Restoration or Destruction

While it seemed the base was in silence, every Cybertronian asleep, that was far from the case. A red glowing orb sat on a table, a set of blue optics stared at it with distaste as he occasionally prodded it. The Prime sat at another table near his console, servos crossed under his chin as he contemplated the content of the screen. He occasionally broke the silence by tapping a few keys as he worked. The two seemed fulling in their own worlds as they each worked to understand fully different projects. While this did happen to be the Prime's residence, it was far more like an office than anything, and many projects were kept in the room. He tended to work on everything, recharging very little most nights. A snap of electricity zinged the dead air when the medic put one of the electric toys the children had left at the base against the orb. There was a puff of smoke as the human technology was dropped to the table, now useless and fully drained of energy.

Optimus looked up from his work at the sound, "Miko might not be happy about that."

Ratchet turned slightly to look at his leader, "I'm sure it was not important. It was just a... music something or other. Even Bulkhead can play music for her, so it hardly matters."

"Are you sure she did not need that?" The Prime questioned in an inexplicably rare but subtle joke, playing off what he heard so many times from his old friend when Bulkhead was around.

The subtlety was not lost on the medic, but he ignored it, "I will tell her Smokescreen did it, how about that?"

Were he any other bot, he would have laughed, but Optimus' mild amusement only showed in his optics.

"Anyway, Optimus, this thing is really starting to worry me!" Ratchet's vocalizer volume had gone up with the words.

"How so? Will you require Skyangel to demonstrate it tomorrow?" There was no hint of worry in the leaders vocalizer, which only served to make the medics words more exaggerated.

"How so? I'll tell you how! It sucks enery from anything that hits it, which could be hazardous if any of us happened to fall on it or set it off by accident! For all we know, it's like the spark extractor!" He shook his helm is irritation, "All I can tell you so far is that this is not from Cybertron, or if it is, I have never seen it. If it is from our technology, it is a new, and potentially terrible development! For all we know, this is ready to take all our sparks if we try to use it."

"If you have doubts about it's safety to us we could lock it away. Perhaps we could seek Agent Fowler's knowledge on its source." Optimus tipped his helm back slightly, "At the very least, it should be unable to drain humans of energy but I do not enjoy the thought of handing anything dangerous over to them."

"It might not matter what we do with it! I have no idea what it is really capable of! I can't believe you allowed her to bring this into our base!"

Optimus eyed Ratchet calmly as the other grew progressively louder, "What would you have had me do? Send her back to her exploded ship with it, Ratchet?" His voice held no ire at all, more of a simple question than sarcasm.

"Maybe! It might have saved us a lot of trouble! We could just let Megatron have the helmache! We have enough problems as it is!" The old model was beginning to pace around the table.

"Now Ratchet, I hardly think you mean that. I have never known you to turn away anyone in need. She has requested nothing more than to stay with us. Thus far, she has been attempting to be useful."

"Useful!" The medic blurted out in a huff, "More like a walking infestation of problems! She is as bad as Starscream!" Ratchet was beginning to make wild motions with both servos as he spoke, a blur of white and orange, "And, since I am already being blunt, I might as well say it all! You know I would never go against your orders, but frankly, I have to tell you I have not seen optic to optic with you lately! If I did not know better, Optimus, I would say you were slipping."

Optimus sat calmly and stoically taking in every word, vocalizer holding no hint of anger when he spoke, "What has you so upset with me, old friend?"

Ratchet faltered slightly, seeming to regret some of his word choices, but he persisted anyway, "Well, Starscream, for one! Even though you assigned him a guard, you allow him to move about our facility freely, without so much as stasis cuffs. Granted, he currently holds little threat without a T-cog, but he is far from harmless! I shutter to think what would happen if he slipped away from Smokescreen long enough to call the Nemesis with our location!"

The Prime nodded but seemed intent on allowing his medic to continue without offering a defense.

"Then there is Skyangel, Optimus!" Ratchet's optics were growing wider by the second as his passion grew, "Putting aside the fact that she knows Starscream, there are still the issues of her known and highly questionable activity on Cybertonher, and the fact that her wild claims are beyond belief. Pair that with her sudden arrival here with unsatisfactory answers as to how she acquired guarded Decepticon intelligence and it makes an unappealing picture. Yet, you allow her so much freedom as well! You only just assigned Bumblebee to her!"

Optimus knew the medic well enough to know he just needed to blow off steam and speak his mind for a while. He would never even consider truely questioning him or going against and order. He was an old a true friend that had been with him a very long time. Ratchet had a temper and holding it in only made it build with time to make it worse, so times like these were necessary for him. The Prime never took it personally, he knew he did not have to. Once he felt listened to, the medic's temper always cooled. In times his temper lead him to be out of line, he had yet to fail to give an apology later. His spark was in the right place and always would be. He was hard on the outside but it was only to hide the tenderness inside. He trusted Ratchet more than anyone he had left.


The world was still spinning and all she could do was cling to the wall in hopes that it would stop eventually. The hits to her helm did nothing if not impair her ability to think clearly and her bodies grip on gravity. Stability was not a word that described her in any way just now. Her only relief came in realizing which bot had her trapped. Knowing did nothing to gain her salvation, but at least she knew. Her legs were twitching, perhaps from damage or from the overwhelming urge to flee. She could attempt to run but she had no faith in her ability to stay upright that long as her processor was still trying to restart, warnings flashing in her HUD to alert her of her damage, but she ignored them, not wanting to focus on those at this point. She had to focus on staying alive at the moment.

"What was in that injector?" A guttural vocalizer barked the question.

"Only something to ease the pain!" She answered swiftly, not intending to keep him waiting, "I used to develop substances to ease robots recovery from injuries back on Cybertron. Before the lab was destroyed, we developed something for Medics to give the injured that would speed the recovery and lessen the pain."

A huff of anger was his clear indication of disbelief, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Decepticon's are always sneaking in to give aid to the injured while Autobots are in recharge!"

She let out a squeak of static as the mech reached down to pluck her off the ground, heaving her in another mighty throw that had her suddenly smacking against the door frame - For as well as she flew, she really should have been a flier. Granted, getting here was her goal, but that was not how she hoped to arrive, pain was never her first choice. She could taste energon in her oral cavity but she was not sure where it was coming from. Her HUD was flashing more warnings but she had no time for that. When she moved to stand the pain swarmed her neuronet vengefully but she scurried out into the larger room anyway. At least she could see out here, which would really help in avoiding more hits. Ignoring the pain, she tried to run, but was swiftly stopped by a blast of blue exploding against her leg - She crumpled to the ground again. If she had the processor power or was in less pain, she might have mused over the fact that that leg must have had some invisible target painted on it. Every time, they always got that leg, it was never going to fully heal. However, humor of coincidence was far from her thoughts, what was really on her mind was how similar these sensation were, her own little trip back to the past.

She flipped onto her aft, wings scraping useless at her sides, so she could at least see the next blast coming rather than be hit in the back. The heavy thuds of his pede fall fell into sink with her spark beats, making her cringe with every thud. Those pede thumps were almost as bad as if Tarn were around to manipulate her spark. Her frame trembled as she scooted away, metal creaking loudly in protest as it was dragged over the floor in her retreat. Her optics were wide, almost too wide to remain safe for her casing. Feeling those hands on her sent her jolting back to the last times she had been held that way, crashing the terror of the past into the present in a collision that rocked her processor into near incoherence. She knew the feelings she was having now all too well. The flash backs did not happen so much if there were multiple attackers, but situations like these got into her head and rattled her down to the spark. Her one and only thought was getting away from those horrible hands and that blaster, the past and present largely bleeding into one in her sight.

Her fans wheezed in fear as she struggled to get her legs under her, suddenly feeling as if they were disconnected the way they slipped uselessly against the floor in failure to function. It did not help that her helm was still spinning from the previous blow, a few systems still in reset. Her movements turned frantic as he began to move closer, rounded green hammer held threateningly in ready for a swing.

"What did you give me, 'Con?" Bulkhead's thick bass vocalizer rumbled at her as he limped ahead.

She twitched, body trying to move her in at least three directions at once, "I already t-told you!"

"And I said, " He growled, hammer shifting up for a hit as he came, "I don't believe you!"

Skyfreeze let out a cry, forgetting to care about her composure entirely, finally finding her pedes and springing back as the swing came at her. There was a flash of orange and white that slid over her peripheral as she moved. Red flames were all she saw as something caught her, holding her firm from her retreat. Her body struggled against it by sheer instinct but a huge hand pressing her to the arm plating stopped her out of fear of being crushed. She quivered in the grip but stopped seeking an escape as the large bot held her in place, both arms holding her where she was. Unlike the one she was running from, this mech's energy field held no desire to harm her. It was an improvement at least. Her optics snapped back at the sound of grinding metal.

"Let me go, Ratchet!" Bulkhead growled as the medic used himself to keep the mech from advancing, "She's dead! I may not have much left in me, but I can still crush a bug!"

"Bulkhead, calm down and just tell us what happened!" Ratchet did not move, servos still firm on the mechs huge arms.

"She poisoned me, that's what!" The green mech spit the words out at her as if he wished they could kill. "And before I go down, so does she!"

Skyfreeze's vocalizer caught at her first attempt to speak, but she pushed past it, helm shaking vigorously, "No, no! I did not poison him!"

The loudness had drawn out the yellow mech and he swiftly moved to Ratchet's side, clueless as to the situation, but sensing where he was needed. The femme clutched at Optimus's tree trunk of an arm, desperate to recover her senses and even more desperate for protection. She was not interested in being torn apart, once was more than enough. The Prime was her only chance and she knew it. If anyone would grant her mercy, it would be the leader. Even like this, that hammer could still get him past the other two mechs, and the wrecker was known for his temper in battle. The only safe place was with the Prime.

"I s-sw-wear it was not harmful!" Her metal rattled a bit as her frame gave little trembles as her system tried desperately to calm her, "I used to w-work in a lab and I only gave you something to help with recovery!"

Ratchet turned his helm to drill her with a glare, "What did you give him?" That was two unconvinced at her words.

She was swiftly loosing protectors and she was only too keenly aware, "We only developed it a short time before the lab was destroyed. It had only been circulated to a few medics on the front lines at the time, but it had great success, cutting pain and healing time by half in most cases."

The orange and white medic let go of Bulkhead to turn on her fully, "I heard nothing of it!"

Skyfreeze pressed back instinctively against Optimus, useless wings quivering together as she stared into angry eyes before her, "I told you! It had only been given out a few solar cycles before our lab was destroyed! But I am telling the truth! You might still be able to find it in the old records!"

"I know how to get the truth out of a 'Con!" Bulkhead snarled as he made another lunge forward, only hindered now by Bumblebee.

Ratchet whirled and grabbed the large mech, "Bulkhead, stop! I will be the one to get it out of her, do not worry! Nothing is going to happen now but you returning to the Med bay!" The medic caught the blue femme racing into the room and enlisted her instantly, "Arcee! Help us get Bulkhead back to the Med bay! I need to check him now!"

"What the frag is going on here?" Arcee spat as she grabbed an arm that was about as big around as she was, "Bulkhead, what are you thinking? You'll make yourself worse!" Of course, she did not know what worse was in this situation.

"Bulkhead, stand down and return to the medical room with Ratchet." The Prime ordered, but seemed unheard past the rage filled mech.

"Let me at her!" Bulkhead bellowed, ignoring everything else, optics glued to Skyfreeze.

Ratchet turned enough to fix the Prime with a weighty glare, "Optimus, get the truth out of her before I don't have time to stop whatever she did! If you don't, I will."

Being injured, three against him was enough to force him back toward the Medical room. He was strong even now. Skyfreeze watched in stunned silence as he was slowly pulled farther and farther away. The Prime never let go of her, but she was not asking him to considering it was not her own legs holding her up at the present. This was not at all how she planned this to work out. So much for keeping a secret. Her processor could not even fathom how things had gone so wrong. This was supposed to be an easy step, for Primus sake!


Starscream burst from the hallway, glowing ruby orbs flitting around the room wildly until they spotted Angel clinging to the Prime's arm as if it was the only thing keeping her up. The sheer terror in her optics was poorly veiled, focusing on the wall only to cast fleeting and fearful glances at the green mech as Ratchet, Arcee, and Bumblebee struggled to calm him and keep him in place. He had never seen such an expression on Skyfreeze before, not even while caught with her in between battles. The confidence she always projected was faded dim, leaving fear and desperation alone to fill her electromagnetic field. He had never seen her cower or cling to anyone, never allowing such a drastic show of vulnerable terror, let alone allow her field to pulse out. The hulking green monster was clearly the instigator, still fixated on her as he tried to get to her past the Autobot's holding onto him.

The flashy white, red and blue mech at his side made no move to rush the group, seeming utterly confused by the scene and unsure what to do. He was still young and it showed in everything he did. Starscream was lucky, having caught Smokescreen's attention before he passed his room. All the noise and a familiar sounding scream had him pounding on his locked door frantically. By all rights, he was fortunate the youth was his guard considering an older mech would have known better than to let out a prisoner during a time of obvious trouble. This kid was a gift from Primus.

Starscream's faceplate turned with his deep snarling question, "What did he do to her?"

Optimus' and Skyfreeze's optics snapped to him in tandem. She looked at him, pleading wordlessly, too frightened to speak. The femme seemed ready to run to him, but could not hope to make it that far. He had absolutely no idea what was happening but he hardly cared. No one, no one was allowed to do this to his Skyfreeze! He was nearly shaking with rage as he surged forward, conflicted on just where to go. Logic dictated that his first desire to go for Bulkhead and rip out his optics was the least advantageous, but it was most tempting. The blundering fool was mainly back in the med bay now anyway - With those injuries, it was hard to fight three healthy bots. He could pursue them but stupidity was not in his coding, so he went for Angel instead, deciding it best to be near her to protect her. Weapons or not, he was quick with his talons, and very good at finding weak points. And the fact was, the Prime did not need to be holding her like that either, so he would put a end to that.

He was stopped short of reaching her by strong servos on both his upper arms, "Optimus," came a worried young voice, "What in Primus sake is going on?"

"The situation is not yet fully clear, but Bulkhead believes Skyfreeze poisoned him." The Prime tightened his grip on her enough that she flinched, "We do not yet know all the facts but we must arrive at them swiftly."

"I did not harm him, it was medicine we developed! I will surrender the formula to Ratchet as proof of what I say!" Sky sounded desperate but she seemed to be gaining courage, her energy field no longer pulsing at them, but hidden back within her chassis.

The seeker's processor worked over her words until realization dawned and he connected the dots. So that was what happened? That old chemical they developed back in the lab... of course she would still remember it. He had not thought of that in centuries. His optics narrowed as he swept the others with a grim stare. Why would she give that wounded mech something like that? It was safe and effective, so far as the test showed, but it was a waist on such a creature. What was she even thinking sneaking him anything? Was it just to help him? Perhaps, but Sky always had many reasons for what she did, so there had to be more. Considering she clearly had not gotten permission, it made him even more sure she had something else up her metal. A move like that was risky, no matter her reasons - Even he might not have been so reckless.

"You mean you will distract him long enough with nonsense so that Bulkhead dies!" Arcee emerged from the doorway and moved into the group once again, optics blazing, and blades noticeably extended, "You came in the dead of night to kill him, but you did not count on him coming online. I bet you were planning to do all of us in that way eventually, starting with the weakest one so it might seem like it happened naturally."

The blades were not lost on Angel either, and she shook her head swiftly, "No! I was only trying to assist-"

Skyfreeze went silent as a blade was rested just under her optic, the blue femme leaning in close, "Tell Ratchet what you really did or I will start carving!" She seemed eerily like the spider femme in that moment, "If you think I'm going to let you take any of us down like that, you're wrong!"

"Arcee, remain calm!" Optimus' words came out swiftly, moving as if to bring peace to the situation, but this situation would not be calmed easily.

Starscream had been motionless until now, catching his captor off guard as he twisted away and slashed at Arcee with his claws, "Get away from her! Don't you dare touch her, filthy Autobot!" He snarled loudly as the femme jumped back to avoid the hit. Did they really expect him to stand by and do nothing?

Smokescreen jolted forward to latch onto him again, but bulk and muscle did not always lead to the advantage. Seekers were known for fast reflexes, agility, and ease of motion. Twisting in place, Starscream's claws made a swift slice into the seam of the other mech's wrist join and well placed kick to disjoint his knee - It was nothing serious, just enough to be free from his hold momentarily, but it really felt good. Before he had time to gloat over the victory of the averted capture and energon tipped claws, he was forced to react again. Arcee was fast, like he was, and had blades to match his claws. She was a harder one to catch, which was proven by the long slash he now had across his chassis. He shot for her shoulder joint, seeking to hinder those fast reflexes of hers, talons sinking deep into the opening she gave him with her wide slash motion. Her other arm came down for a shot at his side, and he only just managed to catch it in his servos before the blade could sink home.

He yelped in surprise as his pedes were both jerked out from under him and he fell ungraciously to the floor on his front, sickening metal thunk following. The seeker thrashed as a far too heavy knee was ground into the center of his back strut, arms both ground roughly into the floor by strong servos coming over the top of him. The next he knew, Arcee was kneeling before him, blade at the delicate cords of his throat as Smokescreen held him fast. His red optics locked furiously with the femme's as she held his chin, wrist blade edging into his cables threateningly. Normally he would have been afraid, but rage held more sway over him for now.

"You two are going to tell us everything we want to know." Arcee nearly purred in a self assured tone, "Right now!"

A set of slender pedes hooked around the Autobot femme's neck and jerked, sending her sailing back into the Prime's huge armored legs. Skyfreeze thrashed and kicked wildly to keep the other down despite Optimus tightening his hold on her. The seeker watched with narrow optics as Arcee began slashing up at the offending pedes. He took note in the back of his mind that Sky was already leaking energon from one leg even though Arcee had not connected yet. The leader let out an obvious sigh, letting it be clear he was finished with the display. His silver faceplate was twisted into a serious frown, jerking Skyfreeze to one side, draping her body over his massive arm to hang her unbalanced off the ground while pulling Arcee off the floor in nearly the same motion. He held both femmes stationary as if it was all effortless - Skyfreeze stayed suspended in the air to balance uncomfortably, pedes kicking slightly in an attempt to find the floor again. Arcee looked ready to continue, but the large mech's radiating sense of authority was enough to still his subordinate with a glance of his optics. The Autobot leader was known for his patience but everyone had a limit. It was clear that the events of the evening were starting to rub his wires. He let them have their tussle, but he was the one ending this fight.

His deep voice boomed the order, "Enough!" It almost seemed like he was handling a group of fighting sparklings the way they all shrank into stilled silence at his word. "Smokescreen, subdue Starscream and return him to his cell."

A loud, but oddly familiar voice echoed suddenly through the base, "What in the name of Abraham Lincoln is going on in here?" A large set, dark, curly haired human bellowed as he pounded the railing near the human entrance.

All optics turned to him as one.

The human's dark eyes darted uncomfortably to the seeker, clearly remembering him well, "Prime, what are two 'Cons doing in your base?" His loose tie flopping as he leaned nearly all the way over the railing, "Has your security been breached? Do I need to alert the-"

"The situation is well under control, Agent Fowler. There is no current reason for alarm." The Prime sad rather flatly, obviously not pleased by the arrival of a new contender to toss into the mix of wild behavior he was dealing with.

"No reason for alarm?" Ratchet bellowed from the Med bay, "There is plenty of reason for us to be alarmed, and you are holding one of them as we speak!" The medic nearly flew at the group, arms waving in anger, "Make her talk, Optimus! We do not have time for any of this! Bulkhead is sedated but who knows how much time I have to fix this mess!"

With his attention being pulled in several directions, he was not focused on Smokscreen despite the mech's weight pressing into his back, rather, he was about to say a few choice words to the little group. Before the seeker had time to prevent it the other mech had his servos pinned over his head, a set of stasis cuffs taken from subspace and snapped over his wrists - He struggled, but it was too late. He gave a deep snarl as he was jerked un-sanctimoniously to his spiked pedes. Ruby optics narrowed first at the Prime, and then at the medic, before tossing the human a knowing glance of remembrance. Saying anything that was currently on his processor would have been ill fated timing, but he wanted to let the words out so badly. The seeker was seething as he looked at his friend, too afraid to move to escape, or perhaps to smart to resist. Anything he said might make this worse on her, and he no longer had much room to help her. If it were anyone but her, he might not even care, but it was her. There had to be something he could do. Smokescreen whirled him to the other direction fast enough that it nearly made him trip on his own peds before he was shoved toward the hallway roughly.

Spinning back, Starscream made a vain attempt to hit the other across the faceplate, "Don't touch me, you pitiful excuse for a mech!" His bound servos were flung to the side easily, earning him a glare from his guard.

"Don't push your luck." Smokescreen mumbled, grabbing the seeker's wings to use as a control to steer him back the way he wanted him. "You better behave now if you know what's good for you. See if I open your door again!"

"How did Starscream get in here, Prime?" The human persisted as the rookie roughly tugged at the large metal wings.

The seeker arched reflexively, delicate wings not used to being twisted that way. Even Megatron normally left them mainly undamaged because they were too necessary in a true seeker model, and hard to repair - Only if he was thinking of killing him did the bruit go for the wings with intent. Even if he could not fly, those wings were all he had and he was not keen on them being damaged. He growled a few protests, but stayed still in the mech's grip. Skyfreeze was finally let back onto the floor, but he noticed the Prime had locked his own set of stasis cuffs on her as well. Why he bothered to do that, who knew. It was not as if she posed a real threat.

"Forget Starscream!" Ratchet bellowed, glaring at the human, "I need the formula to the poison right now!"

"Poison?" The human repeated, finally getting the idea that there were more things in play that he first guessed.

"Yes, poison!" Ratchet pointed and accusing servos at Skyfreeze, "She poisoned Bulkhead!"

Angel's sweet but desperate voice reached the seeker's audios again, "I told you, I did nothing of the kind! He is in no danger at all!" Her vocalizer dipped into a near growl, "In fact, I likely did him more good than you have since he got that injury to start with!"

Smokescreen began tugging him backwards down the hall, using the wings as an inescapable tool to control his movements. He kicked backward with one pede as his other skidded loudly over the floor as he was dragged. He stiffened instantly when he heard his femme's startled gasp as the medic brought out one of his tools, aiming it at her neck cables as a threat. Starscream watched with wide optics as she put up her servos defensively, stepping back to gain some distance. The Prime clamped a hand down on the medic's shoulder, but was slapped away. The Prime may have been all for calm processors and mercy but not all in his group were so inclined.

"The formula, now! Before I misplace all my good will!" He continued forward, disregarding his leader's servos catching his arm once again. "This method worked well to get information from a Decepticon miner so it should work again."

"I'm with Ratchet!" Arcee stepped nearer the medic and brought up her arms to display her blades again, "She either talks or we have one less 'Con to watch!"

Starscream turned as much as he was able, latching onto the wall before he could be dragged out of sight, talons digging in hard enough to leave dents, "Wait, leave her alone! She's telling the truth, it's not poison! We did develop a new drug in the lab!" He was not leaving her to die in this place, oh no, he already lost her once! "I know about it as well, so I can tell you the formula too!"

That made his guard stop his desperate jerking motions, staring at him with unsure optics. Why or if she really used it, the seeker had no idea, but he would back her up the only way he had. It got their attention at least. The medic was staring, his blue flamed tool no longer aimed for Angel's cables. The ex-commander smirked a bit at the stares, optics challenging them all. Granted, he was only telling part of the truth, but how could they know that? He never had known the full formula or he would have recreated it long ago for himself. Skyfreeze was one of the few that knew the full, complete formula - Not because she had to, but because she never did anything without knowing everything. Most at the lab tended to just work on their own part, and how to test their sections, but not her, she wanted every detail. Why she would use their formula on an Autobot, he had no idea, but she must have. She was never a killer. Whatever she did do left her adversary some margin to live. Poison was not her style.

"Very well," The medic drilled him with hard blue optics, "You will each write out the chemical compounds in the solution. We will see how truthful you really are from that."

Smokescreen shoved him forward again, prodding him toward the Medical room as Ratchet motioned for he and Skyfreeze to be taken in with him. This could either go horribly wrong, or buy them each some time. Even if he did not know the full formula he could get close, and claim processor failure for what he did not know. As long as it earned them a bit of time, it did not matter. The medic would have to look over what they showed him no matter what, so it might buy them what they needed. At the least, it might calm the atmosphere. He just had to keep them busy long enough to biging even one of his multiple plots and plans of action.

Fowler cleared his throat anxiously, "Prime, I know you have a lot to deal with right now, but so do I." He shifted a little in place, "Silas is back, and it looks like he has teamed up with the 'Cons for real this time."

Arcee frowned, confused and displeased by those words as she stared at the human, "What? Why would they work with him after all he has done? Why would Megatron take him in?"

"I have no idea, but he seems to have teamed up with the one you call Breakdown. They broke into a government facility and were even seen getting a pick up from the 'Cons."

"Breakdown?" Arcee stepped closer to the platform, "That is impossible after what MECH did to him. He would never work with Silas."

"Are you certain of your information, Agent Fowler?" Even Optimus seemed confused by this news.

Starscream stiffened at those words even as he was assured into the medical room. Silas, oh how he hated that human! All the indignities he suffered because of MECH had cost him more than they could ever guess. This entire situation was their fault. He would not even be here if not for those slagging flesh bags. That human was more like Megatron than he even cared consider, though far more squishable. Those humans would have to be on his list for later. They would pay dearly at some point!


Computer keys clicked under blunt servos as the medic studied the formula. Starscream's formula had been incomplete, it seemed, which might answer the question of why he had never passed the so called drug to the Decepticon ranks. He had been keeping his optics fixed firmly on the screen, not daring to look back at his leader leaning up against a wall some distance behind him. Bulkhead was still heavily sedated but his vital signs were in fact showing improvement, no matter how much the doctor did not wish to admit it. He was glad to see it, but also miffed by it all at once. He did wish Optimus had something more pressing to do than keep a check on Bulkhead's stability though. Having him in here to watch was making the medic wild. There was really nothing any of them could do but wait considering they had nothing solid from Fowler to work with.

Optimus ordered the removal of the two prisoners some time ago, forcing them to be kept in the main cell until Ratchet could make a determination on the substance. Bumblebee and Smokesceen were guarding them directly so that no further issues could arise. From what he could see, the formula was not a poison at all, baring some slight similarity to the synthetic energon compound, though less advanced in nature. From what little was left in the injector they found, the substance matched the formula Skyfreeze had given.

The silence in the room was eroding him with guilt, nearly making him crawl out of his metal. He had not looked at the other once in all this time but he could just feel those optics drilling right through him as the leader observed from a distance, never saying a word. If only Optimus would yell at him! If he yelled it would feel more like he was justified. Yelling was something the medic could take and give back as good as he received, but the disappointed stinging of his leader's silence was killing him. As if he did not feel bad enough for blatantly being insubordinate and going above and beyond the scope of disrespect. He felt enough like a traitor as it was but not getting the satisfaction of being yelled at for it was torture. Any leader besides this one would have hung him by his glossa by now, not swept it aside as if all was forgiven. Oh, he hated that about Optimus, the mech made it feel so much worse by heaping goodness on his head. Slag, he wished the big guy would just get angry rather than looking sad and disappointed in him.

"Optimus," He had to say it before he went utterly mad with guilt, "I am sorry for my previous behavior. I was wrong to go against you that way, I just did not know what else to do and time was slipping away from me. "

"I know, old friend." Optimus crossed his servos over the glass of his cab quietly, "You were doing what you felt you must. Our comrades are everything to us in our small group. Seeing one such as Bulkhead, so strong and seemingly invincible, placed in this state is a blow to all of us. It is hardest on you, however, with the responsibility of caring for our health placed on your shoulders alone. I regret that you must bare such a heavy burden."

Now he was being defended by the very one that he wronged, that made it even worse, "I went about it wrongly in regards to my treatment of you, Optimus." His servo slid over his optic ridge in frustration, "However, this act proves my point about that femme. Keeping her here is even more of a danger than keeping Starscream. While it was not poison this time, she has still proven how dangerous she could be to us."

"Or how useful she could be." The Prime tilted his blue helm to the side thoughtfully.

Ratche finally whirled on his peds to face him, "Oh, how can you even say such a thing? She has been deceptive with us from the first moment she arrived. I know you have seen it too! You can feel her holding things back, just feel it in her energy field! We clearly have no idea just how much she is keeping from us."

"She did help Bulkhead." Optimus said it so softly it was surprising the medic noticed.

"Maybe! Unless whatever she gave him backfires later." The old medic let out a hot puff of air through his oral vent, "My synthetic energon seemed like a great idea until we gave it some time!"

"Yes, you make a valid point." Optimus shifted his weight a bit, "But we cannot punish her now for what cannot be proven as an ill act."

"She went behind my back! That alone should prove something!" Ratchet was quick to counter.


The two prisoners sat very quietly in the back of the small room, each eyeing the guards at the door occasionally. The stasis cuffs had at least been removed, but the door was locked, and two mechs were watching them, so what could they even do? There was little they could consider doing, even if they wanted to. Both of them were weapon free and practically useless. The situation was a rather grim one. Had she only known the amount of trouble it would cause, she would have created a few safeguards before hand. Her plans were more than a little off course at the present but she could recover eventually.

It really was unfortunate the huge mech had to catch her. Everything would have gone perfectly if he had just remained in recharge. There was so much left to do and she did not really have the time nor the patience for all of this. It was beyond frustrating to come so close each time to a victory only to have it snatched away at the last second. She was starting to wonder why she even tried. Perhaps if she began planning everything around the absolute worst outcomes things would begin to go as planned. Plan to fail, thus succeed.

Her helm occasionally dipped low, optics threatening to dim and offline. She was so tired from all of this, not to mention she had yet to rest at all this evening. Of course, it was not as if she had been recharging well lately anyway. Stasis would help her forget this ache too, which would be nice. Skyfreeze wanted so badly to simply curl up on her fellow prisoner's lap and go into a beautiful recharge. Even putting her helm on his shoulder for a few moments would be heavenly! She wanted to so horribly but her pride and understanding of self preservation stopped her. Recharging now would be ill timed no matter how great the desire to do so was. Still, she could not help the momentary lapses of consciousness that slipped past her reason centered mind every so often. If this kept up much longer, the quiet of the room, she was sure to slip away no matter how her mind argued.

"How badly are you hurt?" Starscream whispered into her audios, "Are you in pain?"

His voice brought her back to the surface of being alert, but only slightly, "I am quite well. Nothing vital was damaged, only superficial issues I can ignore." She could ignore pain rather well, it was a practiced skill.

"You would say that no matter how serious your injuries." He huffed at her, clearly annoyed.

"I assure you, I am doing quite well enough." If she was honest, she was much too drained to know how she was. Her systems were fully devoted to healing her, which was another reason she was tired. Her overloaded system had no room to spare for keeping her awake. At present, she hardly felt anything, not even pain. Her body was rather numb, only responding to direct stimulus that caught enough of her circuits attention to alert her processor. Basic funtions only for now.

"Those filthy Autobots!" It was interesting that he could achieve such venom even in a whisper, "They really are too much! Preaching about how much better and noble they are one minute, then coming in for the kill the next."

She smiled rather sleepily, "They were simply protecting their own the same way we always used to protect each other."

"Don't defend them, Angel! They could have killed us both," He growled at the guards under his breath, "Besides, they are nothing like us."

"Of course they are. Everyone fights for what they care about the most. Such feelings are what bind all sentient beings together. We all care about something and someone, even if we show it in different ways." Perhaps it was how tired she was, but she was feeling quite calm about everything.

He was silent a moment before seeming to soften a little, "True, but that is why I don't want to give them another chance at you! They have their loyalties, and we have ours." He paused again, optics traveling to land on her, "The only loyalties I have left are to one, and only one. You and I are it, but I don't really care. I don't need to belong anywhere but with you, the rulers of our own destiny, Angel. The two of us should be free from all of this."

She found her inner alarms beginning to go off, "What are you trying to say?"

"We don't have to stay, Angel. We don't have to be tied to anyone or anything. We could escape and be free from all of it!" Even in the whisper, there was passion in his voice, "Why should we fight so hard for them when we know they would never return the favor? They just use us for their own whims! What reason do we have to stay their slaves when the only ones we really have are each other? We only have a future away from here."

She stared at him, optics full of conflict, processor finding the power once again to listen and consider. Some part of her wanted desperately to accept his words, wanted to follow him to some distant future and freedom from chains. She longed to run away and never look back. Part of her had wondered the same thing, wondered why she struggled so hard only to be beaten down for it later. A piece of her did not see anyone but him giving her a reason to move. What did she have to believe in all of this? Where would it all end? Would they all have to die for the control others wanted to have? Did she really believe in anyone anymore? Did she have the strength to make it through all this the way things were? When had they given her a reason? When had they given her reason to hope and prove her logic wrong? His voice really was all she ever heard in her dark places, no one else. A life by his side, no matter how short, would not be something she would want to fight.

Still, another part of her knew that if everyone gave up, everyone lost. If no one ever stood up against the things that were wrong, everyone would be slaves. If a few never held on, no one had a reason to hope for better than this. If no one was willing to go against all the pain, loss, and impossible odds, only evil would win. It was easy to give in and hide, but hard to stand in a storm. Running was easy and facing fear was difficult. She had come across a human proverb some time ago that said; "Evil thrives when good men do nothing." Could she really live with such a world? Could she really simply let others fight for her when she could stand with them?

Not to mention, she knew her task, and knew it well. Escaping from the path she was being forced to walk held no glimmer of hope. Hiding would only work for so long, no matter how good they were. Walking away was not an option, not if she remembered what the consequences were for a failure on her part. If it was only her life, perhaps she could run, but that was not the case. No matter how deeply she wanted to be allowed to give up, she could not afford to. It was better to do the only thing she could to save a life than give up. The Autobots were her only hope, even if they did not know it yet. Staying with them was as much a choice as she was allowed. Hoping she could give them something to break her chains, anything she could do to edge past her orders, that was all she had to cling to.

Skyfreeze reached out to cup her servo to his faceplate, gently stroking under his optic with one digit before leaning in to press against him, "I wish it were so simple, Starscream, but it is not."

"It could be, for us." Starscream traced delicate circles over her back strut as he looped his arms around her. "We could begin right now, Angel!" He lowered his voice further, moving a talon up her back. "You are not the only one with a bit of medical knowledge."

She tipped her helm up to look at him slightly, "What are you getting at?"

A smile crept onto his faceplate as he looked at her and then glanced at their guards, the two were watching from the door but did not see a threat in the two at this point, "I could get your wings back online and we could make our escape right now. You would just have to put those two in stasis, and we would be free to go unhindered." He locked eyes with her again, "Besides, I already made preparations for just that."

Her circuits began to twist under her metal as her processor began clicking with him in apprehension, "What preparations?" Did she even want to know?

His grin widened, so full of confidence as he slid a part of his chassis up to gain access to something, "This, for one!" His knee came up to further hide his motion as his claws produced the hidden item he had stashed so carefully.

Her optics widened in recognition, a sharp intake of air passing through her oral vent, "Dear Primus, what did you do?" Her voice may have been a whisper even Starscream could not hear.

There in his hand was the object retrieved from the mission she had gone on. She had seen it in passing on the Medic's table. It was not hard to realize what it was since the pod had been next to it. Optimus and Ratchet had been working with it and inspecting it at the time, so she made no effort to ask about it. Her spark was fluttering behind her chassis madly. What on earth was he doing? Was he mad, absolutely mad? They would be sure to notice that missing soon! If he... or rather they were caught with it... Oh, she hated to think what would happen. The events of the night had been more than she could stand already! She shuddered to even consider what would happen if they did not get this returned in time. Dear Primus, what could she do now? She stared at him in dumb silence, far too stunned to think.

"It was in the Med. bay last night. With all the commotion, I managed to snatch it without them noticing." He slipped it back into its hiding place carefully.

"W-why?" Was all she manage to get out.

He cocked his helm to the side, "Because, this can serve as my T-cog until we get the one from my clone. I heard the Prime talking about what this could do, and my first thought... well, it's obvious. So, when I got the chance, I snatched it." He seemed so calm about it, "You can put those two in stasis and install this as my temporary T-cog. We will get you a vehicle form and be off!"

Skyfreeze was unable to say a word, too shocked and horrified to form words. Well, now she was quite awake. In a single move, he had just ruined all her so carefully laid plans. He was shortsighted, always had been, to the point of being blind to everything but what was directly in front of him - His mind was like no other, but he seemed utterly incapable of looking at the larger picture, only seeing the immediate gratification. She should have anticipated such a move from him, but she had not. No matter what she did now, she could not win. Starscream would never forgive her if she denied him this chance to regain his T-cog, the only freedom he possessed in life. Her blue optics nearly faltered and offlined as her stress levels shot higher. There was no way he could understand it if she refused and turned him in. There was no denying he needed that organ if he was ever going to live very long in this world. Being without it meant a sure death for any Cybertronian on earth, and in this war. She could not deny him this.

She could not turn him over to the Autobots for fear they might simply cast him out of the base, or worse. He had just proven to be a danger to them. The tide had been turning in the base, and the two of them had been going under. Had nothing else happened they might have been able to surface again, but not now. Her intakes were struggling hard to take in enough air to cool her heating systems. Her servos were beginning to tremble as she remained quiet. This was sure to be the last thread breaking both their chances here. Neither of them hand much ground left to stand on and she could not say what this trigger would cause. With this act, they would both fall hopelessly. There was little to no chance of returning in safety. They would either be locked away so deep they would never see the sun again, or be offlined for knowing too much to be safely released.

Still, if she did this, she would ruin everything she had been working for all this time. The Autobots would never trust her again regardless of what she did for them. They would assume this had been her plan and Starscream's all along. She would have no choice but to run, hunted by both sides. Nothing she had set into motion would fade, but she would be unable to complete them. Worse still, he was in danger just by having that item, but it was too late to change. If she did not take him away now, it was hard to say what might happen. Megatron would be the least of their worries if she did not get him to a safe place, and get that away from him. Leaving meant her mission would likely be undone and everything with it. Everything she had done was crumbling around her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She felt ready to break down herself.

Starscream frowned, sensing, or maybe seeing her frame sag with the weight of this news, "You don't still hold loyalty to them, do you? They tried to offline you! We both know we cannot stay here!" He placed a servo on each of her shoulders, giving her a slight shake, "You know we have to do this!"

Her dull optics raised to see his, her derma moving into a soft smile because she had nothing else to offer. He was right, they could not stay. She could have cried, she really could. He really had no idea what he had done, no idea what that could really be used for, what it's true purpose was. Without knowing it, he had just made his life so much more complicated. One act that seemed to be a good idea had just cast him into a horrible plot she never wanted to see him in. She had no choice, she had to protect him. Before, she thought keeping him with the Autobots was his only chance, but that did not seem to be true anymore. Now, she absolutely had to get him away from everyone. She would fix this, she would get him away from this twisted world and make sure he never came back. Staying here was foolish anyway, more like a crutch she needed for security. As long as she followed orders and directed things to the right places, it did not matter where she was. She would fix this on her own. Maybe this could be for the best. With him safely away, she could begin her tasks with more freedom.

Her helm lolled forward, feeling suddenly as if all her energon had been drained, "Alright. Do it quickly."

For the moment, she would follow his plan, but the moment he was away from this, she would take everything into her own servos. He would hate her, as would everyone else, but she had no choice. She would never allow him to die, not ever. He would not be touched by this no matter what she had to do, on that she swore. She had to get him away and hide his so deep none of them could find him. They needed to hurry, time was not on her side. In fact, the time she had was now cut in half at the least. This was not at all what she planned, not the road she intended to follow, but it was the only one left. It could work, it could still work. She always had a way to make things work.

Skyangel turned a bit so the mechs would not notice what she was doing, moving to practically perch in the seekers lap as she slid her breast plates back. One of his clawed servos slid deep under her back plating and circuits, the other slipping inside the normally protected wires and circuits near her shoulder struts. It was all she could do to keep still as he worked to connect her systems and flip the right switches. When Ratchet did it, it had been far less unpleasant. Perhaps it was the difference between blunt fingers versus sharp ones. Her denta made a crunching sound as she ground the plates together to keep herself from snapping at her friend.

"Sorry," He whispered into her audios, plating a kiss to them, "I know how to do this, that does not mean I'm a medic with training."

She said nothing, afraid if she opened her mouth she might yelp. For all his so called agility, he was like a scraplet when trying to be a medic. Somehow he hit every nerve receptor to pain she had while he was working. It was starting to spark her other injuries out of numbness, making her whole frame ache. Leave it to her to have issues like these. She wished he could at least be numbing her further instead of igniting old wounds. It felt like this was taking many centuries, as if it would never end. She had to focus, focus on the task, remember the plan.

She went limp in his arms as she felt the connections fall into place at long last. A few of her systems reset and came back online, which was both good, and painful. She was shaking slightly, but doing her best to hide it. It would not do well if her friend saw her true condition. She could make it, she had to. Never show weakness or be weak, that was what she always learned. Her body was healing, but she needed more time than she had been given for what she needed. Rest was a luxury though considering the theft would be discovered all too soon.

"Now," She rasped, trying to get her vocalizer to stabilize, "you will have to keep their attention while I charge my wings for the hits. If they hear it, they will know."

He gave her a very true to form grin as he slid her breastplate back into place for her, "Oh, that, I can do!"


At long last, he was whole again! After all this time, he felt normal. He was nearly flipping in his metal with glee. How she knew exactly how to use that thing on the first try, he had no idea, nor would he complain. She did not even have to open him up for it, the device did all the work. Later, when she put the real thing into him, she would have too, but thank Primus it was not this time. That did not really matter for now though. He could transform again and they were getting out of this place.

Starscream tugged at her hand to get her to move faster as they made their way down the halls. The doctor and the Prime should still be in the Medical room, but that should be fine. They could make it out anyway. All they had to do was activate the bridge and they would be free. Sky could not transform to a vehicle form yet, but they would get her one after they were clear. For now, if the Autobots gave chase, he could carry her in his jet form. It would slow him down, but not enough to worry over.

The Prime's voice hit his audios as they entered the main room. It nearly made him shrink back into the hallway, but he stood his ground. As predicted, they were still in the medical room. Getting to the bridge controls unnoticed would be challenging, but not impossible if they were quick. His servos tightened around hers as he jerked her against his side, holding her tightly partly to assure himself and partly to shield her. She leaned into him heavily, seeming drained to the point it worried him. His arm curled around her waist to pull her closer and hold her up better. She had been so hesitant, and even now he was still practically dragging her, but he supposed it was thanks to her injuries. Later, once they were away, he would take a good look at her, but there was no time for that now.

"We have to make a run for it Angel. Just stay with me, alright?" He glanced down into her optics as she stared up at him, her expression so unreadable, "If they come at us, I need you to use your wings on them to buy us the time we need."

She had yet to drop her wings after putting Bumblebee and Smokescreen into stasis, but he still felt the need to remind her. The silver femme did not seem like she was currently running at the top pf her normal performance. It really did worry him. Perhaps he was asking too much from her after she had been attacked, but what else could he do? They had to leave while they still had the chance. Her helm nodded in understanding but she said nothing as they moved ahead. Carefully, he moved toward the controls from the bridge, glad the Medic and Leader seemed deep in conversation for now.

"Starscream!" The clear voice of the blue femme shattered the silent air around them.

The seeker whirled with a snarl, "Scrap!"

Raising his missile to the Autobot, he let it fly at her, exploding into the wall beside her. He jerked Angel ahead, taking note that she had neither alerted him to the femme, nor used her wings. Perhaps that was because he did not give her time to use her wings, or maybe her reflexes were just slow. Either way, he would clearly have to take the lead in this fight to escape. She was practically wilting even though he still had a hold on her. He could hear the two bots in the other room jumping into motion without looking to see where they were. He made a lunged for the controls, servos locking around it in sheer desperation, pulling the lever without worrying where it was set to take them. Wherever it was going would be fine with him at the moment.

Skyfreeze was visibly swaying at his side like some fliers after their first try at an aerial stunt. It was painfully clear she was not going to make it out unless he took her himself. Her optics kept fritzing in and out as her body threatened to buckle under her own weight. The more he looked at her, the more he knew she was in more trouble than he first thought, but there was no way to turn back now. He scooped her up as blue blasts began falling around them, her frame going limp in his arms. Had he accidentally done damage when he was putting her weapon back online? His long legs propelled him forward into the swirling of green, taking him wherever this lead as fast as they could go. It sounded horribly like the Autobots were going to take chase.

"Angel, come on! You can't give out on me now! You have to wake up!" Starscream was yelling into her audios, but he did not care.

If she did not at least revive enough to hang on when he transformed, he would have no way at all the carry her. He could not hold her and fly at the same time. Seeker nor not, he was not quite that skilled. A passenger that could not fit in his cockpit had to be able to hold on, that was all there was to it! He could not leave her, but if she stayed like this, how could he take her? He broke out of the bridge, sprinting over the rocky ground, her tiny frame danging in his arms as he raced ahead. They were coming, he could hear it.

AN: I just want to thank all of you for the kind and helpful feedback.! It really makes my day to read them and it helps me immensely! ^^ Thank you!