June and Deputy Fowler only stayed till mid-afternoon before deciding it was time to head home. After smoothing things out with Optimus and making promises Ratchet hoped they would keep, they were sent on their way with Jack, Miko, and Rafael in tow. Arcee agreed to accompany them to ensure their safety.
It became evidently clear that everyone was relieved to no longer have so many humans roaming around the camp. Having one human to protect was enough. Six was nearly impossible. It was better that they returned to the safety of the human-place. Although, no one really knew if it would stay safe for much longer.
With their social batteries utterly drained, Ratchet and Taylor decided to take a quiet walk through the forest to see how the change of the seasons was affecting it.
Taylor could pick up on hints that winter was coming based on what Ratchet had told her. The most obvious signs were the trees shedding their leaves and the distinct chill in the air. Some of the more subtle signs included animals such as squirrels stocking up on nuts and the disappearance of certain bird species due to migration.
It was at this time that she realized this would be her first winter spent entirely outdoors, away from the warmth and safety of a house. While she didn't doubt Ratchet's capabilities as a survivalist, part of her was still nervous about what was to come.
Winters out there had the possibility to be harsh, but if the Autobots had been there for as long as they said, making it through the winter was more than just a possibility. It was almost guaranteed.
"Hey Ratchet." Taylor was the first to break the silence.
Ratchet turned his head to glance down at her with one blue eye. "Yes, Taylor?"
"What's the worst winter you've ever experienced?" She asked as she walked alongside him.
"I've experienced plenty over my lifetime." Ratchet began. He sifted through his vast memory for the moments that stuck out to him, which were in no short supply. "The worst one that I can remember took place when I was still a youngling."
"So... a very long time ago." Taylor snickered, poking fun at his age.
Ratchet snorted, a puff of white air bursting from his nostrils.
"Yes." He said while rolling his eyes. "My family group was trying to reach Iacon before the storms hit, but the weather pattern had been very unpredictable that year. We were caught unprepared and forced to take shelter. The snow fell so fast that by nightfall, the entrance to the den had been blocked. Every morning, someone would have to dig their way out in order to search for food."
"How many dragons were there?"
"Ten in total, including myself. Seven adults and three younglings."
"And you guys had to squeeze yourselves into that tiny den?" Taylor winced at the thought of how cramped it must've been. "How long did you have to stay there?"
"Days. Food was scarce. Huddling together was our only source of warmth." Ratchet continued with a sigh, as if he were reliving each moment again. "I thought I was going to die."
"You did?!"
"Yes, truly. I had caught a sickness and living on scraps wasn't helping either. Looking back on it with the knowledge I have now, my family thought they were helping me when they actually weren't. I could've died, but I didn't."
"How did you get out of there?"
"We were closer to Iacon than we thought. Someone managed to find a patrol and brought them to us."
Taylor nodded, pushing her hands into her pockets. She liked listening to Ratchet's stories because she knew that deep down, he enjoyed telling them. Bumblebee and Smokescreen weren't mature enough to understand the sentiment, and she felt that it hurt his feelings when they didn't listen to him.
"I'm happy you're alive, Ratchet." She said after a little while, a small smile tugging on her lips. "I don't think I've ever had a friend like you. You're better than most human friends I've had."
Ratchet slowed his pace as the shock settled in. He knew their friendship was unique in itself, but the fact that she cared so deeply for him when no other human had done so before surprised him. She viewed him as if he were a human being like herself, not the monster that the history books had turned his species into.
He would be forever grateful for that.
They walked in silence until they reached the edge of a lake. Taylor had not known of its existence until now and Ratchet had only ventured this far once before.
The lake was massive, stretching far and wide like a watery plain. It almost appeared to reach the border between the two territories, but Ratchet knew better. This lake only served as a reminder that they were approaching the border, not coming dangerously close to the line.
"I wonder if the ice will be thick enough for us to walk on it once the lake freezes over." Taylor thought aloud, crouching down at the water's edge to view her reflection.
"Absolutely not. Even if it is strong enough, I don't want you going out there. It's too dangerous." Ratchet said with a huff. "Not even the lightest dragons dare venture out across its icy surface unless absolutely necessary."
"I was just wondering." Taylor shrugged. As she rose to her feet, something on the horizon caught her attention. "Hey, do you see that?" She pointed across the lake at a distant shore.
"See what?" Ratchet lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. With his enhanced sight, he could make out two figures against the bare treeline. "Are those.. humans?"
Taylor nodded. "Looks like it. They must be out hunting, but... they aren't wearing any orange."
Ratchet cast her a glance of confusion. "What does the color orange have to do with hunting? I thought the main objective was to not be seen."
"Sometimes hunters will wear orange hats or vests so that other hunters don't mistake them for something else. At least, that's what they're supposed to do."
"So in that case, I'm a giant warning sign."
Taylor looked at him and giggled. In a way, he was right. "Yeah! Your coloring basically says 'here I am, stay away from me'. I guess it doesn't matter since you don't hunt that much."
"But I'm still perfectly capable of doing so if needed." Ratchet replied with a dignified huff.
"Calm down, you grump. I never said you weren't!" Taylor laughed. She turned back towards where she had seen the hunters, only to find that they had disappeared. "Huh. I guess they moved off. Can we swing by that old maple tree before we head back? I want to see if it dropped any pretty leaves."
Ratchet released a sigh of relief and loosened his shoulders, having been unaware of how tense he was until that very moment. "Yes, but let's make it quick. I can feel the cold crawling under my scales." He said, shuddering a bit.
The tree itself wasn't very far from the lake. During the short trek, however, Ratchet had a feeling that they were being watched. Something about the eerie silence of the forest just rubbed him the wrong way, like an itch that couldn't be satisfied. He'd always been a bit paranoid—especially when he was with Taylor—but something had truly irked him.
Taylor seemed to notice his discomfort and slowed her pace to walk alongside him. "Ratchet? You okay?" She asked, worry lacing her expression. "What's wrong?"
"Something doesn't feel right." Ratchet muttered, his eyes shifting all around the forest. "Someone else is here."
Fear pricked at her heart momentarily, but she pushed it away. "It's just us out here, Ratchet. No one else. You even said it yourself, the Decepticons wouldn't—"
Before she could finish, a bullet whizzed past her head and buried itself in Ratchet's shoulder. The medic roared in pain, barely having the time to seek out the threat before they were under fire yet again. He snatched Taylor by her jacket and took off running, trying to use what little ground cover was left as a shield from the bullets.
In his attempt to flee, he failed to notice the trap that lurked beneath the fallen leaves.
The moment he stepped into it, the trap's iron jaws snapped shut around his front left paw. He was immediately thrown to the ground and Taylor flew from his mouth, crashing into a cluster of thorn bushes a few feet away. He tried to pull himself free, but the more he struggled, the deeper the teeth of the trap sank into his flesh.
Taylor groaned softly as she lifted her head. Thorns snagged on her hair and jacket as she pulled herself free. Upon seeing Ratchet's predicament, her heart leapt into her throat.
"Ratchet!" She cried, raising her hands to try and calm him. She couldn't get close to him. His thrashing tail and flailing limbs could accidentally hit her and inflict serious damage. "Ratchet, stop! It's only going to sink deeper!"
Ratchet flopped awkwardly onto his side, panting heavily. His entire leg throbbed with pain and blood oozed onto his white scales.
"What is this thing?" He asked her, fear evident in his voice.
He'd never encountered something like this. It was an especially worrisome find since it had been on their territory. Anyone could've stepped in it and gotten hurt.
Taylor slowly inched forward, her gaze set on the steel trap that had Ratchet locked in a death grip. It looked like a gigantic version of a bear trap, almost as if it were designed to catch something much larger.
Something like... a dragon.
"It's a man-made trap, but... I've never seen anything like it." She murmured, swallowing the bile that rose in her throat as she got a clear view of the damage. She'd seen blood before, but the amount of it here made her want to faint. "Ratchet, I think someone made this specifically for you guys. It would be overkill for anything else."
"Humans have had no reason to hunt us ever since we migrated here, why start now?" Ratchet huffed in response, twisting around to see if he could free himself with a different method. That only resulted in shooting pain throughout his leg, which forced him to lie still again.
"Because, my reptilian friend... your kind makes quite the specimen for scientific study."
Taylor whipped her head around to see who had spoken. The sudden appearance of another human fully clad in black leather rattled her to her core. Something about him seemed familiar.
Men wearing similar uniforms emerged from the bushes and surrounded Ratchet, staying clear of his jaws. Each one carried a heavy duty assault rifle.
Ratchet curled his lip back to expose his teeth as a low growl rumbled within his chest. He lashed out at any of the men who came too close, though they were always just out of his reach.
"Don't hurt him!" Taylor demanded, placing herself between the man in black and Ratchet. Her mind was a whirlwind of panic and confusion. Who were these people? Why did they attack Ratchet?
"Calm yourself. We have no intention of harming him further." The man said as he approached, his hands folded behind his back. "If you cooperate, things will go much more smoothly."
Taylor pursed her lip anxiously. "Who are you?"
His stoic expression never faltered. "I am Silas. We are M.E.C.H."
"What do you want with him? He's done nothing to you!"
"I simply wish to study his anatomy." Silas replied. He gestured to Ratchet's wounded shoulder. "Our test was a success, seeing that our bullets successfully pierced his scales. The scales on the back and shoulder are the strongest and most difficult ones to pierce."
Ratchet's stomach churned uneasily. "How do you know that?" He asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.
"You aren't the first of your kind to be captured for study."
Ratchet felt his heart plummet into his stomach. Then, anger boiled within his chest. Cliffjumper's disappearance suddenly made sense.
"You did it! You took him from us!" He seethed, straining against the steel trap. "I'll make you pay!"
"Cliffjumper.." Taylor whispered under her breath as hot tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks.
Just the thought of what they could've done to Cliffjumper made her sick to her stomach. However, a small part of her hoped that somehow, he was still alive. Maybe they had him locked in a secret cage away from prying eyes. Though, the possibility of that was slim. She didn't want to fill herself with hope, only to be utterly destroyed if they discovered he was truly gone.
Silas showed no remorse. He simply waved his hand at his soldiers. "Sedate him. Take the girl, too. We can't have any witnesses."
"What? No!" Taylor cried. She tried to run to Ratchet, but she was swiftly grabbed from behind by strong hands and restrained. "Stop it! Let me go!"
"Leave her alone!" Ratchet snarled, pulling harder against the trap despite how badly it hurt. He felt a pinch in his hindquarters and whipped around to snap at the soldiers, only to feel another pinch on the other side.
It didn't take long for the sedative to kick in. One dart was strong enough to knock out twenty horses. Soon, the world swayed beneath Ratchet's paws. He stumbled, trying to stay upright, before finally succumbing to the sedative.
Taylor could only watch as they cautiously approached Ratchet's unconscious form to prepare him for transport. Soon, the roar of a helicopter flying overhead drowned out all sound and rattled the tree branches above.
Then, she felt a small pinch in her arm and saw someone injecting something into her before everything went dark.