His Spark, Her Soul

Chapter 7

Knockout sat down in a huff.
It had been almost a month since he started to complete his project and now it was almost done.
It felt strange. He looked up at the cryogenic tank, "Níki, it won't be long now. I will bring you back and we will kill Optimus and save Ratchet from him. He brainwashed our friend into working with him. He convinced him to not even give you a proper burial. We will get our revenge." He stood up, holding a datapad, reading over the numbers of the tank. "The dark energon is running it's course through your body. Soon, I will bring you back."

I stared at Soundwave.
Did I hear him correctly?
Breakdown asked Soundwave to bring up the groundbridge and we both ran through to the our old home. Not too far away, Níki's body was laying down covered from helm to pede with a covering. "She's not even buried!" Breakdown screamed in rage, running over to some rubble and punched it, letting out all of his anger. I slowly walked over to her and covered my mouth. How could they do this to her? I picked her body up and carried her back through the bridge. I wanted to give her a proper burial. I tried to ignore the tears streaming down my faceplates as we made our way into a back room of our medical bay. "Set up the tank, BD." He nodded slowly and walked over to the tank and began to plug it in. I carefully laid Níki's body inside and then we closed the lid.
"What happened to Ratchet?" Breakdown asked me. "Soundwave told me that Optimus took him. Forcing him to be the Autobot medic as the last one was shot in battle." I answered him. "WHAT? But we work for them, what happened to stopping the war?" Breakdown turned to me. He was upset and crying. "I don't know but not anymore. We will work hard to free Ratchet from the Prime and the fragging Autobots."

Knockout glared at the wall.
He closed his optics for a minute and then opened them, walking over and pressed a few buttons "Alright, Níki, time to wake up." He watched as her optics that were once a beautiful cyan, now were a deep dark wine. He chuckled "Good morning, Beautiful." He held out his servo to her after opening the lid. She looked at him and carefully took his servo in confusion. Where was she? Who was this mech? And why did he know her name?

Ratchet's optics snapped open and he stared at the wall. Something was wrong. He frowned before getting up and making his way into the main room of the base and began to type on the computer. He didn't know what he was looking for but he felt off. The click clacking of the keys echoed slightly in the silent room. Ratchet looked through what he had typed and barely understood himself. Why was he so worried? What was wrong?

Knockout smiled gently at Níki, "If I may?" He held out a small chip, "This has your last memories." Níki nodded slowly as she thought she was understanding this mech; turning around to allow him access to her processor. He walked over and carefully put in the chip. She sat down and accessed the chip that he had given her. There wasn't a lot on the chip. She opened it and watched it unfold in front of her.

(A/N: the memories will be told through Ratchet's POV, not Níki)

Then one night, I thought I had spotted her whilst taking a break from the crazy hospital that had basically become my home. I didn't think twice about following her as swiftly as I could. She was much faster than I was. We left the city before I even knew what happened and she met up with a group of unfamiliar bots. She unrolled a map and spoke, pointing to different locations. I was too far away to hear what was being said, but the group didn't stay too long. Níki turned and started back my direction and I waved to catch her attention.
"Ratchet? What are you doing out here?" She asked as she walked over. I looked her up and down. She had changed a lot since I last saw her. Her frame was discolored and scratched. She looked like she had been in several fights. "I could ask you the same thing." Pointing to the Autobot logo on her shoulder. I didn't really care what side she was on, I just wanted to know why. She glanced down at it and then looked back up at me, "Oh, it's just a metal patch." She pulled it off to reveal an Decepticon logo. "I work the sides. Feeding Autobots slightly false information while retailing all information to the Decepticons." I gave a slight nod.
"I'm just trying to help end the war before it gets much worse Ratchet. I didn't really have a choice. The hospital I worked at was destroyed and it was either lay down and die or help." She explained further as we sat down to catch up on everything. She told me that Knockout and Breakdown were working with the Decepticons. They fit in better because the Decepticons didn't have a medic before Knockout. I told her about the struggles of the hospital, how it was barely standing on it's own and how they staff has picked sides. "It's a miracle that it is even still standing." I muttered and she carefully placed a servo on my leg, "Ratchet, if you ever need a break just meet me here. I come once every week to give information to the Decepticon Scouts." "I can do that." I replied. She gave me a gentle smile before carefully walking over, placing a soft kiss on my cheek, "Keep up the good work." And then disappeared into the night.
Several weeks went by and it became natural to meet Níki after she spoke with the Scouts. I felt we had grown closer than ever before. But then one night Níki didn't show up on time and the Scouts got worried. Maybe her cover had been blown and they'd have to meet her somewhere else. I stayed in our usual spot, hiding from sight and turned when I heard something. I glanced down the way where the Scouts were and I clenched my fists. It was Níki, she was looking a little worse than wear. She yelled out to the Scouts, "Run!" And not far behind her was none other than a group of Autobots. They had caught onto her false information and Prime ordered her death and the death of the Scouts she had been giving information to. The group, instead of running, turned to fight and the battle became deadly. Optimus had showed up to personally see to it that the mole in his army was squashed. I watched in great fear as Níki fought with the Scouts, all of them charging at Optimus. But they were no match.
He threw her aside like a toy.
The pain that was drawn from her lips hurt me to the core and I was moving before I realized it. I got the surprise drop on Optimus and slashed as his helm, which he barely dodged. He glared at me. I stood between him and her. Optimus unleashed his sword and charged me. I was very under skilled to be fighting a warlord but I had no choice, if I stopped, she would surely die. He got the upper hand and kicked me aside. My back slammed into a nearby rubble and it trapped me under it. He grinned knowing that I wouldn't be in his way any longer and made his way over to Níki, who had just gotten to her pedes. She was struggling to stand up but looked him straight in the optics, "I don't care if you end my life, Optimus, you will not win." I could barely see through the cracks in the rubble. My pede was trapped underneath it and I didn't have the strength to lift it off of me. He looked at her. She was holding onto her leaking side, one optic closed. The energon that slid down her face made it look like she was crying. He merely smirked. "You were a fool to deceive my army." "At least it worked." She spat at him and he gripped her up by the throat, squeezing. She gasped out, gripping his servo trying to pry it off of her neck cables. "Do you take me for a fool!?" He growled and she grinned. He slammed her body against some nearby rubble and she cried out again. "I'm going to squash you like the bug you are!" Optimus unleashed his sword and held it at her spark, "Any last words?" She glared daggers at him "I hope you rot in the pits!" The words hissed out of her mouth like vemon. The Prime glared at her and unleashed his sword. Níki looked absolutely terrified but her anger covered it up. The new Prime's sword  stabbed straight through her chassis. He stepped back and laughed, letting go of her throat and watched her sink to the floor. "My job here is done."
"NÍKI!" I screamed out, finally getting the rubble off of me after freeing my pede. I limped over to her as fast as I could, shoving the Prime out of my way. I hit my knees as swiftly as I could, pulling her close to my chassis as I began to inspect the damage done to her. "Hang on Níki! Hang on!" Her good optic slowly looked up to meet mine, "...Ratchet..." She paused, taking in a breath "...is that you?" "Yes, Níki, it's me!" I cried out to her, putting pressure on her major wound, trying to stop the leaking. Happiness filled her optic and she gave me a weak smile, "Ratchet..." Her servo lifting to touch my cheek. The one she had kissed all those weeks ago. "Stop talking, save your breath!"
I couldn't do anything to save her. Her wounds were to severe. She would die before I got her to medical supplies. She shifted slowly "Ratchet, I-I just want you to know that I have always loved you." "I fell in love with you the cycle you fell into that stupid arena." I uttered "I was just too afraid to tell you." She cracked a bigger smile, "I know Ratchet, I know. I was waiting for you." Her optic began to dim and she looked at me. I felt anger. "Ratchet, live for me, please, never stop living." And those were her final words. Her optic closed and her servo slid down from my face as her helm fell limp. "Níki? Please...Níki!" I cried out but it was useless. She had already joined the Allspark. I rocked slightly back and forth. I couldn't think. I just wanted to hold her close to me. A servo touched my shoulder and I looked back at the new Prime with a glare. "Are you a medic?" He spoke with no sympathy and not a single sign of regret in his optics.  He was the one who cause her death.  I shrugged his servo off of my shoulder and stood, holding Níki close to me. "Yeah, so?" The Prime nodded,"You are coming to be my medic or you'll die like her." and forcibly led the way back to their base.

Níki blinked the tears from her now wine colored optics and looked over at Knockout, "How could he do such a thing?" "Because he's evil and he doesn't care that the war he started has ended so many lives." Knockout took the chip from her helm, continuing to explain further, "We recently learned that Dark Energon can revive the dead and after all these centuries we can finally have our revenge." He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her into a different room, "First, we need to fix that dirty frame of yours." Knockout immediately set to work on buffing out the dents and scratches and then led on to repainting her and shining her up. "Looking good as new." He showed what she looked like in a mirror and she gasped out, "Wow, that's me? You're so talented!"

~flashback~
"Wow, that's me? You're so talented!" Níki grinned as she looked at herself in the mirror. Knockout had out done himself for their graduation ceremony. "If you are this good, maybe you chose the wrong career." Níki joked as Knockout set the mirror down and chuckled, "Maybe you're right, but too late now." He walked over to his dresser and put the stuff away as Níki sat down on his berth, "Knock, do you think Ratchet loves me?" Her voice shook a little bit with nerves. Knockout turned to her, "Am I red and dating Big Blue?" She glanced at him with confusion and then nodded, "Yes?" "Exactly!" Knockout stood and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug, "Ratchet loves you more than anything, he just doesn't understand his feelings. Too caught up in being the best." "It's feels so hard to hold on this long." She admitted to him. "Whatever you do, don't let go of hope. He'll come around eventually." Knockout told her before helping her up, "Now, no time to be sad! We have to show you off!" And they left for the graduation ceremony.
~end flashback~

Knockout glared at the wall and took away the mirror, "A true professional." He set it down and swallowed the small lump form in his his throat. Even though Níki was here in front of him, living, it wasn't really her. She had none of the memories of before she died. The bond between them was no longer there, it had shriveled with her and completely died with Breakdown. Knockout rubbed his arm, he felt so alone, "Now to get started on your training." He turned to her and gestured her to follow him out of the medical bay and down to a much larger room. He was going to perfect her fighting and then crush Optimus completely.