Riella/Iceheart, Melody, and Gamma are my OCs. The others are canon.

For maximum effect during the armor-up sequence, listen to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme. It makes it infinitely cooler. ;)

Mission Iceheart

Riella scanned the briefing room one last time to make sure everyone she needed was present. Yes, they were; Mirage was seated off to her left, Melody two seats down on the right, a disgruntled Signal Flare beside her and Trailbreaker beside him, and Hound beside Mirage. Elita One sat at the far end of the table; as the femme commander and Optimus Prime's sparkmate, she was there to ensure that the mission met with command approval.

Satisfied, Riella rose and tapped lightly on the table, getting everyone's attention before speaking. "Thank you for coming on short notice, everyone, especially Elita. I will not bore you with details that you already know; suffice to say, Prowl and Jazz are currently MIA, and I have evidence that suggests they are in northern Trypticon, possibly in the Decepticon command center itself." She waited to see the reaction; other than a slight murmur, there were no interruptions of shock. Elita, Signal Flare, and Trailbreaker had probably already drawn the same conclusion, and the younger three were too polite to interrupt. "Are there any questions? Other than 'what are your plans?'; I will tell you that without any questions needed."

Hound raised a hesitant hand. "Do you think they've been captured?"

"Yes, I do." Riella rested her hands on the table in front of her. "It is entirely possible that they are still free, but I believe they would have called in or otherwise attempted to inform us had they been able."

Elita nodded. "What are the chances that they will be interrogated? And assuming that they will, is there a possibility of a security risk?"

Riella bit her lower lip. Of course, her oldest friend asked the most difficult questions. "Excellent, and no. They would be easily recognized as Autobot leadership and therefore worth questioning, but I know both of them will die before giving any answers. They are…equipped with the means to do so, should it be required. Anything else?" At the negative response, she continued. "Clearly, we must at least locate them, and I believe I have the means to do so. All of you except Elita will be required to make it work, however." Her optics locked directly with each of the others' before continuing. "I intend to continue Mission Iceheart."

This time, Signal Flare interrupted. "You can't be serious! Iceheart missions were discontinued because of the danger level, and this one would require walking directly into the Decepticon headquarters! You might as well stand in front of a firing squad!"

"Thank you for that vote of confidence," Riella said dryly. "Anyone else care to protest?"

"Not a protest, but…" Hound looked around awkwardly. "Am I the only one who doesn't know what an Iceheart mission is?"

Mirage shook his head. "I'm not sure either. I've heard of them, but they were discontinued before I started working Special Ops. My understanding is that there's someone named Iceheart that generally works deep-cover infiltrations. Never seen her, met her, or even heard of her other than in passing."

"Close." Riella nodded to him. "Yes, she is a deep-cover agent, but she does not actually exist. 'Iceheart' is my alter ego, a Decepticon scientist working under Flatline. Do you remember when the Try-Pax vaccine was developed? That was the first Iceheart mission; I worked with Gamma Ray for a full lunar cycle to find out the information we needed. Since then, there have been three others, all long missions, all involving biotechnology, and all high-risk. I intend to resume that alter ego one more time to find Prowl, Jazz, and the other end of the portal network. Assuming Elita gives permission."

Elita sighed and shook her head. "I don't like it…but it may be the only way. Riella, I know you understand the risks; are you confident that the goal is worth it?"

Riella squared her shoulders. "I am."

"Then you have my permission." Elita turned to the others. "Trailbreaker and Signal Flare have already participated in these missions, but I will inform Mirage, Hound, and Melody; you will be required to accompany Riella to Trypticon, although not inside. The five of you are her backup team. Should she call you in, you are required to do whatever she tells you. It may make the difference between life and death. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," all three murmured. Mirage turned toward his mentor. "What would those orders – Riella?"

The blue femme was already gone. Trailbreaker sighed. "And it begins. You won't recognize her when she comes back."

In the room behind her office, Riella keyed in the code to the subspace closet, retrieving each item she would need. She laid them out carefully on the bunk and focused on her processor routine, optics narrowing to slits as it locked in.

I am no longer Riella, Autobot scout commander.

Her paint job shimmered and shifted to electronic ice-blue.

I am stronger than any mere Autobot.

Silvery claws sprang free from her fingertips, lengthening and sharpening.

I care nothing for the Decepticons. I care only for myself.

Her leg armor streamlined under the added black thigh covers.

My research is my only priority. I will do anything to achieve my goal.

Both heel struts extended into twin silver spines. Her vocalizer rumbled at an octave lower than usual.

I answer only to Flatline and myself. Others are only tools.

Her shoulder blades folded down, forming a narrow fin on her back.

Emotions are irrelevant. No one will stop me with such trifles.

One narrowed optic flashed red. The other disappeared under a blue magnifying lens. Long, narrow knives sprang free from her wrists, edges glowing blue with ice.

I. Am. Iceheart.

Prowl's backstrut arched and bent inward as he screamed through gritted dentas. The probe retracted from his shoulder joint as his tormenter – Thunderwing, Prowl thought his name was - chuckled with satisfaction.

"You're not so tough now, Autobot. You'll break."

His jaw clenched with pain. "Never…I'll never tell you anything!" Except that he had no idea how they'd gotten here. That just frustrated his tormentor, but it was a small victory.

"Oh, you will," the Decepticon purred. "Or your companion will. Isn't that right, Jazz?"

Jazz glared at him even as he gasped in pain from the acid seeping into his circuitry. "Go…eat…bolts…slaghead!"

Thunderwing laughed and increased the acid temperature. "Why would I hurt myself…" Jazz's scream echoed around the room as the acid reached an earlier wound. "…when I can hurt you?"

Prowl's head slumped forward. Someone. Find us.

Please.

Bonus points if you know which comic Thunderwing is from! Also, anyone who manages to guess who Riella's alter-ego is based on (right down to the name! No, I'm not as creative as I wish…) gets my lasting respect. Hint: think Star Wars Expanded Universe.