The Voice Won't Go Away - A Transformers Prime Fanfiction

A medic knows when you lie

"Optimus." A voice called out from the medbay as Optimus stepped within, sensing his presence. Ratchet, he knew I was coming. Can't back out now, unfortunately. "I'm assuming you came here because of Arcee?" Ratchet could be seen cleaning some medical equipment, nothing Optimus was concerned about. "Indeed, old friend, she said you wanted to see me, is that correct?" Ratchet placed down the tool he was just wiping down onto a rack of sorts. "Correct. Sit down on the medical berth, I doubt you'd want to stand around waiting for me to finish." Ratchet waved over to the already prepared medical berth, even if it didn't take much to prepare something of the sort. Once Optimus got off his peds, he couldn't help but think back to the datapad he'd written in, detailing all the bullscrap he'd been through in the past few months, getting lost in his processor...

"So, how are you feeling?" Optimus jolted very lightly at Ratchets voice. He hadn't even realized his old friend was standing infront of him, looking up at him as he waited for an answer. "I have been feeling optima-" "Be honest." Optimus was quickly cut off before he could let out a lie. "You lied earlier, I'm not allowing you to lie to my face again." Optimus' audio receptors flicked down a little as he gazed down at his medic. "So tell me, Optimus. How are you really feeling? You know you don't have to lie to me." His medics voice softened, even if his body language spoke volumes of agitation and frustration. Optimus could only sit in silence and ponder to himself, questioning if coming here was the right choice. He wasn't ready to tell anyone, he didn't have the words to describe what was happening to him, to his processor, and Ratchet took notice instantly. "Maybe that was a bit of a jump. You don't have to tell me specifically why you feel the way you feel, or just specifics in general. Just be honest with me, Optimus." Ratchet gave him that option, and he took it in stride. "...I have not been feeling myself, lately. I do not feel unwell, but..." Optimus trailed off as Ratchet began to just look him over, a general examination while listening. "I feel lost. I do not know how I could tell you, as I know something is certainly wrong, I just do not know how to say it, how to explain or describe it. If I'd even sound believable..."

"Oh Optimus." Ratchet gently spoke. "What could you possibly be feeling right now that could be so unbelievable? Your mental health isn't something a mech such as yourself would lie about, I know that for certain." He continued, looking into the leaders optics, speaking honestly. "It's not a feeling, old friend. It's..." He hesitated, resulting in Ratchet to lean in a little closer, willing to hear him out fully. "It's a sound." Optimus finally blurted out, falling silent afterwards and not daring to continue. "I- pardon?" Ratchet looked startled, bewildered. "You are... hearing things?" He questioned, but already knew the answer, he could see it in the leaders optics, his emotions.

"A voice." He began. "I have been hearing a voice for sometime, and it started simply as almost nothing, garbled and incoherent in my audio receptors. But at some point it began to make sense. It began to speak perfectly, taunting me for listening to it, laughing at me for being distracted by its sudden appearance and disappearance, laughing at me. And I responded." Optimus went on. "And that only made it worse, sickeningly worse. It made itself known over and over, and I continued to respond, saying it wasn't real, and that... I was only going mad. Until-" He stopped himself, he couldn't go there. Not yet. "..Nevermind, I cannot continue. That... I do not sound believable." He looked down at Ratchet, who looked shocked, almost in dismay at what his old friend had just told him. This news, this knowledge... "Optimus, I-... I believe you, but- but why didn't you tell anyone sooner?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ratchet questioned, grasping one of the mechs servos inbetween his own. "Only because I had made myself believe I would sound insane. I cannot do much else right now but apologize, Ratchet."

Ratchet just fell silent for awhile, pondering how to respond or react, Optimus continued. "I believed I would sound like I had lost it. I feel like I have lost it to an extent, but I am uncertain anymore." Optimus sighed softly afterwards, only to feel Ratchet hug him gently, arms wrapped around the primes chassis as the medic leaned into him. "No. You haven't gone mad, you haven't lost it. You are still the same sane mech I know, but I believe you, I know you wouldn't lie to me about a voice in your helm." Ratchet looked up at him. "I mean, what would you earn from that?" Ratchet scoffed, earning a look from Optimus, before a soft chuckle was earned from him. "I do not know what I would hope to earn from such a strange lie, I see now my fears were irrational. Thank you, Ratchet." He returned the hug gently, before pulling away and slipping off the berth and back onto his peds again, stretching a little as Ratchet spoke up once more. "You needn't worry, Optimus, I will keep this a secret and allow you to tell the others in due time. I will try and find a way to help you, to remedy this, I promise that." He looked determined, honest, he would take up such a challenge for Optimus, for his safety and sanity. "Do not overwork yourself trying, old friend, I would not want my own situation to burden another." This earned a laugh from the old mech. "Oh please, Optimus. My job is to worry about you and everyone else's mental, physical, and emotional well being, this is no different and you know that."

"You heard me." Optimus warned jokingly, Ratchet nodding in return. "I got it, don't overwork myself trying." "Good. I shall talk to you later, old friend." Optimus stepped towards the exit of the medbay, both sharing a wave goodbye to the other before Optimus made his way back to his berthroom, the smile drifting off his faceplates as his thoughts trailed back to when he admitted to Ratchet about the voice. I almost told him. In my rambling, I almost told him about what I did, about the poor Vehicon, about... Optimus sighed, closing his optics as he gathered his thoughts once more. But I didn't. I will tell him later, much later, when I feel ready. For the others, I will tell them sooner about this voice at all, let alone what it has ordered me to do for it to leave me alone. I have a feeling I am simply not going mad, but that some form of entity, some living being is messing with me. But the only one I could think could be doing this is Unicron, but this doesn't feel like him... Optimus opened his optics once more to find himself at his door. He could navigate the base well without sight, he knew it by spark. Even the smallest of changes he would be able to catch in moments. Opening his berthroom door, he could feel the darkness of his berthroom no longer feeling so daunting, as if it was a burden, a terror, to enter his own room. Closing the door and laying in his berth, he prayed to have an actual dream tonight, if at all, and not find himself in the presence of the voice again, optics gently closing as he rested on his back, arms at his side's, and for once, finally feeling like he could rest easily tonight.

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Something felt off. Optimus knew he was asleep, surely. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't open his optics. But something felt horribly, eerily off. He tried to move, but at first he didn't succeed, feeling almost restrained on the spot. Then, finally, he managed to open his optics, and his gaze landed on a void. A darkened pit all around him. Scrap. Not good. And then, to make things worse...

"Hello, Orion. Did you think I'd leave you alone like I promised? Think again! You're stuck with me!"

Oh. Oh Primus no, someone help me.

(1411 words! So sorry this chapter didn't come out for almost 3 weeks! I got sick or something, lost a little bit of motivation, and generally forgot, I'm so sorry! I hope this chapter made up for the long wait! Some nice development, I'd say. ;) Leave your theories as to how this is gonna end in the comments ;)