Skywarp stares helplessly, while Thundercracker willingly responds to the soothing caresses from the leader of the pickup team.
He is sitting as far from the blue seeker as the interior of the shuttle allows, and is an unwilling witness to the way, upon which, the team's leader completely overwhelms Thundercracker with his close presence.
Demanding kisses are stolen from the blue seeker's lips, while a possessive hand constantly rests on Thundercracker's midsection. The hand begins to massage the flexible plates with an undulating motion, that stimulates the blue seeker's sensitive gestation chamber, and he looks away when Thundercracker convulses in overload.
"Relax. Nothing is going to happen to your friend as long as you behave properly."
He turns his head to regard the team member, who is sitting to his right. The casual attitude towards watching Thundercracker get manipulated into an overload which he knows the blue seeker doesn't want is scaring him.
A forced overload is NOT 'nothing' in his world, and at the realization, that what is happening to Thundercracker seems to be a natural occurrence to the members of the pickup team, he fears what wait for them when they reach their destination.
Thundercracker struggles against the stronger frame, that completely dominates him, while the team leader's hand moves further down his frame where its insistent digits begin to circle his valve cover.
And Skywarp can do nothing to stop it.
The three target-locks aimed on Thundercracker keeps him pacified and they know he won't leave the shuttle without the blue seeker.
Tears press on behind his optics at the situation's hopelessness, and the moment Thundercracker's valve cover slides aside and the blue seeker whines at the harsh stimulation of his anterior node, they begin to fall from his optics.
But the nightmare is far from over and he fills with horror when the team's leader rises to free Thundercracker from the seat. The blue seeker's legs automatically encircle the broad hips while his arms instinctually find support on shoulders when strong hands lift him against the larger frame without effort.
Thundercracker's optics have become distant and without any sign of emotion or consciousness of what's going on, and he remains passive while he gets positioned and then penetrated with a forceful upwards thrust. And if Skywarp thought that the time he spent at the illegal arena was the worst time of his life, then that look in Thundercracker's optics beats it a hundred times over.
The blue seeker's optics remains distant throughout the traumatic experience, staring right through him without seeing. Even as the team's leader overloads with a deep groan of satisfaction, he doesn't react.
The deep despair, that is consuming Skywarp's spark at the sight of the complete violation of the one he loves, makes him wish for death.
"Just what I needed." The team's leader praises with a sigh when he pulls his spike out of Thundercracker, and laughter from the rest of the team fills the cargo hold.
"Who wants the next turn?"
Skywarp's reality zooms in and out in a dizzying moment of disbelief and he prays desperately that he has heard wrong.
But he hasn't, and his spark shatters ten times more while Thundercracker, like a thing, is passed on among the team.
When they finally land, his spark fills with relief.
It is over.
The handcuffs get removed when he has been freed from his seat, and he walks dutifully towards the lowering loading ramp, more than eager to get away from what has transpired inside the shuttle, while Thundercracker is carried out of the shuttle in a sedated state of mental paralyze.
They walk down the ramp, and Skywarp feels wind blow gently against his frame. His wings welcome the soothing sensation and he turns his attention to their surroundings and walks towards the edge of the platform they are standing on.
"Welcome to Iacon, and our research facility."
He ignores the voice, surprised by what he sees.
The shuttle has landed on the top of a huge building in the center of Iacon, and as if to mock him, he can see the city's enforcer headquarter in the distance.
There is the sound of calm steps behind him, and a dominant self-satisfied field moves lazily at the edge of his own.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?"
He turns around, and his gaze hardens at the sight of the dark blue and white sire.
Torrent.
The syndicate's operative leader.
The information is literally being pushed against his field with a flair that is uncommon to a non-seeker, and it is evident, that Torrent wants him to know who he is facing.
"They will find us." He states in a firm voice, and contempt permeates the dominant field.
"We have been careful to keep them ignorant to this place's existence. They don't know we are here. No one will come to save you." Torrent answers nonchalantly.
The pickup team's leader steps forward and gently hands over Thundercracker to Torrent with a solicitude that completely contradicts that which he has forced the blue seeker to endure on the flight.
"Oh, my poor little Thundercracker. What have they done to you?" Torrent utters distraught, "Don't worry, my dear, we will take good care of you. They won't get the chance to steal you again, that I promise."
Skywarp fills with rage at the fake expression of concern, and when Torrent gently kisses the top of Thundercracker's head, he can't it take anymore.
No one dare have their weapons aimed at the blue seeker while Thundercracker is held by their operative leader, and he takes the only chance he is going to get, to get them out of the syndicate's grasp.
There is not far to the building housing Iacon's enforcer headquarter.
If he can get them at least halfway with his second teleport, they should be safe.
He activates the warp-gate and disappears after having calculated the area of his reappearance.
"Shoot!" He hears the yelled command when he shows up behind Torrent, and he notices briefly how the dark blue and white sire is stooped protectively over Thundercracker with one knee on the ground, before a numb sensation rapidly paralyzes his systems.
No!
Torrent rises and looks down at Skywarp with scorn.
"Did you really think I didn't take that ability of yours into consideration?" He asks arrogantly, while he slowly caresses Thundercracker's wings in comfort, and then turns his back to Skywarp.
"Get rid of the shuttle before anyone notices its presence here."
"Will do." The pickup team's leader answers with a respectful nod, and the team returns to the shuttle to carry out the new order.
"As for the rest of you, we have some new guests that need treatment. Bring the teleporter down to the surgical team. I want that warp-gate in the hands of our engineers as fast as possible. In the meanwhile, we can give our old acquaintance here an medical examination."