Guys guess what I'm not dead! :D Just reeeeeaaaaally busy. But do not worry! In fact, a very close friend of mine, Ninja School Dropout, and I are working on a new fic on our combined account; Auto School Dropout. I'll still be uploading here, just way less often then I use to until I figure out how to make everything work.

Until next time!

Auto

Transformers belongs to Hasbro

All OCs are mine

"Shady?"

"What is, Triptrax?"

"Well, uh, Ratchet did some CNA tests on the two newest recruits, Backshot and Lunardust for, ya know, physicals and stuff…and.."

"Cut to the point, old friend."

"They share some of your CNA. You're siblings. Step siblings."

Shadow Stalker paused, stylus hovering over the datapad she was just about to sign. Her optics narrowed slightly, antennae flicking. "Excuse you?"

"They're your step siblings, Shadow. Ratchet wants you to come down and meet them formally," the primarily burgundy mech replied softly, seeing his friend's wings flutter uncertainly.

Triptrax moved forward, laying a servo on her shoulder. "C'mon, I'll walk you down there."

"Trip, I promised myself a long time ago I'd never go down that road again. Not after Carrier's execution. I don't want anything to do with them," she whispered, putting the stylus down. She placed her helm between her servos, elbows propped on the desk.

"Shadow Stalker, you know Terrawing's execution wasn't your fault. You couldn't do anything to save her. C'mon sweetspark, you gotta give them a chance at least," he urged softly.

"I dun wanna Trip. I left that part of my being the day they abandoned me."

"Do it for Terrawing."

Shadow turned to helm, sizing her close friend up with a single, narrowed optic. Terrawing was a sore subject for her, having held a grudge against her carrier for almost her entire life after she was abandoned. But one day, the two had met on accident while Shadow was on patrol for the Autobots. Terrawing had apologized for her and Shadow's Sire's actions, and said how proud she was of her.

Shadow Stalker accepted her Carrier's apologies and had watched her disappear back to Kaon. A little while later, they bumped into each other again, and Terrawing expressed an interest in joining the Autobots. The two femmes and six other Autobots were heading back to base when they were ambushed by Cons.

They had lined them all up, and went down the line, a shot between the eyes.

When they got to Terrawing, she turned to Shadow, and the last words she ever said to the femme were; "I never wanted to let you go. You were my baby girl. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

Then they shot her.

Shadow had stood there, gaping, and in a daze even as a pistol was placed between her optics. She looked right into the blood red ones glinting with dark glee, and waited patiently.

But her shot never came due to another group of Bots passing through that had rescued her.

The femme blinked, bringing herself back to the present. "Alright, I'll meet them and that's it. If I feel myself slipping I'm leaving and I don't want to see them again."

"Okay, I can deal with that. Let's go baby girl," Triptrax chirped with a smile, wrapping his arm around Shadow and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"You keep that up and bots'll think we're dating," she grumbled good naturedly, walking out of her office, Triptrax easily keeping pace.

"You want me to stop?"

"I didn't say that."

The frontliner grinned broadly, causing the Femme Commander to punch his shoulder with a small smile.

The pair walked in silence down to MedBay, before Shadow stopped right at the entrance, trembling slightly. Triptrax placed a servo on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

"You've got this, sweetspark. C'mon."

He gently grabbed her hand, pushing the door open and leading the less-than-willing femme in.

Shadow Stalker paused, wings hitched up in dominance as a flier trait, as she stared at Ratchet and the two mechs beside him.

Well, mech and mechling.

"Commander, meet Backshot and Lunardust," Ratchet stated, motioning to the two.

Backshot was tall, but not nearly as tall as Shadow. While the femme was 26 and a half feet, Backshot was 20-21 feet tall. He had her sire, Cybershock's, cold, amber optics. She could feel her armor beginning to flare at the look, and the fact his frame closely related her abusive sire's as well didn't help.

He had almost the exact same color scheme too, consisting of dark grey, crimson, and black.

Lunardust had pale blue almost white optics with yellow rims, just like Terrawing. His color scheme also resembled hers, with many light hues of yellow, green, silver, and pale blue. He was short for a mechling with little winglets, and vaguely reminded Shadow of a small her.

"Backshot, Lunardust, this is your older sister-" the CMO began, only to have Backshot interrupt.

"Stormsurge. I've heard a lot 'bout you," the mech sneered.

Shadow's armor this time did indeed flare. She went to retort something until Lunardust, looking confused and worried, spoke up.

"Nu uh. Carrier said her name was Shadow Stalker," the youngling piped up, earning an entire room full of stares.

"Ratchet, we'll be back later," Triptrax managed to squeak, grabbing Shadow and dragging her out of the MedBay.

He had managed to get them all the way down the hall when she snapped out of her dazed state, and collapsed against the other, making low rumbling noises as her wings quivered.

The frontliner wrapped his arms around the other, mindful of her wings. "Hey, it could have gone worse. At least the little one seems fine."

"He called me Stormsurge. Trip, he looks exactly like a little Cybershock. I can't deal with that."

"Shadetree, you've survived the carrier fragging Gladiator Pits of Kaon. You can deal with a little twerp."

"All the Cybertronians I hated in the Pits I could kill. I can't do that now."

"Touche. Alright, lets go get some Energon and calm you down."

"Highgrade?"

"Does your spike touch your aft?"

"Yes?"

"You filthy liar. No. No highgrade yet."

"…There was a yet. I am content with that."

It was a little over three hours that Shadow and Trip left the Rec. Room and each parted their own ways. Shadow was heading to her quarters and Trip to the training room. Usually she'd train with him, but the femme was beyond exhausted.

The triplechanger was padding down the corridor, but stopped instantaneously upon hearing a soft voice.

"Monster~"

Her ice blue optics darted around, wings splayed out and sending pulses through the hall to locate the voice.

"I know what you've done, Gladiator."

Optics widened in panic and shock, the femme whipped around, antennae pinned back. "Where are you?!"

"So many innocent lives you've taken. Including your own Sire, tsk tsk. You're lower than the bacteria that forms rust, Stormsurge."

"I can honestly see why you were abandoned. You're such an abomination, a waste of space. How in the name of Cybertron did you get to be a Commander? I heard you use to work the streets. Oh! That's it! You bribed the Prime by sleeping with him, didn't you? Piece of flith you are."

"Shut up!" Shadow screeched, finally pinpointing where Backshot was hiding. All of her training from the Gladiator Pits shut down her normal protocols, switching over into feral mode.

With a snarl, she lunged forward and propelled herself up the wall, claws gouging into the metal as she yanked the mech off of one of the edges.

She threw him to the ground, landing over him in a crouch, fangs bared.

"Why don't you say that to my face?" she roared, claws digging into his neck.

"You're just proving me right. You killed my Sire! You killed your own Sire! Do you feel accomplished!? Was it worth it? You're just a drone!" Backshot snarled back at the femme.

Shadow's fist flew forward and landed a direct hit to the center of his face, causing her step-brother to wail.

"Do you think I did it because I enjoyed killing others?! He abused me! He abused Carrier! He was the filth you accuse me of being. But I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it, you pest. I was simply giving him the pay back and the respect he deserved. Maybe you deserve the same too," she growled darkly, optics flashing as blood lust washed over her frame.

Her servo raised, and descended on her target until something yanked the femme off the mech and caused her to go sailing backwards.

Shadow Stalker struggled against her captor, screaming curses at the crowd that had gathered, Backshot sitting up slowly and clutching his gushing olfactory.

"I hope you learned a lesson, bastard!" the femme snarled, trying to lunge forward, but burgundy arms kept her held fast.

"Shade, Shade calm down, please. For the love of Primus stop flailing," Triptrax murmured, holding her tight until she calmed down.

With cold optics, she watched the other mech walk away, turning around and mouthing 'You're the monster here' at her. She tensed, ready to lunge again until Trip started stroking the bases of her wings to calm her down.

"What did he do, Shade?"

"Everything he use to," she murmured softly, resting her helm against the other and venting softly.

"Shadow Stalker?"

Both Ex-Gladiators turned to look at the little mechling who had showed up, staring in awe at the femme.

"Mama told me a lot about you. She said you were one of the kindest sparks she had ever seen, and are a great fighter. I wanna be just like you!" Lunardust babbled excitedly, until noticing the Energon spots from Backshot. "What happened?"

Shadow looked to the little mechling, then to Trip, then back as she pushed herself away and crouched down in front of the other, cupping a servo to the side of his helm.

"Lunardust, I don't want you to be like me. I went through things no one ever should. I want you to grow up and be your own person, okay? Don't try and copy others. Be yourself, and don't let anyone change you. Don't ever let people tell you to respect your family because they're family. Families aren't always supportive or caring of the other. Sometimes they abuse and cast you out. But I want you to always listen to your spark, okay?" Shadow Stalker murmured, feeling her spark clinch looking into the innocent optics of the other. She didn't want the war to spoil this one.

"Can I still.. Call you my sister?" he asked softly.

"I would be honored to be known as your sister. C'mere kiddo."

Lunardust rushed into the other femme's arms, cuddling right up as she hugged him tightly. Shadow's antennae perked forward slightly in surprise at how quickly he seemed to be comfortable with her, looking at Triptrax in shock, who just shrugged in reply. Turning her attention back to the youngling in her arms, she gently nuzzled the top of her helm.

"You remind me a lot of Carrier."

Shadow closed her optics, antennae flicked back sadly.

"I hope I protect you as well as she did kiddo. She did one Pit of a job."