Darkness. Pure, mech swallowing, space consuming darkness. Where the pit was he? It was so quiet. Unsettling quiet. The kind of silence that the Frontliner shivered and tried to shy away from. Finally,

"Sideswipe? Sideswipe can you hear me?"

Hound watched as the Red Lamborghini let off a moan. Slowly, the mech came around.

Sideswipe held his helm, letting another half moan half groan come through his lips. He tried to sit up, but felt something hold him down.

"Easy." Hound said. "You're in the Medbay. Well...sorta. You're in the Quarantine room." The Quarantine room was a smaller Medbay located in the far back of the Arc. Thankfully, no mech had contracted something worthy of isolation in centuries so more often than not, the tiny medical room was a place for Ratchet to store extra medical supplies. But in today's case, it served another purpose.

"Quarantine? Am I sick? What did those Cons do? !" Sideswipe's voice had a twinge of panic in it as he fought his binds to look at Hound. "And why am I strapped down?"

Hound visibly blanched. "Uh no, you're not sick. Ratchet wanted you to rest here instead of the Medbay. He didn't want you to-" The tracker suddenly went silent, as if he was programmed to shut up if he continued.

The red Lambo shot the green mech a look of confusion. "Didn't want me to what? And where's-?" It all suddenly spilled back again. The horrifying memories cut through his spark like a knife. Instinctively, he reached out to Sunstreaker for comfort, only to find a near desolate void. "SUNSTREAKER!" Sideswipe thrashed against the energy bonds, using his freed servos to pull on the glowing restraints. With a final buzzing surge, the energy bonds gave to the brazen mech's strength.

Sideswipe rocketed up off the berth and past Hound. Moving so fast that his call to open the door was almost too slow, Sideswipe moved into the hall and headed for the Medbay at a dead run; all remembrance that he could transform going out the window. He blew past Bots, his body and mind racing too rapidly to tell who they were. He turned a corner, sparks flying from his pedes as he slowed enough to turn; the bright gold embers spraying over dull orange walls as metal ground on metal.

"Sunny, hang on please. I'm coming!" He muttered frantically.

He finally reached the Medbay and barged in. Immediately, he was met with the gaze of Prowl and Optimus Prime.

Ratchet heard a commotion from the front of the Medbay. A scuffle and then, before he could blink, Sideswipe was right next to the operating table. The red mech then proceeded to collapse in a heap in similar fashion to the shuttle transport earlier that day.

"Sunny, Sunny please! I need you! Sunstreaker I'm begging! I won't be able to survive without you!" The red mech was blubbering in a very un-Sideswipe manner, in front of Ratchet of all mechs no less.

The vitals tanked again for a moment. Sunstreaker's condition was getting worse. He hadn't relapsed into spark failler quite yet, but if the medic didn't do something he would, and then it would be almost impossible to save him.

Sideswipe had taken his brothers helm into his arms when the monitors flashed red and blared. He didn't need the alarms. HIs spark told him all he needed to know. "Sunny, you come back right now!" He bowed his helm. "Please." A shadow passed over him; he looked up to see a slightly dented Prime and Prowl now sporting a fist indent in the cheek strut opposite the pede shaped dent.
"I'm not leaving him!" He yelled to the two officers as they advanced. His face displayed the raw emotions of anguish and anger. "I won't! ! You can't make-!" Sideswipe stopped as Ratchet had given him a nudge. He looked over to see the Medic. Ratchet's face gave away nothing, but his voice was calm.

"Sideswipe, I'm doing everything I can to save your brother, but if you want me to help him the best I can, you have to leave." He must've saw apprehension on the red mech's face. "I promise, you'll be the first to know what happens, but you need to step out."

For a second, Sideswipe didn't move. Finally, with a small nod the Lamborghini hauled himself to his feet and let himself be escorted out by Prowl and Optimus Prime. The second he was out the door, he sidestepped the threshold and slumped himself against the hallway wall. He payed no mind to the Prime and SIC looking at him as he pulled his knees to his chest, and sank his helm down on his knees.

The two officer mechs stared at the unmoving form of Sideswipe before Optimus gently put a hand on Prowl's shoulder. "Come on Prowl, let's go."

Sideswipe barely heard Prime and Prowl leave. He didn't register the hours drag on as he sat there. His thoughts raced as he cut himself off from all outside stimulation. He didn't notice Hound come by and leave an Energon cube for him, he didn't see the assortments of mechs who walked by the Medbay, giving him looks of pity and sympathy. No; he was in another time and another place. Back on Cybertron when He and Sunny were first commissioned.

They were built for war. To be soldiers. They were only trying to manufacture one, they didn't expect the spark to split in two. They were sparked in a surrogate and transferred to raw protoforms, therefore speeding up development. Sure, they were sparklings once, but they had no childhood. The threat they had been made to combat was a false alarm, and the initiative was scrapped. The twins were sent to the Tyger Pax orphanage where they grew up. At first, Sideswipe's bouncy personality made him somewhat accepted. His brother on the other hand was bullied. It wasn't that Sunstreaker had always been as detached and cold as he was. Years of getting the slot kicked out of you would do that to a mech. And in turn, Sideswipe had forgone his little social standing and pranked the bullies to get even. Revenge came in a fury. One night when the lights had gone out, Sideswipe found himself pulled out of his berth, bound and gagged, and beaten by a handful of older and stronger younglings. They hit him, denting his then soft plating, calling him worthless, and saying they'd do it all night. it was then that something happened. In his anguish, Sideswipe's spark reached out for the first time. Establishing the mental bond between twins is usually done around protoforming. If the split spark fails to do so, a manual surge is usually given to solidify the split spark's connection over the two separate housings. Otherwise the sparks may not be extremely stable. But the mechs who commissioned him and Sunstreaker hadn't done that. Instead, the desperation of Sideswipe made his spark reach out and touch the other half. And when it did, pit itself was unleashed.

A scream of rage echoed in the darkness. In a blur the first mech was tackled and dragged screaming away from sideswipe before it went deathly quiet. Then two more had there helms bashed together and dropped like a sack of rocks. The attacker was a shadow in the darkness, a ghost of raw fury as the final mech was zeroed in on. Sideswipe had shut his optics by now in terror. He heard the cries of the younglings in pain, and it scared him. Something was also off with him. He felt fear himself. Whatever this thing was, it'd kill him and drag him back to the pit! However, next to his terror was anger; an anger he had never felt before. It burned him like a fire, but it didn't feel like his own. It was almost as if the anger was a different entity, like it had a mind of his own.

An energon curdling shriek sounded from the final mechling. "NO! NO!" It wailed. Sideswipe heard the grating of servo digits scrape against the floor trying to hold the now crying and pleading youngling from being dragged into the oblivion. A small glimmer of annoyance wormed it's way into his spark. Like the anger in him was slightly miffed at the resistance. The finger digits must have given out as the red sparkling heard the other mech being dragged backwards whimpering. Now he felt a twinge of satisfaction. And more. Horror weedled into Sideswipe's spark as he felt sick satisfaction at the crunch of the mechling's nose plate buckling under a hard fist. A sticky, warm feeling caressed his left fist and vanished like a phantom. Sideswipe whined in distress.

Then, it vanished. A moan echoed out of the blackness followed by a stifled sob. The anger slowly ebbed away.

The eternity of silence was broken by the sound of pedesteps. Sideswipe still lay bound and gagged on his side. A tear rolled down his cheek plating. He was going to die or worse. A hand placed itself on his shoulder and if it wasn't for the restraints made of shredded berth sheets, Sidewipe would have curled into a tight ball. He started to shake in terror until a new feeling hit his spark. Concern, and protectiveness washed over him like a security blanket.

"Sideswipe." The red twin snapped open his optics and found himself staring at his brother.

Gently, his brother removed the gag. "Are you okay?" Sunstreaker asked.

Sideswipe nodded as his brother then moved to undo the ties. "I-I there's a monster here! We have to go! It hurt the mechlings! it-"

"That was me." Sunstreaker replied bluntly. "Do I look like a monster to you?"

Sideswipe was hauled to his pedes by his brother. "Y-you?" He watched the yellow mech nod. "But I-" He stopped, looking down at his spark chamber. "I felt you." He dropped his voice to a whisper, a servo coming up to rest over his spark. "You were so angry..."

Sunstreaker nodded; a twinge of uncertainty on his face. "And I felt you. You were scared and hurt. I'm not sure how, but I knew it was you and I knew where you were." He smiled a bit. "Kinda freaky. But let's go back to bed before the adult units find us here. I'm not sure if Brawl will be able to walk for a few days." He took his brothers wrist and gently pulled forward. "We'll figure this out in the morning."

And in a few weeks time, the twins became fully aware of their abilities. They talked over the bond, coordinated revenge pranks, and over time used the bond to aid in learning moves to defend themselves as Brawl recovered and didn't take the hint to stay down after a few orns. It was during this time that the twins earned their nickname as the Twin Terrors.

Years went by. The twins were never adopted; they were all they each other had to rely on. When they were of age, they moved to Iacon and made a living. Sunstreaker turned to art, his paintings of skylines and crystal landscapes sold the best. Occasionally he'd do portraits of nobles. That was how they first met Mirage. Sideswipe was a trader. A quick and slick operator who could sell a mech his own mods. During the night he raced the circuits. The speed soaking into his circuits and making him crave the glory as well as the pay check. It was a simpler time. One he missed.

Sideswipe was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the door to the Medbay open. He looked up to see the officers walking inside. His internal clock read nine hours later. Slowly, his stiff joints moved himself into the room. Ratchet was waiting.

"Sideswipe." Ratchet sounded sad.

"Doc. Give it to me straight. Will he make it?"

Ratchet sighed. "Yes. But there were multiple complications. He needs more treatment which is why I called you all here. Sunstreaker needs to go to Cybertron. I can't treat him here. I've spoken to Elita-One and alpha Trion. He has facilities that are more sophisticated than what is here. Optimus, I will be going with him. I've spoken to the stationed protecto-bots. First Aid will be coming here in my staid. Minerva will be taking over his position until my return."

"How long will ya be gone?" Jazz asked.

"About ten months." He looked back over to the drawn curtain where Sunstreaker lay. "Maybe longer."

Sideswipe stepped forward, his jaw set in determination. "I'm coming with you."

Ratchet shook his helm. "You'll have to stay here."

Fury flashed over Sideswipe's face. "THAT"S BULL SLAG! HE"S MY FRAGGING BROTHER AND I'M GOING WITH HIM!"

Optimus put a hand on his shoulder, his deep baritone soothing and gentle. "Sideswipe, you are one of the best assets the Ark has to combat the Decepticons. We already are losing your brother for a long expanse of time. Both of you leaving leaves us with too great a risk. I'm sorry Sideswipe, but I must ask you to stay."

Sideswipe said nothing but slowly broke away from Prime and made his way to Ratchet. "Just promise me you'll take care of him."

Ratchet nodded. "I promise." He looked past sides to the officers. "We leave in one hour." He walked to the curtain and gently pulled the edge back. "He's somewhat awake. I'll give you the time to say goodbye." Sideswipe went through the curtain and the Medic then shooed everyone else out.

Sideswipe approached his brother.

"Sideswipe?" The weak, wavering voice of his brother called out as he got closer.

A smile pulled on his lips. "Hey Sunstreaker."

"Uhh...what happened?"

"You fell. You're, you're in pretty rough shape."

A groan echoed. "My paint is slagged. I-" He trailed off.

"Look, don't speak, you need your strength. Just, just-" Sideswipe gently took his brother's hand. "Just tell me you'll get better." He whispered as he dropped his helm.

A week nudge moved in his spark.

I promise.

They stayed like that for an hour until Ratchet came in. Skyfire would transport them to a cleared Space bridge site that Percy had recalibrated to the femme base. Sideswipe kept the bond open to his brother as Skyfire and Ratchet flew out of site. He had followed in car mode until he couldn't see them anymore. Thirty minutes later. His brother nudged him weakly.

Bye Sides.

Sideswipe sniffled as he returned the message. "Goodbye Sunstreaker." He said out loud.

And then, he felt it. His brother moved farther and farther away rapidly. The bond began stretching and thinning until at last, it was the faintest it had ever been. He knew his brother was alive but other than that...nothing. No thoughts, no feelings, not even the faintest of touches. With hunched shoulders Sideswipe looked up into the now appearing stars over the dessert. Surrounded by life and yet, he'd never felt so alone.