Author's notes: As we reach the final chapters of this story, I want to thank all the people who have joined this purple journey. Your support is priceless to me and I don't have words to describe how much I have enjoyed every review you have been so kind to leave.

Now some notes concerning this chapter. There will be a couple of names I took from the Transformers name generator of CN, so it's very probably that they had been used in other fan fictions that have no relation with this one.

A big hug to my sis KayDeeBlu, who has been the best beta and friend.


Chapter 12

A screechy sound tore through the silence. Red optics showing within the darkness produced annoyed glimpses as a snarl emitted somewhere inside the partial shade of the tunnel.

"This is the last time I demand you stop doing that, Wildrider! Next time you will deal with my fist!" Breakdown complained, his voice reverberating throughout the cylindrical confinement.

Wildrider cackled. Two thin lines of light coming from his chest illuminated his right hand, which continued ripping the metal walls.

"I'm bored," the Ferrari said as soon as his laughs died down enough to allow him to speak. "Why can't we just transform and roll out the rest of the way?"

"Are you stupid? If we do that, we'll be detected." Breakdown narrowed one of his optics in a nervous tic before returning his attention to the road before them. "A little help with the lights would be perfect right now… Dead End?"

A disdainful complaint was heard from behind. Dead End walked his way through the penumbra, following the trace lights Breakdown was generating.

"Darkness is better," the Porsche absent-mindedly responded.

"Fine! But if you stumble, don't you dare fall on me or you'll regret it! Got it?"

"Leave him alone, Break," Wildrider intervened. "He likes darkness. It reminds him of a tomb. Right, Dead?"

Dead End didn't reply. He was used to his mates' mockeries about his pessimism and notorious fixations with death.

Wildrider tore the wall again with the tips of his fingers. "So how far are we? I really mean it when I say I'm bored…"

"Three levels before arriving to the meeting point. According to the coordinates that Autobot gave us…"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" cried Wildrider, interrupting Breakdown. "How come we are blindly following data given by an Autobot? An AUTOBOT!"

"Orders," Dead End simply replied, his voice the perfect antithesis of enthusiasm.

Breakdown tripped suddenly, leaning on the wall to stay on his feet. A human curse came from his vocalizer. "And what for? To save the aft of some useless Seeker who happens to have been created by an Autobot? I'm telling you, this is a conspiracy ploy! Everyone is against us. Sometimes I think Moto was reprogrammed… and we are next…"

"Everything is a conspiracy for you, Break," laughed Wildrider. "Take my advice: let yourself go and enjoy this. At least we will be able to destroy some Autobot creeps."

"I don't understand… First you are complaining and now you tell us to enjoy this? Have you noticed you are notoriously unstable, Wildrider, not to mention contradictory?" Dead End said, frowning at his fellow Stunticon.

The answer from the Ferrari came once again in the form of high laughs, which switched immediately into growls, confirming the rumors about his stability, or lack of. "Shredding Autobots to pieces will always be a reason to celebrate. What bothers me, what really pisses me off, is following Skywarp's orders. Since when do we Stunticons work with a Seeker?"

Breakdown rubbed his hands in pleasure. "Since that Seeker will allow us to kick the lubricant out of him."

"I will tear his wings off, one by one," hissed Wildrider, abundantly overjoyed with the image.

"He only has two, you idiot," the Lamborghini retorted.

"Bah… whatever… let's see if ole' Warpo will ever fly again after I finish with him."

"Are we going to kill him?" Dead End asked innocently, suddenly interested in the subject.

"Moto said we shouldn't restrain ourselves. Hey Dead, maybe you can ask him if he can see the light, you know, that light at the end of the tunnel…"

"Speaking of lights at the end of a tunnel…" Breakdown said, stopping to corroborate the coordinates in his CPU three times.

"Now what?" Wildrider asked.

"Now we wait," the Lamborghini replied, pointing his light in all directions. "Moto will give us the signal."

"Oh, Break?"

"What?" Breakdown scowled.

"I'm staring at you!" Wildrider happily yelled, attacking his friend's paranoia of being watched.

Dead End stepped aside to avoid both Stunticons colliding into him. More than used to the sudden fights between his mates, the sullen mech sat down under a roof hatch. The thin line of light coming from the surface caught his optic. And as Breakdown and Wildrider continued sharing strong punches, Dead End wondered if it would be that way… the infamous light at the end of the tunnel…


Skywarp ran the plan over in his logics for the tenth time… or was it the eleventh? Anxiety and total immobility were claiming their hold. He had to find a distraction or his mind would start playing tricks on him. It wouldn't be the first time.

Tranquility wasn't something the black Seeker particularly enjoyed. A natural action lover, he felt insecure and vulnerable when forced to face silence and solitude.

There was no worst torture than not having anyone to talk to. It was in those moments of absolute silence in which the Decepticon was assaulted by memories. He had his own share of open wounds, still very far away from being closed.

Skywarp would have shaken his head, if he would've been able. Transformed into alt mode - the earthly F-15 design - he was camouflaged behind a hologram that made him look like one of the triangular vortexes of the tall building. The mirage reminded him of his ancient days as a Cybertronian tetrajet, when Thundercracker, Starscream and he were a novice trine of young cadets full of ambitious dreams.

Skywarp was almost glad when he received the transmission from Motormaster. There were very few mechanoids he hated as much as the insane Stunticon leader, but still his voice was better than the desperate silent waiting.

"My Stunticons have arrived at the meeting point. What's the target location?" Motormaster's voice reverberated through the Seeker's commlink.

"Arriving to the approximate coordinates, now. No confirmation of their exact route, but judging from the size of the convoy, the Autobots should be following tunnel 4-B inside the old industrial sector of Iacon."

"Yes, they'll move through the tunnels, like rats… Those Autobots must be very afraid."

"They are being precautious, Motormaster, as we must be."

Static accompanied Motormaster's sneer, the Stunticon leader restless for any kind of violence to begin.

"Where's the Autobot?" Skywarp asked.

"Back in Polyhex. He'll meet us at the tavern, I think... Did you deactivate his commlink as agreed? We must always consider the possibility of betrayal. He could change his mind about his loyalties… his allegiance over his creation…"

"I deactivated it, don't worry; though it's a useless precaution in this case. He won't betray us."

"If you say so… I still think we should've wasted him as soon as he stopped being useful. I'll be waiting for your signal, then."

"Affirmative. Skywarp out."

The Seeker ended the communication, preparing for another stressful period of waiting.


A sudden vicious jostling threw Thundercracker forward. Fortunately for him, heavy chains kept him fixated to the seat of the huge vehicle in which he was being transported.

One of the Autobot guards, a rookie, didn't calculate the magnitude of the tremor and ended up on his knees instead. Candid laughs welcomed his encounter with the floor.

The guard forced a laugh as well, trying to minimize his embarrassing predicament.

One of the soldiers who had cackled more noisily, a tall and bulky green Autobot, directed his attention onto the prisoner.

"Hey, Decepticon! Don't you laugh too? Didn't you find it funny?"

Thundercracker didn't respond. The half dozen Autobots who were watching him brought no interested acknowledgement from the Seeker at all.

"I'm talking to you, Decepticon scum!"

"Leave him alone, Hammerbolt. I don't think he feels like laughing right now. He's facing a very unpleasant fate," one of the other guards said.

Hammerbolt twisted his mouth in contempt. "He did this to himself. Time to pay for his crimes. How do you guys think he'll be executed?"

A red elder Autobot who was leaning on one of the vehicle's corner compartments, shrugged his shoulders then. "There aren't many alternatives. The Council will be merciful, though, that much I do know. An abundant dose of sitronic acid will melt his inner circuitry in a matter of astro seconds."

Hammerbolt's grimace turned bigger. "The Council is getting soft, I've always said it. It should be like the good old times… when all of our weapons would've been fired simultaneously on this slag pile."

Another guard, who had been staring out one of the barred windows, turned around and glanced at his companion. "Do you actually believe filling his structure with sitronic acid is a soft execution? I've seen some mechs die like that, and I doubt I will ever be able to forget it."

Hammerbolt smirked. "Did you hear that, Deceptiscum? Very soon the sweet acid will melt you, and the last thing you'll hear will be the sound of your own circuits dissolving, one by one. Have you ever imagined what it feels like when every part of you burns at the same time?"

Once again, Thundercracker ignored the Autobot.

The young guard who had fallen to the floor scratched his head at his comrade's remark. "But aren't the prisoners filled with an anesthetic first? I thought the procedure was totally painless…"

Hammerbolt shot a murderous glance at him. "Thank you very much for ruining everything, Nitrostrike!" he cried.

Nitrostrike bowed his head in embarrassment.

Hammerbolt shook his head and glanced back at Thundercracker again. "Whatever… it won't be pleasant, Decepticon, make no mistake about that. And you know what? It's very probable I will be the one giving you that anesthetic, and it could happen that I forget… My memory banks have been failing me recently…"

The lack of reaction the prisoner was exhibiting infuriated the Autobot. Brutally, Thundercracker's face was struck with the butt of Hammerbolt's rifle, making the Seeker's head twist and crash against the metallic ledge of the little window beside him.

"What the slag is your problem, Hammerbolt?!" the formerly patient elder guard yelled. "Commander Prowl specifically ordered us not to damage the prisoner anymore!"

"These assassins destroyed my city! Maybe this fragger was among the ones who killed my friends!" was the furious answer.

The agitated voices got lost inside the confused mist Thundercracker's mind was. With his face still leaning on the small ledge below the window, nostalgia painfully took over. It was the last time Cybertron's grey landscapes would ever be watched. Focusing the last bit of energy left in his only functional optic, Thundercracker tried absorbing every street, every building, every artificial light… It was sad it had to be seen this way… like a prisoner… like a condemned mech.

It didn't matter he was in Iacon, Autobot territory. It was his planet, Cybertron, the one that was running away from him, as well as his own life.

A hand held his arm, returning him to the tangible world of suffering. The elder Autobot lifted Thundercracker up, making him stand upright. Exposed shoulder circuits extended painful complaints to his mutilated wing.

"Just try and relax, kid. It will be over soon. Keep your dignity as you have since your capture," the Autobot said serenely.

"Dignity? How could this scum have dignity?"

The face of the elder Autobot became harder. "I said that was enough, Hammerbolt! This Decepticon will be terminated today. Show some respect."

Hammerbolt closed his mouth in a growl and deviated his glance.

Nitrostrike looked out the window. "We're about to enter the tunnels," he said, attempting to break the heavy silence. "Commander Prowl and the others are already inside."

The artificial lights of the surface disappeared. Darkness penetrated. It was in that moment in which Thundercracker fully understood.

Dying had already begun.


Nobody knows where hell begins.

The tunnel exploded, unleashing an unstoppable chain reaction. The noise was absolute, deafening. But soon the sound was minor, viciously pushed aside by fire and by the burning of melted metal.

Among smoke and chaos, the energic voice of the Autobot Second in Command could be heard from outside.

"Secure the perimeter! Surround the transport!" Prowl ordered.

Nitrostrike shot upward from the corner he had been sitting, opening an improvised exit on one of the sides of the overturned transport, not daring to go out. He shrunk back inside, holding his temples in desperation.

"They found us! I don't know how but they found us!" he cried.

"Pull yourself together, Nitrostrike!" Hammerbolt commanded. "We have to protect the convoy no matter the cost!"

The six guards prepared their weapons. Three of them exited quickly through the opening as Nitrostrike, Hammerbolt, and the elder Autobot stayed inside the transport to guard the prisoner.

Screams… shots… explosions…

Monstrous dimensions.

Deadly glimpses of laser beams and fire constantly illuminating the tunnel.

Hell had been found.


Thundercracker lifted his head weakly, completely oblivious to the surrounding insanity. Everything was a very confusing universe for him to understand. His punished body barely returned any signals of pain, his defeated mind holding no place for hope.

The reasons for his presence were forgotten. One by one, the Seeker began to shut down his secondary systems, a calm resignation for what was coming. And when the transport vehicle violently shook after being fired upon, Thundercracker, still chained and defenseless inside, remained emotionless, even as a second crash completely ripped off one of the sides.

Motormaster's imposing alt mode irrupted, colliding with two of the Autobot guards inside the vehicle, leaving only Hammerbolt standing, who started shooting frantically.

The terrestrial trailer seemed immune to the firepower, heavily protected by the unique alloy that made him practically invincible.

A purple flash appeared directly behind Hammerbolt. The Autobot was in the middle of turning around when his arm was suddenly torn from his body courtesy of one point blank laser shot.

"Slag, Motormaster! I told you to be careful! You could've blasted the entire transport!" Skywarp cried, kicking the fallen Autobot away, who was howling in pain.

Retreating, the Stunticon leader burst out laughing, ready to continue his destructive labor around him.

A near explosion illuminated Thundercracker's chained figure. Skywarp's optics narrowed in frenzied panic when he saw the shattered state of his friend.

"Primus, TC! What the slag did they do to you?"

Thundercracker didn't reply. His expression was absent and empty. He didn't seem to even acknowledge the presence of his wingmate.

Carefully, Skywarp started breaking the chains with accurate and controlled doses of laser fire. Thundercracker's lack of attitude was very disturbing. Skywarp feared the CPU of his friend was damaged, or perhaps he was entering stasis mode. Whatever it was, he had to act fast.

Finally, the last chain fell to the floor as Skywarp carefully picked Thundercracker up. Energon and lubricant coming from the blue Seeker's wounds stained Skywarp's chest.

"This will hurt a little, TC… hold on."

Before teleporting, Skywarp pointed one of his arm cannons at the head of the fallen Hammerbolt. His need for revenge had to be satisfied somehow.

"Welcome to oblivion, Autobot," his hatred spoke. An astro second after, a deadly shot.

New Cybertronian vital fluids marked the black jet's feet as Hammerbolt's head exploded. When the unrecognizable pieces of the Autobot's cranium fell to the floor, the space in which both Decepticon Seekers had been standing was empty.


Skywarp and Thundercracker reappeared very close to the destroyed convoy.

The black Seeker cursed himself. As much as he had tried, the subspace jump had been very short. Carrying Thundercracker had severely limited his teleporting abilities. Another try in those conditions was not only pointless but dangerous.

The tunnel was a war zone and, even though the Stunticons had created a Cybertronian version of the human Apocalypse, there were still many Autobots standing.

"This is bad… Slag TC! I wish you could fight…" Skywarp muttered, walking as fast as he could toward a dark corner of the tunnel. "Motormaster, if you are going to merge into Menasor do it now! We are surrounded!" he cried through his commlink.

Vicious laughter answered.

"Slagging pieces of terrestrial junk and slag me for associating with those frag piles!" Skywarp scowled, dodging shots and pieces of metal that were flying everywhere.

A near split in the tunnel made Skywarp feel something close to hope, but his efforts were bitterly rewarded when a bomb impacted his back.

A cry of pain and rage came out of the black Seeker's vocalizer as he fell on his knees. The damage wasn't as bad as it seemed but with his equilibrium sensors hit, the simple action of standing up was a very difficult task.

"Motormaster!" he yelled into the distance, lifting his arms and shooting a frenetic rain of laser fire.

He could see Menasor's enormous figure shredding Autobots with his sword, being bombarded by countless enemy shots.

Skywarp's optics widened in horror when he caught sight of a group of Autobots pointing a missile launcher at him.

"Incoming missile, TC!" Skywarp shouted to his fallen wingmate in desperation, but Thundercracker didn't even attempt to move.

Among a disordered exhibition of curses directed toward the Stunticons, Thundercracker and himself, Skywarp tried crawling toward his wingmate.

Once again, hell took over. The missile grazed Skywarp's head, impacting the wall above him. An avalanche of metal fell onto both Seekers.


Extinction had arrived.

Finally.

Should it be welcomed? Should I be grateful or furious? Thundercracker couldn't decide. The only thing he knew was that there was no more pain.

But was that death? There was something strange there, something physical. If everything had ended, why was there weight on his body? Was there something left he could still call a body?

It was then his spark, more than his only functional optic, showed him the truth. That weight over his structure was not something. It was somebody.

Cranker...

Memories of past astro seconds were hazy and lost. Thundercracker couldn't remember, hadn't even realized the moment which his creator had covered him to protect him from the landslide.

The stasis that had already begun to take Thundercracker over, retreated, urged by panic.

Suddenly, he was able to feel again, the pain of his wounds demonstrating that fact beautifully.

But it wasn't his pain anymore. It was Cranker's. Thundercracker's spark vibrated, recognizing the one who had provided him with sentient life, the one who had raised him. The unbreakable bond between creator and creation consummated again.

A soft voice came from a broken smile. "Little Crank…"


Skywarp knelt, managing to rid himself of the debris covering him.

In the distance, Menasor had disengaged back into five Stunticons, each one continuing to battle against the remaining Autobots.

A glimpse into one of the metal pieces scattered on the ground was all the excuse Skywarp needed to raise one of his thin arm cannons and aim toward his left side. His weapon struck the Autobot Second in Command's chest, who was also pointing at his enemy.

"Give up, Skywarp. Six against thirty is absurd," Prowl coldly said, his gun pointed on the black Seeker's cheek.

"Thirty? Seems like fourteen to me… Did you already count your fatalities, Prowl?"

Prowl didn't reply but thick indignation shone in his visor. The Decepticon was right. Most of the Autobot guards were grounded, many of them certainly without possibilities of repair.

"Shoot. Before you destroy my head I swear to Primus I will rip open your chest and extinguish your spark. You won't live to see me dead," Skywarp hissed.

Prowl didn't hesitate. His finger caressed the trigger.

An abrupt noise beside both Transformers broke the deadly tension. Among the debris, emerged the figure of Thundercracker, carrying a very damaged Cranker in his arms.

Sometimes things happen during battles, miracles by those who want to give them a name, moments in which everything seems not to matter anymore.

Despite his countless wounds, Thundercracker was imposing. His greatness above power, blue and grey colors lighting the darkness, glimpses of flames giving him an appearance that didn't belong to that place… or any other for the matter.

Prowl and Skywarp slightly lowered their weapons, no reasoning implied for their actions.

"TC…" the black Seeker managed to whisper.

Thundercracker began to walk slowly, defying the weak state of his body.

Sepulchral silence reigned inside the tunnel. Only the blue jet's steps and the crackle of fire could be heard. Even the Stunticons remained motionless.

Skywarp and Prowl glanced at each other. In an impossible, tacit agreement, both completely lowered their weapons. Prowl retreated slowly, the Stunticons doing the same, following Motormaster's mental command, who had been heavily damaged during battle. Only Dead End remained where he stood, watching with interest how the blue Seeker disappeared through the subterranean darkness.

"Could it be… is it real… the light at the end of the tunnel?" he softly asked the same Autobot who, some astro seconds ago, he had been ready to kill.

Thundercracker continued walking. Cranker's optics blinked weakly, his mouth part way opened. Father and son had their last conversation, away from all war and every sin. Cranker knew for sure that day… the one holding him in his arms was his beloved son.

There was no place left for distinctions between Autobot and Decepticon… or for treason.

To be continued.


A/N: Yes, one more chapter to go. Please let me know your opinions.