and turned to his right. It was a risk, but he decided to provide a little bit of light so he could see. To his surprise, it wasn't an energon vein at all. Embedded in the wall was some sort of spherical object that was shot through with translucent blue glass.

"A relic?" He murmured under his breath, glancing in the direction he had come from. "I can't let Megatron get his hands on this..."

Wrapping his digits around the sphere, Ratchet tugged on it a few times in an attempt to dislodge it. It was stubborn, refusing to budge. He grunted with effort as he pulled harder. Finally, the rock gave way, causing him to stumble backwards from the amount of force he'd been using. His arm shot out to stop him before he smashed into the wall. The Decepticons would definitely hear him if he made any loud noise.

Once the relic was safely in his servos, Ratchet let out a small sigh of relief. However, there was no time to examine it now. He still needed to find a way out.

Carrying something as important as a relic only made things more nerve-wracking. There was no telling what it contained, or how it could effect the war should it fall into the wrong hands. Ratchet tried to manage his fear as he wandered down the tunnel. He still had no idea where he was going. This tunnel could be a dead-end for all he knew. He did know that he was traveling farther away from the Decepticons' mining operation. The sounds of the drills were barely audible to him now. Whether that was a good thing or not, he wasn't sure. Perhaps they were just drowned out by the pounding of his spark.

If so, that wasn't the only sound that was drowned out.

"Well... it appears a certain lapdog has strayed from his lap."

Ratchet's energon went cold. He knew that sinister voice all too well. "Scrap.." The medic cursed under his breath. Slowly, he swiveled around on his heel to face Megatron, keeping the relic tightly gripped in his servos.

In the darkness, Megatron seemed more terrifying than ever. His enormous frame loomed menacingly over Ratchet, his crimson-colored optics filled with malicious intent as they gazed down at the medic. "What brings you all the way out here, doctor?" He rumbled, slowly lumbering towards Ratchet.

Ratchet took a few hasty steps back, trying to keep some distance between himself and Megatron. Unknown to him, he was running out of room to do so.

"Wouldn't you like to know." He muttered, glaring at the warlord with his usual defiance. Deep down, however, he was absolutely terrified. The thought of running briefly crossed his mind, but he still didn't know where this tunnel led. He was essentially trapped. His mind raced to come up with a solution.

The warlord only laughed at Ratchet's response. He hunched over a bit, the glint of his sharpened denta visible in the glow that his optics gave off. "Oh, I have a guess." He mused slyly, curling his digits at his sides. "And I'll be needing it rather soon, if you don't mind."

Ratchet barely had enough time to react, a yell of surprise escaping him as Megatron suddenly lunged for the relic. He threw himself sideways to avoid the warlord, keeping the relic protected against his chest. Once he regained his footing after slamming against the wall, he turned and ran further down the tunnel, praying it wasn't just a dead-end. He could hear Megatron's thundering steps right behind him, which only spurred him to run faster.

Then, the sound of the warlord's fusion cannon powering up filled the stagnant air. Ratchet yelped as Megatron began firing at his pedes, trying to knock him off balance. He was able to dodge most of the blasts, but his luck didn't last very long. Eventually, one of the blasts threw  him off his pedes. He fell hard on his side with a grunt and tumbled across the ground until his back hit the wall, bits of dust and pebbles raining from the ceiling.

As he struggled to push himself up with his knuckles, Ratchet noticed something different about the relic. It was glowing a soft shade of blue, steadily becoming brighter and brighter. He froze, confused by what was taking place.

By the time Megatron had caught up to the medic, the glow from the relic was practically illuminating the entire tunnel. Based on eons of experience, the warlord knew this meant bad news. He stepped back a few paces to avoid what was about to take place, unsure of how destructive it would be.

What happened was quite the opposite of destructive.

Ratchet could only stare in awe as the relic cracked open in his servos. A blue, wispy substance escaped through the crack and was immediately absorbed by his body, much to the medic's surprise. Within seconds, his optics shut off and he slumped forward.

Megatron was stunned into silence, his optics wide as he observed the scene in front of him. Ratchet seemed to be offline, somehow, still holding the relic. He snatched the relic from the medic's limp servos and examined it carefully. Of course, what he already knew was now confirmed. It was empty.

Growling in frustration, he threw it aside and pressed a digit to the side of his helm. "Knockout, get down here!" He snarled into the comm link. "It seems we will have a guest aboard our ship."

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hehehe HELLO! Welcome to another angsty Ratchet book

This idea is actually based off a roleplay I had with  Obsession_go_BRRRR-

Hope you guys enjoyed the prologue!