Wow, I'm so happy for the wonderful reviews I received for the previous chapter. I'm also very thankful with all of you who contacted me through my private mail. It's very satisfying for me that you guys are following this story, so I put my other fics aside a little to keep updating this one. I also realized that I left last chapter in an ugly cliffhanger, so here you have the newest update and one of the pivotal chapters of this story.

I also want to thank deeply my friend and beta reader iratepirate, who corrected this chapter immediately so I could post it as soon as possible. Many hugs and energon cookies to her!

Chapter 35

Stripped

The world had never been so blurry, and yet so peaceful. During some flashes of consciousness, Thundercracker wondered if he had been wrong by doubting the existence of an afterlife. Was that death, that perfect status of tranquility and numbness? He didn't feel anything but the soothing liquid whirling slowly around him. His body was gone, probably to the same place to which the rest of his senses had been exiled.

He was floating, but he was not flying. He had spent most of his life in the air but suddenly he wasn't able to recognize that place deprived of gravity. That had to be death, he decided, his mind unable to guide him in another direction.

Then he noticed the shadows, dark and blurry silhouettes that passed before him from time to time, sometimes stopping to watch him. Perhaps that was his punishment, to become a form of entertainment, a mockery for all the lost sparks wandering within the Matrix. It served him well.

He didn't have a vocalizer anymore, but he found the way to sigh. He deserved such punishment. All he hoped was that it would become eternal, maybe that way he would finally make amends with himself.

But that hope turned out to be fleeting. When the world went dark again, he realized that he was not dead, at least not anymore. He still had a lot to pay for, and he would be fully conscious when it happened.

That would be his torture.

When his systems status was displayed on his HUD, Thundercracker didn't realize he was conscious; he only realized that once again he had been dragged from oblivion, no matter if his battlefield had been different this time.

He wasn't surprised when he tried to move his arms and he couldn't. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, acknowledging that he still had a body but not having the freedom to move it. The pressure on his chest and his arms immobilized at his back announced the presence of an inhibitor claw, one of the devices designed to completely contain a Cybertronian and keep his abilities nullified. His fears were justified when his optics returned to online status and confirmed the presence of the spider-like device wrapped around the upper part of his body.

The purple bars before him didn't surprise him either. It was curious that after having avoided being in a cell for so many vorns, he had suddenly became such a recurrent visitor, although he knew that, in contrast to the Autobots' brig, there was no hope inside a Decepticon prison.

A soft metallic sound to his left made him turn abruptly, scratching his wings against the wall. A small rectangular form that had been hidden in the darkness jumped into his cell and transformed, expanding its size to the form of Reflector. Thundercracker wasn't sure about what to expect. He had never had a bad relationship with the triplet camera former, but ever since he had become a figure of hate to every Decepticon alive, he couldn't be sure of anything anymore.

Reflector himself dissipated all his doubts with a serene, friendly expression. "Sorry if I scared you, I'm not supposed to be here. It's a restricted area."

Some good news. At least it wouldn't be easy for others to go and beat the slag out of him, not that Thundercracker cared anymore…

"Where are we?" he asked, although he already feared the answer.

"Darkmount. You were brought here by Shockwave's drones. You were almost terminated when he ordered that you be put inside a Cryogenic Restoration Chamber. Nobody thought you'd survive, to tell you the truth."

That brought a very painful memory, much worse than any physical damage. "What happened to Skywarp?"

"He's being disciplined right now as we speak, although I overheard Shockwave saying that he wouldn't be terminated. Megatron needs as many functional soldiers as he can get. Things are getting pretty rough out there."

Thundercracker frowned. Even though his old friend had almost delivered him the final shutdown, the thought of Skywarp receiving Shockwave's 'discipline' was not welcome. He hated himself. Skywarp had been the only mech besides his father that had ever cared about him, and now he was paying the price. For a moment he deeply regretted his miraculous survival. Just for what he had done to Skywarp, he deserved to die. And Skywarp would have had all the right to kill him. Once again, destiny showed him its cruel smirk.

"What's the situation?" he asked somberly.

"The Autobots attacked us with all they have after you were taken down by Skywarp. I never saw them so furious, that I tell you… but Megatron managed to contain them."

"Where is Megatron right now?"

"At the frontier of Polyhex. He has been battling the Autobot elite troops for almost two cycles, but the word is that he will return at the end of the cycle… to execute you."

So the countdown that had started the day he left the Nemesis was about to reach its end… Thundercracker smirked, self-pitying himself. Skywarp had been right; he was the ultimate prankster, and he would be until the end of his life.

"Listen, I…" Reflector said, visibly uncomfortable. "I really would like to do something for you, TC. You always were kind to me… I was planning to help you escape, but…"

"Save it. I perfectly know how guarded this place is. You should go now, shortstuff. If you are caught down here you will be in trouble."

Reflector bowed his head, staring uneasily outside the cell. "Still, I would like to do something for you," he said, subspacing an energon cube and bringing it to Thundercracker's face. "Here, drink this. It's Mixmaster's special high grade. It will knock you out so much that you won't feel a thing when your moment comes."

Thundercracker smiled softly and averted his head. "No… thank you, but no. I prefer to face whatever waits for me with the remains of my dignity intact."

"But… TC, Megatron will execute you himself! He'll make an example out of you!"

"I know. In a way I'm glad that this is about to end… Go now, Reflector. I really appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but you better leave me alone. Trust me, there's nothing you can do, and it is better for you to stay out of all this."

Reflector nodded, sadness evident on his facial features. Thundercracker felt sorry for him. Due to his smaller size and calm nature, Reflector was a favorite target for every Decepticon who liked to abuse anybody smaller than him; in other words, practically the entire army had used the triplet camera former to vent their frustrations at least once in their lives. That was a situation that would never happen within the Autobots. They had a code of honour based on respect and not on convenience. How different things would have been for him if he had stayed where he had belonged once…

"Thundercracker…"

He blinked his optics and stared at Reflector. Suddenly he had forgotten he was still there.

"The… the Autobots…" the smaller Decepticon continued. "They have been trying to rescue you ever since Skywarp took you down. They seem determined to save you… they must really consider you one of their own. I thought you would like to know that before… you know."

Shame assaulted Thundercracker's processor so painfully that he felt his legs shivering.

"They were good to you, right, TC? If things had been different, perhaps I would have joined you… Sometimes I can't stand being here anymore—"

"Stop," Thundercracker said. "You shouldn't be telling me this. These walls can hear. Disregard those thoughts for now. The frontiers of high treason are very blurry at the moment, and you don't want to be caught in the middle. Leave now, Reflector. I appreciate your company but I prefer to be alone."

Reflector opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out of his vocalizer. Suddenly out of words, he seemed to slump before transforming to his camera mode and jolted out of the cell.

"Increase potency to level five. Maintain energy flow for three point five astro seconds," Shockwave said.

His face was illuminated by the tremendous flash before him, just as the smell of burned circuits spread through the small room.

Oblivious to the glimmer of satisfaction on Vortex's optic visor, Shockwave contemplated with absolute coldness the scene before him. He had neither hate nor pity for the mech who was hanging flaccid from the chains attached to the ceiling. Shockwave was only applying the Decepticon code with the same efficiency he would have applied any other measure.

Skywarp had stopped shouting half a breem ago and only groaned in pain every once in a while, apparently trying to restrain his vocalizer from expressing his suffering or perhaps too exhausted to complain. Surprisingly, despite his erratic personality and the way in which culprits behaved when they were in his case, the Seeker hadn't cursed or threatened his punishers, even less assumed a position of false courage. He hadn't even resisted when he had been captured, accepting the violation he had committed and his consequential punishment. Whatever reasons he had for such behavior were not of Shockwave's interest, but suppressing the element of resistance had saved a great amount of time that was now being used in the current torture session.

"Right wing tip. Change to level four," he intoned.

Vortex chuckled as he snapped the electrical whip before brutally lashing the specified spot. Skywarp couldn't avoid crying in pain when the sharp edge of the device clawed around the tip of his wing and released thousands of volts in one of the most sensitive parts of his body. Shockwave nodded slightly, approving both the punishment and the result.

"Can I change to level five?" Vortex asked him. "Four is too soft."

"Negative. Repeat process on the left wing."

Skywarp's suffering was meaningless to Shockwave. The only reason for his presence there was to keep Vortex under control. The Decepticon sub Commander knew perfectly well that, if left alone with a prisoner, the Combaticon interrogator would kill him or leave him permanently incapacitated after a long and meticulous torture session. Although he was excellent in his function, Vortex was emotional and illogical, both weaknesses leading him to a total loss of control when he was focused on inflicting damage.

Megatron had commanded Shockwave to give Skywarp a proper punishment for his fault, but to keep him functional and in conditions suitable for battle protocol. With the loss of two Seekers from the Elite Trine, the one remaining would be very important in Megatron's final offensive against the Autobots, the one which would allow the Decepticons to gain control over Iacon. Shockwave obeyed, but also agreed with his Commander's decision. It would have been illogical to terminate one of the best soldiers of the Empire, but logic also dictated that his transgression had to be properly dealt with.

He had also obeyed Megatron's order of repairing the agonizing Thundercracker as soon as he had been brought to Darkmount. Once he had known there was a hope of salvation for the deserter, Megatron had emphasized the importance of repairing him. Shockwave hadn't found any logic in such an order. Thundercracker was a traitor and his use for the Decepticon Empire terminated. Even if he were to be reprogrammed, he would never be an efficient soldier as he had been once. Destroying him would have been the logical choice, especially because it was proving to be very hard to contain the Autobots' efforts to rescue him. Loyal as he was, Shockwave internally questioned his leader's decision, emotional and futile. Megatron wanted to terminate the traitor by himself, but that would only represent the loss of time and resources, and Shockwave knew better than anybody the big obstacle that emotions such as anger and revenge could mean when fighting a war.

A small explosion on Skywarp's left wing sent a torrent of sparks toward Shockwave's chest.

"Your orders were to remain on level four. Disobey again and you will face the consequences."

"Sorry, I got a little excited," Vortex said, retiring the whip from his victim but making sure to release a mild electrical shock through his neck in the process.

It wasn't annoyance, but a slight disturbance that Shockwave's processor computed. The Combaticons were disloyal and presumptuous, and Vortex in particular was defective in more ways than one, but he was the best at inflicting pain, and Megatron had specifically ordered that Skywarp had to understand his lesson.

"Enough," Shockwave coldly said when Vortex raised his arm and was about to lash his victim again.

"What the… but I'm barely starting!"

"Take the prisoner to the brig."

"Oh, come on! Just give me one more breem and I'll show this slagger the real meaning of pain."

"Negative."

Vortex threw the whip away with frustration, but recovered his good humour almost immediately. "Can I have some fun with him at least? I could always use a Seeker as my pleasure toy, so could my team mates." he said, grabbing Skywarp's chin and shaking it roughly. Skywarp was so weakened that didn't resist.

"Negative. Failure in fulfilling your orders strictly will result in your immediate termination."

"Alright, alright… You're such a spoilsport, Cyclops."

A tingle of anger must have been what shone on Shockwave's only optic, because Vortex hurried to liberate Skywarp from the chains.

He had remained online the entire fragging time, as much as he had hoped that the torture session would force him into stasis lock. He wanted so much to sink into oblivion, not because of the physical pain, but because he was tired... of everything.

However, everything was blurry; his optical sensors certainly had been affected by the severe electric shocks he had received. He recalled Vortex lashing him in the head three, perhaps four times, always following Shockwave's command. But he couldn't care less about his deficient vision; every part of his body ached, every one of his systems complaining about the mistreatment received. Skywarp remembered he had witnessed – even applied it a couple of times – such kind of punishment to Autobot prisoners. It had been so amusing to see them twitch and cry, but now that he had been on the receiving end, he wasn't sure it was funny anymore.

All he could see was the floor as he was dragged by his arms by Vortex and Brawl. He could hear a screeching sound behind him, accompanying him during one of the most humiliating moments he could remember. It didn't take long for him to realize it was the sound of his own legs scratching the floor.

"Hey flyboy, are you awake down there?" Vortex asked.

"He certainly is, although quite fried. I didn't know you smoke, Warpo," Brawl mocked, referring to the small clouds of smoke that were coming out from Skywarp's wounds.

A strong hit to his head made him groan in pain. "Yep, he's online," Vortex said. "Listen slag head, what happened back there was just a little taste of what's coming to you. You will pay for what you did to us back in that forest. Combaticons never forget, and always have revenge. Remember that."

Skywarp grimaced. "F… frag you…"

Brawl burst into laughter. "Good idea. Frag it will be. Now that both your trinemates are history, we may allow you to become our pleasure drone. How would you like that?"

Skywarp didn't reply. He was too weakened but even more tired of the entire situation. All he wanted was to off line for a millennium and forget everything about former friends that had become traitors, dead Air Commanders and perverted Combaticons. How he hated his life.

When the lights on the floor turned into shadows he knew they had arrived at the brig. Brawl and Vortex continued dragging him towards the end of the narrow corridor. In a way Skywarp was thankful. At least he would be thrown there and would be left alone for a while.

But his expectations were severed when his captors abruptly stopped.

"Let's throw him in this one. I'm sure he'll appreciate his lover's company."

Skywarp wasn't sure who had spoken. At that point it didn't matter if it had been Vortex or Brawl; all he felt was the hard floor welcoming him as he was thrown inside a cell with absolutely no delicacy. He turned around and realized that his vision had almost returned to its normal status, as the clear sight of the purple bars before him proved, but that wasn't what caught his attention. His optics focused on the figure that was in the cell in front of his own.

"Play nice, boys," Brawl said. "Let's go, 'Tex. The lovebirds will need some time alone."

The echo of the Combaticons' laughter reverberated in Skywarp's audios as he managed to push himself to his hands and knees. He was so confused and dizzy that for a moment he thought he was about to purge his fuel tanks.

"Why… does everybody think we're slaggin' involved…?" he muttered weakly, not really realizing what he was saying.

"Beats me," Thundercracker answered somberly from the opposite cell. "The Autobots assumed it too."

Skywarp's optics narrowed with hate, his processor recovered enough to acknowledge the one he was talking to.

"I know one thing," he hissed, his vocalizer trembling with rancor. "I'd interface with a Sharkticon before even touching you."

He saw Thundercracker standing up within the purple glow of the bars. "Unless said touch were meant to kill me. Wasn't that what you were trying to do back in the Coliseum? What were you trying to prove?"

Skywarp started to shiver as fury ran freely through his systems. The truth was that not even he knew the answer to that question. "You… you betrayed the Decepticon cause! Killing you was not only logical but my duty!"

Despite the semi darkness, Skywarp could see the pain reflected on his former friend's face plates. "That's not you talking…"

He clenched his fists. "Well, it is me, TC! You have no right to say slag about me, you don't even slaggin' know me!"

Skywarp tried to get up but his legs refused to sustain him and he hit the floor again. He cursed his self-repair circuits, not fast enough as to provide him with some dignity. It would take some breems for him to recover completely. Shockwave had made sure to inflict him considerable amounts of pain with minimal physical damage. Certainly, he was expected to fight the Autobots the next cycle, perhaps even sooner.

"How damaged you are?" he heard Thundercracker asking him.

"How much do you think, genius? I just spent some quality time with an energy whip frying my aft, and not in the kinky way I usually like… Frag, what do you care, anyway?" Skywarp spat, grimacing and crawling toward the back of the cell. By then he had already understood that there was no point in trying to keep his dignity, but he wanted to be as far away as he could from Thundercracker, no matter if there were two sets of energon bars separating them.

"I'm sorry, 'Warp," he heard after a dense silence.

Sharp pain stabbed his spark. Starscream had been right by accusing him of sentimentalism.

Thundercracker spoke again. "I should have trusted in you. All this… could have been avoided."

Anger should have fuelled his self-repair circuits, because Thundercracker hadn't finished speaking when Skywarp was already on his feet. "You're damn right you should have trusted in me! I would have listened to you, you know? I would have, slaggit! No matter how much slag came from your pit-spawned Autobot processor, I would have listened to you! What? Did you think I was going to denounce you? You should have known me better than that, you idiot! I would have never betrayed you, never! And guess what happened? You had no problems in betraying me!"

Skywarp knew that expression on Thundercracker's face. He had seen it several times before, every time his former friend had hated himself for something he considered dishonorable. And Thundercracker hated himself now. It served him right.

"I was trying to protect you… If you were associated with what was happening to me, you would have been measured in the same way as me. Now I see my mistake, but in the moment I couldn't act otherwise. I thought I couldn't…"

"Oh, just spare me from more mushy slag, would you? In the end, whatever you thought was completely useless! See it for yourself! You went to unleash your good guy side with the Autobots and yet you ended up here, in a Decepticon brig and about to be slagged by Megatron himself! It was always about you, wasn't it TC? You always stayed behind, hiding in your never-ending inner conflicts and preaching to me every time I did something you considered dishonorable, and suddenly you decided to explore your slaggin' Autobot origins no matter who you slagged in the process. Look at us now! Look at our trine! My rank is lower than the slaggin' floor right now, and Screamer is dead. Dead! Somehow I knew what was going to happen in that arena, but I never thought you would really kill him. Slag you! We matured with that slagger, we became warriors together! He may have been a sparkless son of a glitch but he never betrayed us! He was our brother, and now thanks to you he's dust!"

Skywarp knew that he was being highly illogical – even unfair – by speaking like that, considering it had been he who had interfered in a private duel favoring the one he was cursing right now, but he didn't care. He didn't care anymore about anything; he still had one thing left to say.

"I know one thing… Today, when Megatron terminates you, I am one who will feel satisfied."

His words had the desired effect. Skywarp contemplated with a mixture of regret and satisfaction how his ex wingmate stepped back in his cell, overwhelmed not by the weight of the inhibitor claw but by the words of the one he still called brother.

Another uncomfortable silence followed. And once again it was Thundercracker who ended it.

"If you want satisfaction so much, why don't you teleport into my cell and finish me off? You're not even handcuffed. Your abilities and your weapons must be completely functional."

Skywarp snorted. "You are not worth it, you are less than junk. Besides, unlike you, I'm a true Decepticon. I accept the consequences of my mistakes, and if I have to remain in this cell having my aft fried for the eternity, so be it."

Now that had been too dramatic, but suddenly everything had turned into such a joke that Skywarp was beyond self-embarrassment.

"You know…" Thundercracker said. "If you would kill me, I would accept it. You have all the right. I did betray you, I started to betray you the moment I tried to keep you out of all this. And I should have known better. After all, it was you who always stood by me, it was you who saved my life countless times, even when it was against everything you believed. It is true… as my brother, you would have understood."

"I don't count traitors among my brethren. You built your own crypt, TC. It won't be me who will give you the kill shot, but I won't grieve when it happens."

Thundercracker leaned on the wall behind him and sat as he could on the floor. "Fortunately you didn't kill me, 'Warp. You would have regretted it."

Despite his rancor, Skywarp couldn't help but feel invaded by confusion. He tried to look for a threat in his former friend's words, but all he found was sadness and shame.

Steps at the entrance of the brig caught Skywarp's attention. He recognized fear, and he hated himself for feeling it, because he didn't fear for himself. The moment for a traitor to face his destiny had arrived, and he would witness it from behind, unable to do anything due to his loyalty but also to his weakness. Life was so slaggin' illogical indeed.

The newcomer walked with majesty, his entrance not discreet neither presumptuous. One single optic shinning and a bulky figure stood before Thundercracker's cell, glancing at the prisoner with the coldness that defined his personality.

"You were brought here in stasis lock, your primary functions destroyed and your spark almost terminated. You spent two solar cycles in a Cryogenic Restoration Chamber, in which 97.83% of your damage was repaired."

Thundercracker glanced at Shockwave with boredom, not paying any attention to Thrust and Dirge, who were standing at his side. "I see. Should I be grateful?" he asked curtly.

Skywarp repressed the need to teleport into the blasted glitch-head's cell and punch some sense into him. When involved in a serious situation, one didn't fool around with Shockwave, never. The Decepticon sub Commander was never impulsive, and for the same reason brutally destroying another mech meant the same to him as pressing a button on the console of a computer.

"Lord Megatron has returned and has demanded your presence," Shockwave intoned with the same emotion he would have when giving an instruction to a maintenance drone.

"In other words, you better make peace with your creator because you'll be facing him today," Thrust sneered.

Thundercracker didn't reply, he didn't even move when the bars disappeared and Dirge and Thrust grabbed him by the arms and forced him to stand up. Skywarp's body moved by itself and suddenly he was one cyber inch behind the purple bars of his own cell, consciously realizing that that was the last time he would see the one mech he ever called a friend alive.

But his angst mutated soon, as Shockwave turned around and faced him. "Your presence has been requested too. Follow us to the Command Centre."

The bars disappeared and Skywarp stepped out of the cell, dragging his feet behind the group that preceded him. He was surprised by the weakness he was feeling. With his systems returned to normal status after his self-repairing circuits had done their job, there was no reason to feel that way. Once again, the deceased Starscream continued to be right. Skywarp wanted to kill Thundercracker and yet he also wanted to save him… what a pathetic creature he was indeed.

A raw torrent of emotions invaded Thundercracker's spark as soon as he faced Megatron again. The optics of his former leader pierced him like swords, as a malicious smirk formed on the Decepticon Commander's face plates. Thundercracker managed to avoid staggering; he knew what was coming, he had known it since the very first moment he had left the Nemesis one anonymous stormy night. In the end, it all had come into this; himself being his own executioner.

He was oblivious to the insults and the fists that rose toward his face as he walked between the two lines of Decepticons, former brethren calling for his destruction. Once again comparisons did their damage. He wouldn't see such an image in the Ark; the Autobots were no strangers to forgiveness. But, as he well knew, even forgiveness had boundaries.

He arrived at the end of his journey.

"So the wayward Seeker returns," Megatron mocked as Dirge and Thrust placed Thundercracker before him.

Dirge started to force Thundercracker to his knees but Megatron stopped him with an abrupt wave of his hand.

"Release him and step back!" he commanded. "Decepticons, don't you ever forget what is about to happen. Record it in your memory banks because today will be an important day for the Decepticon Empire!"

Absolute silence took over. Thundercracker stared at his leader and didn't flinch when Megatron's arm drew close to him, fusion cannon shining deadly. He didn't flinch either when the powerful hand before him grabbed his shoulder.

Pain didn't came, only a rough, yet gentle, grip.

"You did well, Thundercracker, you did very well. You have made your leader proud, but it's time for you to step out of the shadows. Your undercover mission is over, my loyal soldier. I salute you with respect and I welcome you back into the Decepticon ranks."

Thundercracker bowed his head, indifferent to the murmurs of astonishment behind him. He forced himself to lock up his feelings as he said the words that his processor had learned too well.

"I live to serve you, Lord Megatron."

To be continued.

I have only one word for you, my dear readers: GOTCHA!

Kudos and high grade Energon for those of you who suspected the truth. I gave a few hints every now and then, and now you should be realizing the real reason why TC was so conflicted during most of the story.

But don't think this is over. We still have a few roads to travel and some surprises too. Stay around, and please let me know your opinions.