This is my first foray into fanfiction. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Dragonsbane and Faith belong to me - the Autobots and Decepticons do not.


Prowl's optics activated slowly as the tactician came back online. For a moment, he could not remember why he was lying face down in a dark cell. Then his repair systems kicked in and it all came flooding back.

The Autobots had been fighting the Decepticons at a power plant in nearby Montana. The odds were for the Autobots until several new Decepticons had shown up. The last thing the tactician could recall was one of the new Cons – a femme - standing over him, a jet engine flame thrower pointed at his face.

A muffled groan turned Prowl's attention to his cell matesm SideSwipe, Sunstreaker, Dragonsbane and Faith. The twins were just coming online. SideSwipe glanced around and cursed long and loud. Faith's orange optics widened. The little medic-in-training had never heard those words spoken before.

"I can't believe those slagging 'Cons captured us!" Sunstreaker hissed. Faith snorted scornfully and threw the yellow bot a flat glance.

"Well, duh. We were all knocked offline, genius." Sunstreaker held himself back from throttling the little femme. He glanced at Dragonsbane, expecting to hear some witty remark.

"Hey...what's with Dragonsbane?" Faith glanced at her fellow femme. Dragonsbane's blue optics were wide, and she was gently rocking back and forth. Faith made a face.

"Uh oh." She replied simply.

Prowl took a closer look at the Dragonbot. Her frame was stiff, trembling in the shoulders and hands. Her optics were focused on a fixed point on the floor, and faint whispering could be heard. At first, Prowl had dismissed it as the Decepticon guards. However, he now realized that the fear-filled voice was Dragonsbane.

"I can do this...I can do this...I can do this..." Dragonsbane's voice began to rise in pitch. Now the twins and Faith had noticed it, too. The stock car bit her lip as her friend began shaking.

"Faith, what's wrong with Dragonsbane?" The young femme sighed. She knew to obey when Prowl used that tone. She glanced up at her hysterical friend, hoping she wouldn't get mad.

"Dragonsbane has achluophobia..." Faith explained. The twins stared at her blankly.

"….what's achluophobia?" asked Sunstreaker.

"Achluophobia is the fear of the dark." replied Prowl. Faith nodded.

"Her optics aren't tuned to see in light this dim….and neither her imagination, nor last night's horror marathon are helping." She glanced back at Dragonsbane and placed a hand on her friend's knee, whispering encouraging words to her. Dragonsbane shut down her optics and took a few deep, shaky breaths, trying to get herself under control. It didn't seem to be working. Several hours passed. Dragonsbane's rhythimatic chanting had faded to a background noise. But a break in the chant brought the cell occupants out of a restless recharge.

"I can do this...I can do this...I ...c-can...I-I...I can't do this!" Dragonsbane suddenly leaped to her feet and raced to the door, pounding on it with all of her considerable strength and screaming at the top of her voice.

"Let me out! Let me out! LET ME OUT!" SideSwipe and Sunstreaker jumped up and tried to hold her back, but the femme shrugged them off and continued pounding on the door. Faith stopped them from trying again.

"No, wait! She's actually making progress!" Prowl watched the sturdy door begin to bend beneath the femme's relentless barrage.

"There's no way the Cons won't hear her-" At that moment, the door collapsed with an almightily crash and Dragonsbane leaped from the cell. The Autobots didn't move as painful screams filled the air, followed by the sound of ripping metal and the gentle splat of energon dripping from a wound. Then footsteps were heard retreating, and the inmates dared to poke their heads out.

Dragonsbane was standing calmly among the energon-coated shrapnel left over from the fight, shaking off energon and coolant. The Decepticon guards had obviously been given a thorough thrashing. The Dragonbot looked up at the Autobots staring at her. She raised an optic ridge.

"...What?" She asked. "Why are you staring at me like that?" Indeed, her companions looked like they'd just heard Bluestreak curse.

"You mean..." Sunstreaker was the first to find his voice. "You don't remember?" Dragonsbane looked blank.

"Remember what?"

"Thrashing the cell door and the guards, for one."

"Not to mention the way you threw us off like we were nothing." SideSwipe added flatly. Dragonsbane looked at the former cell door, now dented, bent and broken in numerous places. She looked down at the pieces of the Decepticon guards still scattered around her feet. Then she looked back at her friends.

"...Not ringing any bells. Sorry." The twins slapped their foreheads. Faith hid a grin as she kicked the remains of the cell door out of the way.

"Come on,"she grinned. "Let's get out of here. This is gonna make one interesting report when we get back!"

"Speak for yourself..." muttered Dragonsbane as the group proceeded to sneak down the hall. "Mine's gonna be humiliating...and short."