IX

The moment the door slid shut, D-99 moved to Fusion's side. He had heard her name and he would use, unlike the medic. Without thought, he extended the vibroblade that was hidden in his arm, making short work of the loop that Fusion's bonds were attached to. He moved to her feet, cautious of the injured ankle, then stepped back and watched as she sat up and stretched the stiffness from her body.

"Come, there is little time," D-99 urged, moving forward to help her stand. Once she was on her feet, he slipped beneath her shoulder and helped support her. The ankle would not hold her weight.

"My friend, if you are caught..." Fusion started, only to stop speaking when she saw the serious look on his faceplate. She had learned how to read his emotions better than any Decepticon, even Knockout, had. Her ability to observe and learn intrigued him. There was much more to her than met the optic. He only wished he would get a chance to learn it all.

"I am taking you to the bridge room. There we will go to the surface. Interceptor will meet us along the way," D-99 explained as they reached the door. When it slid aside, he rushed her into the corridor beyond.

&*&

Fusion fought to keep up and not be a burden on her new-found friend. If he had come to her any later, she hated to think what could have happened. Knockout had been making a good argument for her turning to the 'cons, if even for a short enough time to escape. But she hated to think what life would have been like at that point. But her friend, a drone whom she still did not know the name of, had seen fit to let her know that he had been in contact with Interceptor. It had taken a great deal of acting on her part to play the surprised femme when Knockout 'revealed' Interceptor's whereabouts.

As they moved through the corridors, the sounds of battle could be heard. Weapon fire echoed all around the metal deckplating. It was nearly impossible for her to judge where the combatants were or were not. So far, thankfully, they had not run into the thick of it. A few drones rushed past, but paid them no heed. Fusion found herself wondering about these drones. Were they friends of her rescuer, or did they simply not care, deciding he was doing as he had been told? Regardless, she continued to move.

They passed through winding corridors, moving quickly around corners, past signs of battle. The plating on the walls was scored with ionization from cannon fire. Smaller pockmarks showed where metal ammunition had hit the walls as well. Energon and the bodies of drones littered the floors. Fusion looked to the drone beside her, trying to judge how he felt about this destruction. She only saw determination.

"It is not much farther," the drone intoned from beside her nearly 20 minutes later.

Her only reply was a nod. She was in pain, but did not want to slow their progress. It had been a long time since she was forced to travel any distance and her energon reserves were beginning to get low again. Knockout had given her just enough to make it through the sessions and the times between. It was never truly enough for her body.

The signs of battle had faded behind them like a nightmare. Still, sounds reached them from time to time. Fusion wondered where Interceptor was, hoping he was okay. It was true, what the large mech who had come to fetch Knockout had said. Interceptor fought more like a 'con than an Autobot, but he was still mortal.

"I'm sorry, but I can't..." Fusion started, only to start coughing and forcing the drone to stop all forward motion. She brought her hand to her mouth and coughed long and hard, energon spraying her fist.

"We must continue before we are discovered," the drone urged, trying to pull on her arm.

She pulled away, leaning against the wall. Her motors working hard to cool her inner workings. The injuries were catching up.

Coming to stand beside her, the drone ran his hand a foot from her body. He had done this before and she knew it was because he had medical programming that gave him this unique ability. It also meant that he was not nearly as well armed as his brethren. Once he was finished scanning her, he ran the diagnostic internally, searching for the problems with her systems. With a sound that seemed to be a mixture between a squeak of surprise and a growl, he looked back at her.

After a few nanoklicks of indecision, he swept her into his long arms and began to run. Fusion made her own squeak of surprise and indignation at being carried. She wasn't a complete invalid!

&*&

What he saw in the scans terrified him. D-99 made the decision to carry Fusion; in order not to exacerbate her internal injuries or use more of her low energon reserves than necessary. She was not heavy, in fact she was even lighter than she should be, due to the missing armor and low energon reserves. However, she was struggling against him, making it very difficult to carry her. He did not want to frighten her, did not want to remind her of her former torturer, but he had to do something to stop her from struggling.

Tapping her side, he shook his head and indicated that silence was needed. They were approaching Ravage territory. It was very likely that the feline-like Decepticon would be lurking in the shadows. If that was the case, they would have to be prepared to run. He was not strong enough to defeat Ravage.

A noise to the right of their position had him slowing down. He cocked his head to the side, listening intently. Fusion lay in his arms, perfectly still, her optics narrowed as she searched the shadows for signs of an enemy. When no other signs of another being nearby came, D-99 began to move forward once more. The bridge room was only a few more turns away. So far they had been very lucky and he knew it.

As they turned the final corner, a form leaped from the shadows near the bridge room. Ravage growled as D-99 came to a full stop. The feline lowered her front end to the floor, preparing to leap. D-99 set Fusion down, making certain she was leaning against the wall before turning back to Ravage. Extending his vibroblade and transforming his other hand into a blaster, he waited for the battle he doubted he could win. If he lost, at least Fusion could claim that he had grabbed her without explanation. Perhaps that would mollify Knockout enough that he was not too hard on her.

Ravage leaped then, her claws reaching for his throat. He swept the vibroblade forward, missing Ravage by centimeters. The sweeping motion did serve to force the feline off of her attack path. She landed near the far wall, growling and hissing.

"You made a mistake, drone!" Ravage spat, turning and running the other way. D-99 felt certain that her master had just called her for assistance and that his fate was officially sealed.

"Who was that?" Fusion demanded, assisting him this time as he lifted her into his arms.

"Ravage, one of Soundwave's 'pets'," D-99 responded dispassionately.

"...You 'con's and your 'pets'," Fusion muttered, looking over his shoulder in the direction Ravage had run.

"I am no longer a Decepticon..." D-99 said it firmly, with conviction, "I believe I have switch sides."

Fusion smiled gently at him before saying, "Welcome to the Autobots. Sucks doesn't it?"

A laugh split the air as D-99 continued on to the doorway which open up on the bridge room.

&*&

The bright light of an ion cannon bolt flew through the air, sizzling beside Interceptor's right audio sensor. It had been close enough to scorch the armor there, as well as pass through the door panel on his back. Ignoring the pain, he returned fire, blowing the drone who had taken the shot into pieces. Steadily, he moved back toward the way he had come, hoping to reach the gate room or bridge room, or whatever the drone had called it. It had been a rough day, taking on an entire crew of a Decepticon battleship alone was no easy task.

Another shot from the left this time, it missed completely. Turning, he saw why. Downbeat was shooting wide and randomly, keeping up appearances, but also clearing the path for him. Interceptor had to admit, he owed the 'con now. He'd have been slagged ten times over if Downbeat hadn't appeared at the most opportune times to act as 'rear guard' to the 'con forces.

Laying down heavy fire, Interceptor took the opportunity Downbeat had presented and turned to disengage. He made it beyond the last corner that lead to the airlock he had been brought in through. As he made his way around this corner, cautiously looking around before walking into the corridor, the sound of metal paws on the deck plating drew his attention. Before he was able to fully turn, the quadruped was on him.

Spinning around and reaching above his head, Interceptor grabbing the spindly 'con and gripped it's sides. It didn't budge, digging claws and teeth into his armor where ever possible. It was impossible for him to position his cannons in a way that would allow him to shoot the creature, without blasting some part of his own body as well.

"Slagging 'con! Get...offa," Interceptor yelled as he knelt before shoving his back against the wall as hard as he could, "ME!"

The quadroped continued to hang on, its claws tearing at the metal that covered Interceptor's back as it looked for purchase to turn its body around for a clearer angle at his throat. If he had anything to say about that, it was not going to happen. With another mighty push, he slammed his body into the wall, causing a concave dent in the heavy metal. The quadroped fell then, being knocked senseless by the move.

Interceptor spun around and lowered his right cannon, preparing to fire, when a new noise caught his attention. It took him a few nanoklicks to place the sound. When it hit him, both literally and figuratively, he cursed himself for being distracted by the quadroped that looked like one of the large felines on the planet below.

Pain spread throughout his body, sending him to his knees. It felt as though the very circuits that formed his nerves were on fire. The pain continued to build, even though there was no longer any contact from the weapon he had heard preparing to fire. As he was falling forward, catching himself with his hands splayed on the gray metal floor, he looked up and saw his attacker. Hatred and pure anger laced through his processor and spark at the sight of the sadistic bastard that had been torturing Fusion ever since her capture. The drone, D-99, had explained it all to him.

In that moment of realization, Interceptor swore that he'd not be brought down by such a coward. And so, he waited, adjusting to the pain, accepting it. All he had to do now was wait for the 'con medic to move in, certain that his victim was down for the count.

&*&

The door to the room that housed the Decepticon version of a ground bridge slid open. It was dark beyond the rectangle of light that came from the corridor. Fusion looked at the equipment that sat in silence around the room. There were a number of consoles, each of them with a distinct function. She wondered if her friend/rescuer knew how to operate any of them.

Before she could ask, the drone moved further into the room, setting her down in one of the vacated seats. He moved about the room with a sense of well-organized urgency that Fusion found herself admiring. Lights flared to life, consoles lit up – beeping as they came online, and the bridge's generator began to hum as it warmed up. A feeling of disconcert continued to needle at the back of her mind as she searched the room fruitlessly for any sign of a guard. Looking over at the drone, she realized he was watching her search, causing her to blush.

"Do not fear, the guards were my friends, they graciously agreed to attend to the battles elsewhere," the drone reassured her, returning to his work with the bridge. He began plugging in coordinates, looking down at a panel that was built into the back of his hand, much the way her own panel was built into her forearm.

"Was that wise?" Fusion asked, narrowing her optics in concern as she continued to watch him work.

"I trust them...they are some of the few I can say that of," the drone explained simply, his fingers flying across the board in front of him.

Though she wanted to ask how he could be so sure, she kept quiet and simply sat, waiting for him to finish. Her attention wandered and she found herself thinking about Interceptor. She wondered wher he was and hoped he was still alive and save. Downbeat also crossed her mind. Her thoughts about him were more questionable. He'd not been seen for so long – had Knockout been telling the truth? Had Downbeat turned on her?

Deep in her spark, she hoped not. But the seeds of distrust had been planted and she couldn't ignore them any longer.

"What is your name?" Fusion asked without warning. Even she was surprised by the question, though it was more surprise at having not asked earlier.

Looking up from his work, the drone looked at her in surprise. His mouth moved as though to say something but, then, stopped. It was as though he was unsure of what to say.

Smiling at him, Fusion coaxed, "You know my name, I would like to know yours."

After a moment's silence, the drone straightened up and looked her squarely in the face, "I have no true name, simply a Designation, D-99."

There was nothing Fusion could think to say to that, as a result she remained silent. When she said nothing else, D-99 returned to his work. While he had his back to the door, it slid open. The sound made Fusion look up. As soon as she did, she tried to launch herself at D-99, only to have her bad ankle fail her.

The blast scorched most of the equipment surrounding the area where D-99 had been working. Metal charred and melted, pooling on the floor near Fusion's head. She watched in agonized silence as the drone she had come to call friend crumpled to the floor. The tears that Knockout could never force to fall now did.

Footsteps shook the deckplating beneath her, but she kept her optics looked on the burnt and smoldering corpse of her friend. A friend who had done nothing but help her and take pity on her. The anger began then and she waited until the one who had killed the only true friend she had made on board this horrific ship was nearly on top of her. Because she didn't want to miss.

&*&

Interceptor watched as the medic indicated that the other should move forward. It seemed Knockout had other plans that he wanted to attend to. He left his weapon with the one who had jammed a cannon into Interceptor's back. The one who had threatened Fusion, should Interceptor fight and cause a ruckus. This one was near the top of his list. Not quite as high as the medic, but close enough for now.

When the 'con was standing close enough that Interceptor could reach him, but not quite far enough for there to be room to fire the large weapon the 'con held, Interceptor rolled onto his side and brought his ion cannon to bear. It was armed and ready, being far quieter than the thing they had used on him. The 'con's optics flew wide. He dodged, but not fast enough.

Scorch marks covered the mech's right shoulder, his armor melted in places. The weapon lay on the decking, smoldering from a direct hit. With a grunt, Interceptor stood, the effects of the weapon beginning to wear off. Holding his cannon out before him, he stalked up to where the 'con sat, leaning against the corridor wall.

Interceptor stopped a few feet from the 'con, his cannon held squarely before the 'con's face. A grin stretched across the red faceplate of the downed Decepticon Wrecker. Something was wrong and Interceptor needed to know what it was.

"I see nothing to laugh about," Interceptor growled, shoving the cannon inches from the Wrecker's faceplate. The yellow optics narrowed, but the grin did not disappear.

"Your femme friend is about to meet Primus personally, catch my drift, 'bot?" the Decepticon's grin grew as Interceptor's optics narrowed, the two top ones moving to view the direction that the medic had gone.

"Longer your here, sooner she'll die."

With a shout of rage, Interceptor lowered the cannon and spun on his heel, running after the medic. He hoped he wasn't too late. Whether or not he was, the medic would die, that was a promise.

As he rushed around the final turn, a flash of light from a weapon firing painted the far bulkhead in blue green light. Moments later, a scream punctuated the air. Interceptor moved faster, sliding around the door's frame and bringing all cannons online, his optics widening as he saw the devastation within the bridge control room.