Healed [Sequel to Burned](Transformers Prime)

Chapter Eighteen | Penultimate

"What a wicked game to play,

To make me feel this way,

What a wicked thing to do,

To let me dream of you,"

>><<

"I'm not leaving you."

"You must. It's already too late. The virus has spread - "

"Ironhide, I am not leaving you." 

"I don't care. I could already be infected right now. Blurr got energon all over everyone when he threw up on his way to med bay. First Aid is gone, and its only a matter of time before we are unable to contain it. We have no cure. You need to be sent off-ship."

"But what if I'm infected? The symptoms don't occur for another few hours. You could be sending a ticking time bomb into space!" 

"There is no possible way. You haven't been in contact with anyone's energon. Chromia, listen to me. You must escape and find other Autobots. Warn them that the Ark has been infected with Cybonic Plague. Don't send rescue teams. It will be too late by then."

"Let me go! Ironhide, you idiot! I am not leaving you to die! There must be a cure, there must! Megatron would never have been so stupid as to engineer a disease without a cure!"

"I'm not risking it."

"Ironhide-!"

"You will forever be my conjux endura, Chromia. Ritus or not."

Her optics snapped back to the screens when they beeped in response to picking up Lockdown's life signal, the femme pulled from her muddled past and brought to the present. Her spark twisted and faltered when she recalled the memory, biting her lip plates as pain throbbed in her chest.

Cybonic Plague. The whole ship had been infected, and it had only been a matter of time before they were all dead. But she had survived, and it was thanks to Ironhide - the stupid, stupid mech.

Her digits curled to form a fist when her gazed rested on Megatron. How the warlord's creation had managed to get on the Ark, to infect her loved ones, she had no idea. But an anger began to swell in her chest.  It was his fault that she was alone.

Everyone was ignoring her, however, Blastwave managing to call Lockdown's attention. The silent mech sent out a signal that he had sent Laserbeak after Lockdown when the bounty hunter realized there was no way he could ever hope to take on Blastwave's ship and survive. They had to give the bloodthirsty monster credit; he knew when to pick his battles.

"So, now we just wait?" Dana asked from her perch, sounding a bit disappointed at the lack of action.

"Laserbeak will send us coordinates the moment he is able to reconnect with his master," Megatron spoke, digits gliding over the console. "After that, I will Groundbridge in along with Chromia, and we will liberate Soundwave from his prison and do away with M.E.C.H once and for all." His denta gleamed. "I will not forgive them for spilling your blood, and taking my most loyal follower."

Ratchet cringed a little, but he said nothing on the matter. As much as he hated the idea of letting Megatron rampage through a facility full of humans and lay waste to them, he hated the idea of allowing M.E.C.H to survive even more.  And though his spark still throbbed with Dana's sense of betrayal, he could not be angry with her; she was in the right to feel that way, though he wished she would see some reason. Without him, she would still be in a wheelchair - or worse, sharing a pseudo-bond with a Decepticon.