This will be my second Transformers FanFiction, and this one is a bit darker than Hidden Past. I am going to enjoy writing this one. Like it or hate it, I don't care, but tell me either way. ~ Dusk

"Get out of the way," growled a rather small black and dark blue mech, who happened to be facing off with the entire Decepticon army at that moment.

A white and black mech, almost identical to the first stood, glaring up at Megatron. "I don't want to do this," he warned, "but if you insist on it."

"How dare you, Autobots," exclaimed the Decepticon leader, preparing to blast the both of them out of existence.

"How dare we do what?" challenged the first mech. "This?" The second darted off, transforming into a racing bike.

"Oh, is your partner running away?" teased Starscream, taking up a position next to Megatron.

"Hardly."

All of a sudden, half the Decepticon warriors were on the ground, groaning. Metallic blue energon poured from their torn circuitry, seeping into the sand beneath them. One of the fallen soldiers had a message carved into his chestplate. Your choice – fight us, or we will kill you all.

The white and black mech appeared again, his armor stained with energon. He grinned madly at the remaining soldiers, sending them running away as fast as they could.

"Get back here, you cowards!" Megatron roared. He grabbed Starscream by a tailfin when the second-in-command tried to fly away.

"So, Megahead, what's your decision?" asked the first 'bot, pulling a long, seemingly clumsy sword from its scabbard.

"It. IS. MEGATRON!" The Decepticon leader lunged for the Autobot, only to receive a devastating blow to his side from the second.

"This is going to be fun, Rapidblast," said the first.

"Agreed, Quickstrike. Pity no others are here to witness it," remarked the one apparently called Rapidblast.

Then they attacked. Neither Megatron nor Starscream had before seen such a fast series of blows. Quickstrike would come in close to wound them with his sword, backing off just as Rapidblast let loose a furious barrage of laserbolts.

"That's not fair," complained Starscream when Rapidblast blindsided him.

"Nothing's fair and you should know it."

Quickstrike glanced at the crowd forming at the top of the crater. "Decepticons and Autobots, here now for the last time anywhere – Starscream!" He smiled wickedly at the second-in-command cowering below him. Turning to Rapidblast, he raised his sword. "Ready?"

"You know me so well, brother."

As they were about to deal the final blow to the Decepticon, Ironhide came down the side of the crater. "Stop it!" He pinned Rapidblast. "You know we do not kill unless necessary." Pushing the brothers to the ground, he faced Megatron. "I apologize for the damage caused by these two. Be assured, they will be dealt with, strictly."

"See that they are," Megatron narrowed his optics, dragging off a severely wounded Starscream.

"As for you…" Ironhide was disappointed, but not altogether surprised by Rapidblast and Quickstrike's actions. "You've been warned a thousand times. I will have to tell Optimus of this."

"Go ahead." Rapidblast dismissed the comment, looking down at the Decepticon corpses beneath his feet. 'Corpses' He giggled insanely. What a word. What a cold, spark-stopping, delightful word. "We don't care."

Ratchet slid down the slope, checking the two small 'bots for injuries. As always, they had sustained none. "Go back to base," he commanded the young warriors. "Someone wants to have a talk with you."

Later, At Autobot Base:

"I told you over and over again – I've told you so many times I can't remember exact statistics – you cannot kill unless there is a reason!"

Rapidblast smirked, while Quickstrike yawned. "Have you quite finished yelling yet?"

Cliffjumper was outraged. "No, I have not finished yelling yet!" He grabbed them both, throwing them against the wall. "You have no clue do you? You two are a danger to your fellow Autobots, and to each other. How long before you turn on us? On each other?"

The brothers were stunned. Turn on each other? How could Cliffjumper possibly think they would dare hurt their own brother? Sure, once they had finished with the Decepticons, they'd turn on the Autobots, but who cares. Optimus Prime and his lackeys were nothing compared to the Decepticon Army. In fact, Rapidblast and Quickstrike were amazed the Autobots survived this long.

"We'd never do that," Rapidblast said slowly, "What would make you believe such a ridiculous idea?"

"I've seen you two in the training room. You fight much the same there as you do on the battlefield – ruthlessly, without mercy – Ratchet and Wheeljack told me you once came out of there so beat up, they thought you had been fighting Megatron himself. It took them well over a week to get you both fixed. My point is, every time you train somehow you seem to forget you're brothers. What happens if one of you goes too far?"

"We won't. End of story." Quickstrike turned his back on Cliffjumper, beginning to sharpen his sword.

"Quickstrike's right, he wouldn't turn on me, and I wouldn't turn on him." Rapidblast pivoted on his heel, concentrating on calibrating his rifle.

Cliffjumper raised his hands in the universal sign for surrender. "Primus, help me not to strangle these two."

At the Same Time:

"I told you, Prime, those two are liabilities," Ironhide was desperately trying to convince his commander to send Rapidblast and Quickstrike off-world, "They are dangerous – ruthless – and they won't stop even if every Decepticon is offline. Those two love to kill. Why did you accept them as Autobots? You've seen what they are capable of. They need to be stopped."

"Ironhide, I trust your judgment," Optimus laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, "but every 'bot needs to be given a chance, ruthless or not. Give them time."

"I don't think they'll change." Ironhide insisted, shrugging off the Autobot leader's hand. "I don't see how they can change."

Training Room:

Quickstrike had left his sword in his quarters, preferring to brandish a special dagger instead. Similarly, Rapidblast exchanged his rifle for a highly advanced pistol. Of course, bringing real weapons into the training room was forbidden, but who cared. Everyone did.

Right then, the black and blue mech was crouched in the rafters, waiting in silence for his brother to turn around. He shifted into a better position to leap down on top of the white and black 'bot.

Rapidblast whipped around, hearing the sharp creak of Quickstrike's armor as he moved. "Come out, come out, wherever you are." He smirked in satisfaction when he heard a swift movement behind him. "I can hear you."

"Hear this!" The tip of Quickstrike's dagger pierced his brother's back, sending a splash of energon onto the carbon-steel floor.

"Very good," Rapidblast complimented, "now block this."

He threw Quickstrike to the ground, pressing the pistol to the other's throat. Quickstrike's optics gleamed in fury, but he didn't dare move. Rapidblast pulled the trigger, leaving a ragged gash in his brother's neck.

Regardless, Quickstrike counterattacked, he slashed viciously, tearing slits and other wounds into his partner's armor. The match went on and on, until the ground was littered with pieces of metal plating and covered in spilled energon. Still, they didn't stop. Rapidblast threw volley upon volley of laserblots at Quickstrike, each one hitting its mark. Quickstrike was skilled in his movements, cutting and ripping hardened metal like tin foil.

Finally, too exhausted to fight anymore, they both collapsed on the ground. Quickstrike turned his head, barely giving thought to his injured neck, to look at his brother. "What's the count?"

"Which one?"

"The count."

"Right, that one," Rapidblast painfully holstered his pistol, thinking. "Two Thousand – not including non-sentient beings and non-Cybertronians."

"Good." Quickstrike heard heavy footsteps coming toward them. "But not good enough. Not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough."

He panted, unsure of whether to get up and face the Autobots, or just wait for the yelling to be over. A dull thunk came from beside him. Rapidblast had passed out from energon loss.

Then, as his vision went dark, Quickstrike swore he could hear Ratchet's annoyed voice scolding him for the 'dangerous' practice bout.

His last thought was. 'Must get better. Must get faster. Can't let enemies have chan…'