Real life sucks. On the bright side, I graduated in May and I only have nine credits to go this summer to officially graduate a year early. So…yeah. I'm sorry this took forever. I hope this chapter will go a fair ways to forgiveness… This chapter is really dark and sexual. Should probably slap up an implied non-con or dub-con warning for this chapter. It's about to get real. WARNING.

A Time for Everything

Chapter 10

Three solar cycles. That's how long she'd been with the Decepticons. Three whole solar cycles. As it turns out, that was all the time she needed to understand that she still hated Onslaught with a passion.

After her small relapse, in which she caught herself thinking that Onslaught wasn't so bad, she had remembered why she hated him. He was a slagger. Plain and simple. He'd forced her to go with him to every single meeting he had been called to, and would only give her energon if she begged. On her knees. If she was lucky, he wouldn't make her touch him. If not…she was at his mercy.

"Please. Please, Onslaught. I would love to have my evening energon." Her voice was as close to dead as she could possibly manage. Carina decided that she could have made a great drone, had she not been sentient. Unfortunately, she was sentient. Never before had she wished she was a drone. In her time as a slave to Onslaught, she found herself praying to Primus to be transformed to a drone. Or just offlined. Either would work.

Onslaught sat back in his chair, stroking his chin with one hand and sipping his own cube of energon with the other. His knees were spread wide, looking like a mechly king. It was all a power play. Luckily, Carina knew all of his plays. When she was younger and had a close relationship with him, he used his mechliness to do everything in his power to keep her subdued. This is no different. She just had to play his game long enough to get Sunstreaker and herself out of there.

"I don't think that you really want this energon, sweetspark. It doesn't sound like you are passionate enough or hungry enough," Onslaught paused, his hand stopping mid stroke, looking off into the distance. His optics darkened, a burst of heat coming off of his body. Carina sat back on her feet, leaning away from him as best she could. If anything, Onslaught had only become more…twisted in the interfacing department than he had when they were younger.

"Let's see, darling. If you really do want to have your energon, you should have no problem doing your master a little…favor, hmmm?" Onslaught smiled wolfishly at her, his dark optics casting light over her in the dark room. "Surely you understand that providing energon for you out of my own ration is taxing for me? You should have a little compassion for me, sweetspark." His optics surveyed her like a meal.

Carina shivered as he shifted in his seat, moving his crotchplate a little closer to her faceplate. Onslaught may act as though he was taxed, but he had yet to give her more than a half-cube of energon at a time. And he seemed to functioning at optimal levels. As if on cue, her frame shivered lightly, letting her know that there was not enough energon to fuel her heating or cooling systems. Excellent.

He really hadn't changed at all. After all, he had been the one to corrupt her. While he hadn't managed to actually take her virginity, he'd done more than enough to make her into the guarded femme she was. This was one of the things he had started with. Using underhanded techniques to get her to pleasure him. At least back when they were 'romantic' he had used the guise of love to get her to do things she wasn't ready to do.

"I hate you so very much." Carina snarled at him, but she stayed stock still, weighing her options. If she didn't get her energon, she would start shutting down in a matter of hours. If she didn't get fuel, she wouldn't be able to rescue Sunstreaker. Without fuel, she was useless. But was it worth the price she would have to pay?

"Ah. I see," Onslaught pulled himself to his feet, stretching his large frame. He swallowed what was left of his own energon cube, tossing the empty shell onto the desk behind him. "Well then, I guess you aren't that hungry. You may sleep on the floor tonight, my femme."

"Wait." Carina's voice broke on the word, but it made it out. Barely. But it was enough to stop Onslaught's massive frame. He looked over his shoulder, grinning like a maniac.

"Yes?"

"I am willing to pay the price."

"Excellent. I knew that you still had the ability to see reason, little femme." His large pedes shook the floor as he stalked back to his seat. As he sat down, he surveyed her from his height. Even seated, he was so much taller than she was. He had an ability to look at her as if she was insignificant. Nothing but a smear on the floor.

"My femme, you look so beautiful like this. Thighs spread, sitting on your little feet with such feminine supplication. Your chin pressed down, optics looking at the floor. You know who your alpha is. It's so incredibly sexy. I was wondering if you would remember all the wonderful times we had, which all started with you looking just like you do now." He sat back, crossing his legs at his ankles and shoving his feet under her faceplate.

"Of course I remember, Onslaught. I remember how many times you told me you loved me, and then forced me to give you pleasure, after which you would leave me wanting. I was so young that I didn't understand that a mech had a responsibility to give his femme pleasure, also. I was too young to know that you were the biggest piece of slag in existence, telling me that you would give me anything I wanted, but then taking advantage of me in basically every way you could think of. You make me so sick."

A giant foot shot up, catching her under her chin. It was a rough maneuver, but he didn't hurt her. Carina understood that it would have been too easy for Onslaught to take off her helm. Maybe he was mellowing out in his old age. But as her optics made contact with his own, she knew that there was no way that he had mellowed. If anything, the fury in his optics was stronger than she ever seen out of him.

"Perhaps, little femme, I should simply turn you over to my Combaticons and allow them to show you how a femme should behave in the presence of her master," All of a sudden, Onslaught laughed, his great frame creaking in time with his movements. "It would appear that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had yet to train you to their…tastes."

"What do you mean?" Carina trusted Onslaught about as far as she could throw him. Already today he had proven himself to be completely manipulative and he had even threatened her health. However, the longer she could keep him talking, the longer she could put off her…task.

"My dear, you really have no idea who those mechs are. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were known as being some of the kinkiest mechs from the time they were in the gladiatorial ring until long after they joined the Autobots," Onslaught looked into her optics. "What? You don't believe me, little femme? That's alright. You'll get to ask him in just a few moments."

"What about my energon?"

"It's too late now. We have to convene in the rec room. Shockwave has a gift for all of us. It's probably going to revolve around your precious twin. I can only imagine how he and his brother are feeling right about now. Shockwave is not exactly known for being…gentle…with his patients."

"I slagging hate this," Ratchet leaned her helm on his desk, moaning when Moonracer's gentle fingers traced his chevron. "I can't help Sideswipe until I can figure out what they are doing to Sunstreaker."

"I know, Ratchet. I'm so sorry. This is killing you, but there's nothing you can do. I want you to focus on making Sideswipe feel better, both physically and mentally. Try not to think about Sunstreaker. There's nothing you can do for him, but Sideswipe you actually can help. Now, get off your aft, stop moaning and go help your patient. Red Alert has not been off duty in joors."

"You, my femme, are so…so…"

"Beautiful? Lovely? Fetching?"

"I was going to get to that eventually." Ratchet grinned, lifting his helm off his desk and stretching his worn limbs. It was almost time for him to replace his wrist joint once again. For that, he would need Moonracer's help, so he wanted her happy.

Ratchet picked up Moonracer's hand and pulled her to her feet, placing a kiss on the back of her knuckles. He gently pulled her along with him until they were standing outside the room that Sideswipe was being held in. It was a full security medical bay, used when larger mechs were on the edge of insanity. For her safety, he wouldn't allow Moonie in the bay with him. She was just too small. If Sideswipe lapsed into a berserker rage, she wouldn't be large enough to restrain him. And she wasn't large enough to protect herself if he came at her. It was a bad combination.

"Until tonight, Moonie." Ratchet said, pressing the crest of his chevron to the top of her helm. Life was simply so much better since the two of them had reconciled and decided to reinvigorate their relationship.

"Tonight, Ratchet." Moonracer said knowingly as she walked down the hallway to the front desk of the Medbay. At least he could rest easy knowing that his Medbay was in her extremely capable hands.

He pulled open the door to Sideswipe's room, steeling himself. The mech in question was laying prostrate on the berth, one arm slung over his optics. Red Alert stood at the side of the berth, holding Sideswipe's other arm, taking measurements.

"Sideswipe, how are you doing?" Ratchet asked, stepping forward and pulling up his vitals on a datapad.

"Feel like slag. My spark is going crazy. I feel like it's trying to leap out of its case," He spoke in short spurts, his vents heaving with the effort of cooling his frame. "And if that wasn't enough, I think I might toss my contents. My tanks keep rumbling."

Ratchet stepped forward, taking Sideswipe's arm from Red Alert, giving the other medic a nod and a signal that his shift was now over. A quick visual inspection of Sideswipe showed that there was nothing new to report. Whatever Shockwave was doing was internal to Sunstreaker. If it was physical abuse, Sideswipe would be untouched, but angry. Instead, he was miserably sick.

"If you have to empty your tanks, try to let me know so I can go ahead and get a bucket. Or would you like me to get one just in case?" Ratchet placed his hands on Sideswipe's chassis, gently easing the plates apart. His spark looked fine, steady as always.

"I would like a bucket, please. That way I can go ahead and toss my contents whenever I want, without fear of the Hatchet." Sideswipe said, his voice completely flat, no humor whatsoever.

"Alright, I'll get you a bucket. What sort of emotions are you getting from Sunstreaker?" Ratchet asked, walking over to a storage closet and grabbing a bucket, placing it by the bedside.

"Fear. Not for himself, I think, but for Carina." Sideswipe lifted his arm off his optics and glanced at the bucket on the floor, engraining its location in his memory, just in case it was needed.

"That's normal. It's Sunstreaker's possessiveness coming out in full-force. As an attached mech myself, I would be furious and fearful if my femme was kidnapped by those bastards." Ratchet said absentmindedly, making a few notes about changes in Sideswipe's demeanor on his datapad.

"I am furious. I'm going to kill all of them. Once Sunstreaker dies, I'm going to be uncontrollable, Ratchet. You know that I'm just as aggressive as Sunny. Just…let me kill as many as I can before you kill me," Sideswipe met Ratchet's shocked optics. "I know it'll be you who has to kill me, Ratch. They'll wrestle me down, but it'll be you who kills me with some sort of chemical. As an attached mech, you understand. Let me kill as many as I can before you take me down."

"Sideswipe. There's a good chance that we'll be able to get Sunstreaker back. As soon as he's back in this Medbay, I'll have him up and running as soon as possible. You know that." Ratchet said gently, refusing to acknowledge that he would be the one to kill Sideswipe, even if he knew it was the truth.

"No, Ratchet. He's in rough shape already." Sideswipe's clear blue optics bore into his medics with an intensity unlike anything Ratchet had seen before.

"Look at him!"

"Oh, damn, I've wanted to see him in pain for vorns."

"His paint looks like it's been flayed off with a rusty electro-whip."

"Autobot scum."

Carina was pushed through the hostile crowd with ease. Onslaught's hand on her lower back ensured that she would move at whatever pace he wanted her to move at. There was no negotiating with the Decepticon, no matter how hard she tried.

As she listened to the mechs around her, she realized that Sunstreaker must be in the room with her. She simply couldn't see him over all of the much taller mechs pressing in on her. She couldn't help the elation that filled her as Onslaught pressed her towards the front of the room. She was going to see Sunstreaker for the first time since they had been abducted.

Once she saw him, however, her elation escalated into true horror. Her spark sped up, making her feel light headed and sick. For a terrifying moment, she thought that she was going to pass out in a crowd of Decepticons.

Sunstreaker, or what was left of him, was hanging from the ceiling of the rec room. He was a mess. His paint was stripped, the golden hue giving way to the primer. Even more horrifying were the large chunks of plating that were twisted and melted. In some places on his frame, there was no plating left to speak of.

Worst of all was his beautiful faceplate. One of his optics was shattered and dark, the metal around it showing stress. Someone had hit him very hard, causing it to sit a little too far into his face. The rest of his faceplate, his gorgeous faceplate, was almost unrecognizable without any paint. In fact, she wouldn't have been sure it was Sunstreaker without seeing his powerful frame and hearing all the Decepticons sneer his designation.

His other optic was offline, but he was facing her direction. If only he would activate his sensors and look at her. At least that way she could be sure that he was still alive. For all she knew, this was some sort of twisted Decepticon funeral.

"Ah! I'm so glad all of you could make it!" Shockwave's smooth, aristocratic voice rang throughout the large space. He was huge. Carina gaped at the scientist. He was so…different…than the other Decepticons. Actually, he reminded her of Megatron in a way. The way he carried himself was much like Megatron…a mech who knew he was in control. Knew he had power. Not only did he know he had power, but he had the ability to wear it like a second frame. It clung to him.

"My friends! I present to you: Sunstreaker," Shockwave paused in front of the prostrate mech, one large purple finger reaching out to flick Sunstreaker's helm. He waited for a moment before repeating the gesture more roughly. Carina held her breath. Shockwave lifted his finger one last time, this time sending an electric pulse through Sunstreaker's working optic.

Carina gasped aloud as his entire frame writhed against his chains, unable to ignore the pain. His optic flickered to life, agony and ferocity reflected in its depths. One of his large pedes made a quick swipe at Shockwave, who merely stepped back a step to avoid being hit.

"As you can see, he is quite resilient. Three solid days of my most creative torture, and he still lives. Indeed, he still wants to kill me. His spirit remains strong. It is truly incredible. I brought him here in order to make a spectacle of any filthy Autobot who thinks he is invincible." Carina shivered as all the room seemed to swell. All the mechs around her roared with pleasure, pressing in on her. The noise was deafening.

Her optics could not leave Sunstreaker's broken and battered body. He had yet to even notice that she was in the room. Carina craned her neck, trying subtly to attract his attention, but avoid Shockwave at all costs. She just wanted to show Sunstreaker that she was here. She would rescue them. Somehow. As she raised herself onto her tiptoes to get a better look, a purple chassis appeared in front of her nose.

"Ah. My dear, it is so nice to finally see you out among us." Shockwave's finger, the same finger that had shocked Sunstreaker, touched her chin and raised her helm to look at him. "I was so anxious to meet you. After all, Sunstreaker spoke very fondly of you as he was screaming from the torture I was inflicting upon him." Carina shivered as the Decepticons roared with pleasure yet again. Shockwave's finger began to stroke her chin slightly, making her spinal relay tighten.

"Come with me, dear spark. There is no reason to be frightened," The room laughed again as Shockwave's arm wound around her waist and pulled her toward Sunstreaker. "Here is your lover, darling. Look at how weak he is." Shockwave's freakishly long fingers stroked her waist with a long, luxurious stroke.

Carina did not notice how 'weak' Sunstreaker looked. Instead she was focused on how intensely he was looking at her. He had yet to speak. She did not know if this was due to the fact that he did not wish to, or if he was unable. It did not matter. His optics were speaking much louder than his vocal processes ever would have.

They darkened, but not with lust, as was his usual. They darkened with sadness and grief. Worry clouded the grief, but did not obscure it. The last layer of emotion in his optics was tender love. It seemed that Sunstreaker's time in captivity had allowed him to figure out what he felt for her. And it was love. From the looks of it, it looked like it was a passionate love. In another time, and another place, Carina would have adored Sunstreaker to be chained. Right now, however, it was simply painful.

"Lovers are so beautiful, aren't they?" More laughter resounded in the room. It occurred to her that she'd never heard the Decepticons laugh so much. It figured that they would laugh as a mech was being tortured and tormented in front of them. All of a sudden she pined for the Autobots and their gentleness, even when she was being less than friendly. At least they wouldn't try to make her earn her energon through sexual acts.

"Well, Sunstreaker? Are you overcome with tender emotion at seeing your femme? Or are you ready to surrender her back into the reality of her life? She is a prisoner of Onslaught, in a Decepticon base. She'll be carrying either his sparkling or the sparkling of one of his Combaticons within the vorn. Or, if things go very poorly for her, she could end up in Lord Megatron's harem. We all know how fickle our Lord can be when it comes to his more…carnal…needs."

"Go to pit." Sunstreaker gasped out, his voice sounded like gravel crunching beneath his tires. Carina felt some of the tension of her frame ease. He could speak, if he really needed to. That was a good sign. His feistiness was also still with him. His body may have been broken and battered, but his spirit was still intact. As long as his spirit was still with him, Ratchet could fix the rest of him.

"I am well on my way, as are you, gladiator." Suddenly Carina was dragged into Shockwave's chassis. He was very warm, but there was an aura of pure evil that seemed to roll off of him. She repressed her shudder of revulsion, frightened that Shockwave might take her shudder for one of pleasure, rather than disgust.

The room fell silent. Unnaturally silent. Shockwave spun with Carina in his arms, turning to face the doors. Megatron and Starscream entered the rec room, moving quickly towards Shockwave.

Megatron stopped just in front of Shockwave, standing so close to Carina that her cheek touched his lower chassis. Personal space was not something that seemed to be of much importance for slaves of the Decepticons.

"Shockwave. The Autobots have just breached our perimeter. It is time to rally the troops. And since you seem to be enjoying your oration, you may continue and get the mechs ready for battle." Megatron leaned forward slightly threateningly as he spoke, forcing Carina to lean back against Shockwave to avoid having her face squished between two large chassis.

"As you wish, Lord Megatron."

Sorry for the shorter chapter, but that was where I wanted to end it. Time for battle. Time for reviews. This story is going to start wrapping up soon. I hope you all with stick with me as we finish this bitter sweet story.