[|Courier of Darkness|]

/Wasteland/

Click.

The gun didn't fire as I pulled the trigger.

Click. Click. Click.

I pulled it three more times, but it still didn't fire.

It was empty.

Suddenly, I felt it dissolving into dust in my grasp and the realization struck me. This wasn't real. None of it was.

The seemingly solid ground then gave out from under me and sent me hurtling through darkness again. The wounds I had just acquired sealed up on their own, the energon ceasing to flow almost immediately.

A few seconds later, I hit solid ground again. It was hard and cold, like the floor of the tiny metal prison I was trapped in before I got stuck in this loop of bad nightmares. I warily scanned the area as I pushed myself up, wincing at the stiffness in my joints.

The first thing I noticed was the throne in the middle of the room. It was cruel-looking, with blades of swords jutting out from behind it. But what was even more horrific was the objects that they were piercing.

The three largest swords that mainly made up the back of the throne had three severed heads skewered on the ends of them. Thick, coagulated energon coated the blades and stained their sterling silver finish bright blue. It was a sickening sight to behold.

One of the heads was Optimus's...

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't help but notice the tangle of wires and spinal cords that were attached to the other blades. The victims' very sparks... ripped right out of their chassises..

"Enjoying the view, Doctor?"

Megatron's booming voice nearly caused me to jump out of my armor and I quickly looked around for him. But everywhere I looked, I could only see darkness. The only tangible objects here were the floor, the throne, and myself. Where was he? "Not really." I muttered a bit sassily, trying to hide the fact that I was utterly terrified at the moment.

An eerie chuckle echoed in the darkness, seeming to come from all directions. Megatron was in my mind. That terrified me more than anything.

"What a pity, I was hoping to get some sort of reaction out of you." The silver titan spoke again, his voice seeming to come from my right now. "Did you really think ending your life here would end it all? I have complete control over what you can and cannot do here. Your mind belongs to me."

"What doesn't belong to you..." I mumbled under my breath, still trying to figure out where Megatron's form was in my mind. I had to get him out somehow. "So I presume you grew tired of physically torturing me and decided to invade my mind?"

"Not that I grew tired of it, I just wanted to test the waters before the real pain began." Megatron replied. I could just imagine the hateful sneer he had on his face right now. "Since you no longer have any worth to me due to the lack of information I have received, I've decided to get rid of you. But, there is a catch. Your death will be painful and slow. I will slowly rip you limb from limb and revel at the sight of you bleeding out on the floor. And if you're still alive after that, I shall personally tear out your entrails and scatter them across my ship for all to see. You will perish as nothing but a worthless heap of scrap metal. Not even the turbofoxes would want your lifeless corpse!"

I didn't know what to say to that. Usually, I'd just take it as an insult and throw one right back at him, but my voice failed to reply. I just stood there, trembling as I stared off into the darkness. I was giving him exactly what he wanted: Fear.

"Silent treatment, hm? I guess I've made my point quite clear." Megatron spoke again. "Your fear brings me amusement, Ratchet. All you Autobots have gone soft on me, you don't have the backbone to even think of retorting."

I saw him appear in the darkness out of the corner of my optics and immediately turned to face him. If there's one thing I learned while trapped in this hellhole, it's to never turn your back on someone like Megatron. "If you are so confident that your scheme will work, why not put it in motion instead of wasting your breath talking about it?" I finally retorted, feeling a sense of pride in my chassis again.

I saw Megatron hesitate, even if it was for just a second. He hesitated. And I took that chance to act.

Since my cuffs were gone, I was able to use my blades. I charged at him, optics blind with rage, and slashed continuously at his chassis. Hot energon poured out of his wounds and splattered all over me, but I kept going. I kept stabbing and slicing until I couldn't even recognize him anymore. He was dead within seconds.

I stood over his lifeless frame for a moment, venting heavily as I withdrew my blades and examined the energon on my hands. A pit of dread settled in my stomach soon afterwards. This wasn't real, I knew that. But a part of me really wanted to believe that I had gotten rid of Megatron for good.

After a few moments, his body dissolved into dust along with the energon on my hands. I was left standing there, alone once again.

"I must say, Ratchet. You put up quite a fight for a lowly medic. But let me tell you this. All of your efforts will be in vain because you won't live to see this war come to a close. Your petty Autobots will be crushed beneath my pede and I will claim what is rightfully mine. Mark my words carefully, Doctor.... for I always mean what I say......."