Sideswipe stormed down the hall angrily. He had always known that his relationship with Ironhide wasn't going to last, but he didn't think the end was going to be so...ugly. He didn't even know why he was so worked up about it. Pit, he'd been on his way to break up with the mech in the first place. It stung that the older bot had beaten him to it, but there was no reason for him to be this upset about it.

'Unless you don't count the fact that he spent the entire conversation patronizing me like some new-sparked youngling.' That was probably it. And, tied in with the sting that came along with being dumped, the whole fight had left a poor taste on his glossa. 'Arrogant fragger.' He felt when Sunstreaker came up behind him, not bothering to turn to see if it was his twin. The reassurance and comfort the younger mech sent across their bond said well enough that it was him. The golden twin kept a respectful distance from his brother, knowing that Sideswipe needed his space right now. Sideswipe sent his gratitude back to his brother, but continued to dwell on the past two breems.

Normally, Sideswipe was the mellower twin, the one able to roll with the punches, but Ironhide had really set him off. He would probably find himself in the brig if Prowl or Prime got word of his response to the patronizing break up, but he didn't care.

'Aft wipe deserved it, for what he said.' He debated going to the training grounds, but with the state he was in it was likely that he would put another mech in the medbay. He could always spar with Sunny, but he wanted to hurt his little brother even less than he wanted to hurt a random mech who didn't deserve it. Deciding he needed to cool off he headed to the entrance of the Ark. Sunny followed. The twins transformed as soon as they were clear from the Ark, tearing down the road at breakneck speed. Sunstreaker took care to stay behind Sideswipe, letting the red mech set the path. Sideswipe headed out into the desert, towards a hidden road the twins had found one night on patrol. Once it was clear that Sideswipe intended to stay on the compressed sand, Sunny moved up next to his brother.

::Want to talk about it?:: He asked over their bond.

::No.:: Sunny fell silent, but sent a burst of understanding/determination/temporary acceptance that told Sideswipe he wasn't going to let go of the issue. That was fine. He just needed some time to work things out for himself.

----------

Sunstreaker knew perfectly well what was wrong with his brother. He had heard most of the argument after all. Sideswipe hadn't known it, but he'd left the bond wide open, channelling everything he felt into his twin. Immediately concerned, the golden bot had set out to intercept his brother before he could do any damage. Most mechs were unaware, and the Twins did nothing to change their opinions, but it was actually Sideswipe who was the more dangerous of the two of them. Sunstreaker had the attitude, and had taken to the gladiatorial lifestyle better than his older brother, but buried underneath all the bravado, explosive temper and vanity was the daydreamer who had longed to change Cybertron through his art.

Yes, Sunstreaker was a vain mech, and yes, he would beat the slag out of anyone who so much as looked at him wrong, but he wasn't always like that. He was the gentler of the two, the one that Sideswipe was constantly looking out for; for fear that someone would take advantage of his brother. When they were sold to the gladiator rings, Sunstreaker had learned quickly that it was his life or his enemy's, and if he didn't perform well, they would take it out on his brother. They would do the same to Sideswipe, but the merchant had been fighting most of his life, first to get them off the streets, to keep Sunstreaker safe from the scum who would use a pretty bot like him, and then to keep their place in society. It had taken one session of watching Sideswipe go under the whip to turn his outlook on life around. He had walked out of there with some mental scars, but his brother was alive. He fought like a demon until freed by the Autobots to keep from ever having to witness that again. Even after they were enlisted it was a facade he couldn't let go of. Sideswipe buried his dark side under his cheerful smile, but it was there, brewing. Thankfully it didn't seem like the fight with Ironhide was going to trigger an explosion.

The two drove silently through the desert, only the sounds of their high powered engines cut through the tranquility. Sideswipe calmed down, and the tension faded, leaving the two to race playfully, imitating stunts they had seen in battle or on TV, and trying to outdo each other. For a rare moment, they were free of worries, of duties, and of guilt, and both did their best to take advantage of that moment.

--------

Red Alert was wondering how things had gone downhill so quickly, as he dodged another barrage of shots. Skyfire had managed to talk him into leaving the Ark for some time to themselves. The Decepticons had been quiet since their last failed takeover, and the miscreants of the Ark were all being surprisingly well behaved. And with Prowl there to watch over the Ark, Red Alert ha felt safe enough to leave his cameras behind for some well deserved bonding time with his mate. Skyfire had packed for what the human's called a picnic, and they had headed out into the desert.

It had been wonderful, their time alone. They had left just before dawn, and Skyfire had flown them a good distance out, to where there would be no interruptions. They had watched the sun rise, lounging together on the warming sand. Cuddled together they simply chatted, catching up on things they had missed in the other's lives. They chaos of the last attack hadn't left them any time together. They broke out the energon mid-morning, taking turns feeding each other and exchanging soft kisses between drinks. Shortly after that it went to the Pit.

---------

Starscream had been chased out of the base after his last attempt to overthrow Megatron. Surprisingly, Soundwave had managed to point out that beating the slag Starscream would be detrimental to the faction's morale after such an embarrassing loss, and had gotten sent out on patrol until Megatron calmed down enough to deal with him. Starscream didn't understand t, but his wingmates kept giving him those irritatingly smug know-it-all looks. It was beginning to drive him up the wall.

The Air Commander wasn't stupid. He knew that Soundwave was interested, despite his monotonous facade, but then again, most mechs were. You didn't have a face and body like his without getting attention, whether it was wanted or not. The thing was Starscream thought he might be interested in the cassette deck as well. They had despised each other at first, but after the crash on Earth their positions as second and third-in-command had forced them to work closely, especially when Megatron made his periodic trips back to Cybertron.

Over time, Starscream had begun to notice things about the sapphire mech that he had overlooked before. Soundwave had been a communication scientist before the war. Despite his current profession, Starscream was still deeply interested in all things science, and the mechs began to bond over a shared interest, although Starscream's field was engineering and xenozoology, while Soundwave was solely a communication technician and developer. Soundwave also had a wickedly dry sense of humor, which had brought Starscream into stitches more than once. And despite Starscream's treachery and his possible-mate's loyalty, they found that they balanced each other out well. Soundwave was calm to Starscream's impulsiveness, and the anchor to Starscream's desire to fly. They were both exceedingly protective of those they considered family, and despite all appearances, would never leave someone they cared about behind, orders be damned. Soundwave was indeed an ideal mate. But then again, he had thought that about Skyfire.

That still stung. He had put everything on the line for his former lover, promised Megatron that the big shuttle would be a great addition to their ranks, had been overjoyed that they could be together again...and then his former lover had betrayed him. In a rage, Starscream had shot his ex-friend, destroying any chances that they had to fix things. And then the traitor had hooked up with that paranoid security director, who, admittedly, had been fun to screw around with when he had been glitching, as a form of revenge against his ex-lover. Petty yes, but that betrayal had hurt, Pit take it. Soundwave reminded him so much of the giant mech that he was hesitant to take a chance again, especially with a mech who was so damn loyal to the mech who had ruined his life. The more he dwelled on the past, and how the future could mimic it, the more enraged he became. It got to the point that he wasn't sure whether or not he was angry at Skyfire for betraying him or at Soundwave for having the potential to turn out like Skyfire. He was aware that he was angry at himself for being so timid and indecisive, but it was so much easier to take his anger out on something else. And speak of the devil, the two Autobots lounging unaware so many miles below him would do quite nicely.

--------

Skyfire did his best to shield his mate from the attack. He was much larger, and able to completely eclipse the smaller mech with his bulk. Unfortunately, that meant he was taking the brunt of the attack. He had much thicker plating, meant for space travel, so the shots from the null ray only glanced off his armor, burning slightly but leaving no real damage. They were, however weakening the structural integrity of his plating, and it wouldn't be long before those shots began to cause real damage.

Starscream cackled high above them, swing around for another pass. There was a desperate note to the high pitched noise, one that the scientist could not take the time to try and identify at the moment. He was too busy trying to figure out how to get out of this situation in one piece. It didn't seem like Starscream had plans to go anywhere, so waiting him out was not an option. Nor could they simply find a place to hide, as the desert offered no protection from the threat above.

Skyfire listened as Red Alert tried to raise someone on the comm. They were pretty far out, with minimal weapons, and nothing that could reach the Seeker high above them. He heard Red get in contact with Blaster, but the tape deck said that it would take a minimum of two hours to reach them from base, and that was if they sent a racer. He promised to try and reach some of the mechs on patrol, but it would take a while. Could they hold on that long? Red grimly replied that they would have to.

-------------

::Sunny, do you see that?:: Sideswipe was looking at the horizon. He could see what he thought were flashes of laser fire far ahead of them, but he wasn't sure.

::Yeah. Looks like a firefight. But who would be on patrol this far out?::

::I dunno bro. We should check it out though. I'll call it in.: Sideswipe didn't get the chance to though. At that moment a call from base came in, startling the twins.

"Base to Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, do you read me? Come in."

"We're here Blaster, what do you need?"

"Red Alert just called in a fight out in the desert. Apparently he and Skyfire are pinned down by Starscream. Neither of them have adequate weapons. What is your position?"

"We're about ten miles away from that fight, actually. We can see the laser fire from here. We're enroute to intercept."

"What's your ETA?"

"Approximately two minutes at top speed."

"Good. Back up is on the way, but its hours out. I'll inform Red and Skyfire that you're on your way. Blaster out."

The twins accelerated, excitement flowing through them. They had been cooped up for too long and were eager to stretch their legs, so to speak, and get back into the action. And, of course, they were worried for their friends. Off all the mechs in the base, Red and Skyfire were the only ones who looked beyond the masks to see the young mechs underneath. Although they enjoyed pranking Red Alert as much as the next bot, they respected him and looked up to him. They would much rather be sent to the Security Director for punishment then have to deal with Prime and Prowl.

The minutes passed by quickly, and very soon they were able to see the battle, if it could be called that. Starscream was flying low, concentrating solely on the mechs he had pinned, and dd not appear to see them approach. Skyfire was looking a little unstable, but still standing firmly in front of his mate. Red Alert was attempting to recharge his blaster, which had run out of energy early on, giving them to chance to fire back. For once, the twins did not run wildly into battle, but took advantage of their prey's lack of attention. Transforming, Sideswipe launched himself into the air with his jet pack, landing on top of the unsuspecting seeker. Sunstreaker moved to give the two pinned bots cover. Unsubspacing his gun, he quickly moved to Skyfire's side, taking aim at the Decepticon but not firing. Sideswipe was cheering as the jet did a barrel roll to try and knock him off. Satisfied that his brother was handling the jet, he turned to the two beside him.

"Are you two all right?" Red Alert moved from behind his lover, dusting himself off but keeping an optic on the sky.

"Yes, thank you Sunstreaker." Skyfire said nothing. He wasn't badly damaged, but a few of the shots had connected with his wings. He was effectively grounded until Ratchet could look at them. When he noticed the two waiting for a response, he said as much, but also told them not to worry.

Meanwhile, Sideswipe was beginning to be slightly concerned. Starscream had grown more erratic the longer he held on. The jet began to resort to desperate tactics to through him off, and he had begun to lose his grip. He wasn't too high up, but still a fall from this height would hurt. Ah well, he wouldn't die, he just didn't want Ratchet torqued off at him again so soon after his last tangle with a jet. Well there was nothing to be done about it now. As soon as Sunny got the others equipped, or far enough away from the battle, which ever worked, he could bail off and wait for the back up to arrive. Too bad the seeker had other ideas.

"Comfortable back there, Autobrat?" the screechy voice came over his comm. link. Surprised, it was all he could do to tighten his grip, instead of loosening it.

"Of course," he replied cockily. "It's the latest in entertainment ya know. Plus, seekers a pretty comfy, I could stay up here all day." Not strictly true, as his last encounter with Thundercracker proved, but he wasn't worried. The Screeching One was alone, with no one to shoot him off, while Sideswipe had his brother and friends down below to help him out.

Oh really. Well, if you're so comfortable, then you won't mind if I do… this!" Starscream pointed his nosecone in the air, activated his thrusters and shot straight up. Sideswipe was lucky to grab a better hold before the jet took off. Higher and higher he climbed, up to where there was little oxygen and the air froze. Tiny crystals began to form on the seeker's wings, but still he kept climbing. The pressure increased, and that, combined with the frozen water on the jet's wings finally broke Sideswipe's grasp. For one terrifying moment, he felt like he was hovering in space. Then he fell.

------------

Sunstreaker watched in horror as his brother disappeared above the cloud line. He couldn't see him, and the older mech was doing his best to shield his mind, but the golden twin could still feel his fear. He didn't hear Red Alert calling him, or see Skyfire doing his damnedest to get off the ground and go after the wayward Autobot. He didn't register that the giant mech's wings couldn't take the strain, nor did he see him collapse to the ground. All he could focus on was the sharp spike in his brother's terror, and the feeling that this was going to hurt him very badly.

Red Alert was torn between moving to his injured mate's side, and staying with Sunstreaker. Logically, he knew there was nothing he could do for either of them, and it was driving him crazy. Whatever was going on up there, it had to be bad. Skyfire was looking grim, and Sunstreaker, though he did not realize it, had an expression of utter horror on his face. The twins had seen each other injured before, almost to the point of deactivation, and he had never, ever seen one of them look as scared as the younger twin did now. He grasped Sunny's arms, shaking him, trying to snap him out of the trace he seemed to be in, but the other Lamborghini ignored him.

"Sunny! Sunny, snap out of it. You can't help him by staring at the sky! Now tell me what's going on!" Sunstreaker didn't answer. Instead, he jerked out of the security director's grasp and ran forward, hoping to catch his falling brother. Starscream had taken him a fair distance away, and he would have to move quickly to get there in time. He didn't make it very far though. Red tackled him, pinning him to the ground. He fought blindly, desperate to reach his twin before he hit the ground, but was unable to twist away.

"Stop it! Let me go! I can save him! Get off me!"

"Sunstreaker, stop it! He's moving too quickly and from too great an altitude for you to catch him! If you get underneath him, the force will kill you!" Peripherally, the red mech saw his mate move to intercept the falling bot, but he wouldn't get there in time. He was too far away, and without his wings there wasn't much he could do anyway.

::Sunny, little bro, stop it. Red's right. I don't want you to get hurt. Please stay there.:: Even though terror pulsed through the bond, Sideswipe's words were firm.

::Sides…no… don't ask me to. Please.::

::Sorry Sunshine, it's for the best.:: The red twin tried to close the bond, to prevent Sunny from feeling the backlash, but the younger mech stubbornly held it open. He wasn't going to let his brother suffer this alone. Call him vain, egotistical, sociopathic…but when it came to his twin, he was none of those. He would not let his brother go through this alone, even if it killed him.

All three bots watched in horror as the red frame struck the ground, spraying sand in every direction. Sunstreaker fought like a demon to get to his brother, but it was too late. Pain lanced through his body, and he screamed before laying still. His optics glazed over and he stared at the crater that shielded his brother from sight. He watched unseeingly as Skyfire clambered over the lip, and as Red Alert called for emergency medical aid. He saw the Aerialbots approach, and landing in the crater, presumably to load his brother into Silverbolt's cargo hold. He could hear Ratchet yelling curses, and feel Red Alert's gentle hands guiding him to sit up, to move to where the Aerialbots were situated, getting him situated alongside his brother. None of it felt real though. The only thing he could focus on was the quiet on the other end of the bond. Never before had he felt this. Even with their most grievous injuries, there was always a presence on the other end, whether it was pain, a thread of consciousness, something. Now there was nothing. Sunstreaker didn't know what that meant. For the first time in his life, he truly feared losing his brother.