BRAINWASHED || BATTLE CRY (Transformers Prime)

Chapter Twenty-One || Destroy You

He continued limping after the human, even when Jack turned a corner and shot down two more Vehicons. Ratchet heard an odd clink, rounding the same corner to see Jack swiftly reload his weapon.

"Jack, wait!" He cried, but to no avail.

The human continued running, even as his breaths became ragged and painful, his legs increasingly heavy. He paused as he came upon a hall window, seeing a chance to, at the very least, make it back to Earthen soil.

"Stop-"

Jack turned and shattered the window into several pieces with multiple rounds of gunfire, slinging the gun on his back and launching himself out of it. Ratchet followed, stepping over the small ledge and gripping the edge. The Cybertronian glass cut his sensitive digits, his pedes crunching what had been tossed outside by the force of the bullets. There was one of many spires extending from the Decepticon base onto the top of a butte, under which hid the Autobot base. Jack was going to get himself trapped, as the only way to continue running was down. Ratchet's spark twisted, wondering if that was the plan.

"Jack," he called his name again, begging him to come back, stepping onto the spire with shaking leg struts. Gritting his denta, he watched Jack get farther and farther from him. He was in no condition to continue pursuing, but he had to get to him before Megatron could. If he could at least hold the human, maybe Megatron would reconsider his plans to execute him.

Jack felt more tears running down his face, however he was unsure if it was due to the pain in his body or his heart. Every cry from Ratchet was like a knife, cutting into him deeply as guilt filled his chest. Don't leave me, he was begging, but Jack could not afford to stay. Not this time.

He did not dare look back as he jumped from the spire, which was about ten or so feet from the top of the butte, gripping his gun tight as a jolt ran up from his heels to his ankles. Bending his knees he rolled, cursing as the hard gun smacked his chest, and the unforgiving earth did nothing to cushion his potentially broken ribs. Fire exploded along his bones, and the human shamelessly screamed in pain.

There were several precious seconds where his body refused to move, stunned by pain and the lack of air in his lungs. Sucking in a deep breath he stood, sobbing miserably as he forced himself to keep going. He had to keep going.

It was as if he was dragging his toes, scraping his boots against the Nevada sand as he made it to the edge, looking back and forth. Surely there was somewhere, another ledge, from which he could jump and slowly make his way to the bottom.

"Jack, please."

He felt his entire body shaking, almost not wanting to turn around, however he had no safe way down. Jack had to make a decision, a hard one, but he needed to know how much time he had. Forcing himself to turn, he gripped his gun in trembling hands, his fingers feeling numb. He was not sure if he could pull the trigger again, his joints refusing to work how he wanted.

Ratchet was still limping, the medic functioning on sheer will. Jack could see how his energon trail had followed him across the spire, however there were quite a few more slips, as if Ratchet had almost fallen off a couple of times. Jack had been too busy looking for a way out to even hear if there had been any cries of alarm. Regardless, the former medic was determined to catch up to him - nearly as determined as Jack was to get away.

"Stay away from me," Jack hissed, shifting until his left heel was dug into the edge of the butte. "Stay away, Ratchet."

The mech paused, not much distance left between them. His faceplates were shifted into a painful expression, however Jack was unsure if it was because of his leg, or if it was the pain of guilt.