Hey all, hope everyone's doing okay. I don't really have a whole lot to say, but I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Twenty - Project Metamorphosis

The three seekers had flown back to the lab they were supposed to be guarding in sober silence.

That had been about a decacycle ago.

Since then, Ironshadow had barely spoken a word to the other two.

Jadeflower had given their leader a wide berth, letting him grieve. Tailwind had too.

Until now.

Walking outside, the slim mech used his thrusters to boost himself to the building's roof. Once atop it, he strode down to the opposite side of it where his trine leader sat with his pedes dangling over the edge.

Seating himself beside the other mech, Tailwind looked out at the horizon.

"Hey, mech."

Ironshadow gave only a wing twitch in greeting, optics trained on something far beyond.

Tailwind sighed deeply, turning his attention to his friend. "Look, I'm sorry about your daughter. She was a sweet little thing; I'm going to miss her too."

The corners of the black and red seeker's mouth lifted in a sad smile. "She always was fond of you too, Tailwind."

"Well, she did call me her favourite uncle on many occasions," Tailwind said with a crooked smile. Then, his faceplate sobered, while his wings sagged. "Even if I actually wasn't her real one, I'd like you to know I viewed her as my niece. Just as I view you as my brother."

"Thank you, Tailwind," said Ironshadow quietly. "I view you the same. You have no idea how much your friendship means to me."

Tailwind lifted a hand and placed it on Ironshadow's shoulder. "I know you're grieving, but maybe you need to take some time off. You can go home, check on your son, and heal.

"Starscream will understand. And if Shockwave asks, we can tell him Jade and I took over for you on the account that you were needed elsewhere."

"That is Air Commander Starscream now, Tailwind," Ironshadow reminded, an amused chuckle escaping him as he cast a glance in the other seeker's direction.

The shorter seeker rolled his optics. "Ah, yes, I keep forgetting the young prodigy's rank, don't I?"

"He deserved it, did he not?"

"In previous orns perhaps. Not so much in recent ones."

Ironshadow frowned, optics saddening. "I wish I could say I disagree. But you are right, my friend."

"He's out from under your wing, 'Shadow," Tailwind said quietly. "He has strayed away from your council and look where it has gotten him. You'd be best to let him go."

"I am trying. There is some good in him still." Ironshadow paused, shaking his helm. "But I do not know if Starscream will be able to find it again. I worry for him. He's too influenced by other mecha now, and he's taking his brothers with him."

"I know. I have to say, I admire your persistence with the younger two."

"I only wish to help them see where their brother went wrong," the black and red said, a slight tone of guilt coming through his level tone.

"You can't save everyone, Ironshadow."

The Armada captain closed his optics and bowed his helm. "I know."

"Vos was hard on all of us," Tailwind continued quietly, looking out to the horizon. "And I know how many you did save. If it weren't for you, we would have lost more."

Ironshadow said nothing, so he continued.

"I know that's what you've been up here thinking about. And you can't do that to yourself.

"The others fell with the city, not by your hand. It was not your fault."

"I should have seen it coming."

"We have been through this. There's no way any of us could. It's still debated upon what happened. And you know mecha still think of you as Lieutenant General, even if you demoted yourself."

Ironshadow gave him a serious look. "You and I both know exactly what happened, Tailwind."

The blue and orange returned the look with a nod. "I also know it was not your fault about your sparkmate and younglings."

The captain looked away again, his wings sagging so that they touched the ground behind him.

"You cannot beat yourself up anymore, Ironshadow. Please, for your sake. Don't."

When he didn't get a reply, Tailwind sighed again.

"Look, Jadeflower and I will stay here and you can go to Iacon to see Bumblebee early next orn. Then, when you're ready, you can come back. Okay?"

"I cannot do what you ask, Tailwind."

The blue and orange raised an optic ridge. "What part do you mean?"

Ironshadow met his optics then, his expression serious. "I cannot leave Tarn at this time."

Crossing his servos, Tailwind gave him a look. "You need to."

The trine leader carried on, dismissing what the other mech had said.

"And I cannot leave you here. I will go to Bumblebee, but there are things I must do first."

"Like what?"

"None of us will stay here. I want you and Jadeflower to go back to Kaon."

Tailwind stared at him, a sinking feeling in his tank. It was evident that grieving was not the only thing Ironshadow had been doing in solitude. He'd been quiet because of that, but also for other reasons.

The mech had forgotten that his trine leader was always quiet when he was thinking. And planning.

"What are you going to do?"

Ironshadow steadily held his gaze. "Skyshadow sent me her last known coordinates before..."

Tailwind waited as he paused.

"I must go and find her. Bury her."

The blue and orange heard the unspoken words between them.

Avenge her.

He took a deep vent in. "Is that really wise, Ironshadow?"

"I have to try and ensure that no more suffer at his hand," the seeker captain said lowly. "He's been kept on a far too loose leash for far too long. I am certain the Autobots were searching for him if they had a team that far out in Decepticon territory. They are desperate."

"And you aren't?" challenged Tailwind steadily.

"I understand if you disagree, my friend. And I do not wish to drag you into what I may be about to do. So please, you and Jadeflower must go home."

Tailwind flicked his wings, lifting his chin. "Well, that's too bad because I am coming with you."

A sad smirk appeared on Ironshadow's faceplate. "I was afraid you would say that."

"Friends and comrades don't let each other walk into death alone," Tailwind shrugged casually. "Besides, home's not much to go back to. And I hear Shockwave's friends in high places have something to do with that."

"I'd rather you went back, but I value your company if that's what you truly wish." Ironshadow gave his friend another serious look. "I do not know what will happen once I find him, Tailwind. There may not be another mission for us, for one reason or another."

Tailwind placed a hand back on his shoulder. "I swore my loyalty to you as my trinemate. You are trine leader. Where you go, I go, no matter the cost, no matter the danger.

"You know I do not follow you blindly."

A glint of anger appeared in his optics. "Besides. That good for nothing Tarnian took and hurt two of our own. No one gets away with messing with Vosians."

Bolt was jerked awake by being dragged off of the table he'd been recharging on.

"Hey, what are you doing," demanded the mechling, too weak to scream and fight the scientist's hold.

Shockwave didn't reply, simply dragging him to the far side of the room. The side Bolt could never see because it was out of opticsight when he was on the lab table.

Your peripheral vision was severely changed and limited when you only had one optic.

Two glass cylinders stood at the end of the large lab on pedestals.

Bolt lowered his optic ridges.

"Those look like tanks of some kind."

They were taller than Scatterstrike was and wide enough around that Bolt figured the four smaller members of their team could have fit in it squished together.

"What are those for?" the mechling asked as he was still being dragged towards them.

"The next step in my project," came Shockwave's monotone reply.

Climbing a step stool beside the tank on the right, the scientist carried Bolt until he was at the top. The frontliner thrashed, trying to get out of his grip, but the mech was too strong and he was now too weak to put up much of a fight, even in his desperation.

And so, in very few kliks, Bolt was dropped into the tank with the scientist fastening the lid on top.

"Hey! Let me out!" Bolt yelled, standing up and banging on the glass with his fists.

Shockwave ignored him, climbing back down to the floor and moving his step stool to the other tank.

Then he walked back over to the table where Skyshadow still was.

Bolt had little doubt as to who the second tank was for.

Soon, Skyshadow was being transported to the tank, actually managing to bite the scientist before she was also dropped inside.

"Let us out!" she screamed, rage and fear etched into her features. Her good wing was raised sharply as she bared her denta at the scientist.

Bolt exchanged a glance with the scout when Shockwave walked over to a set of controls nearby.

This wasn't good.

Rapidly, Bolt combed his tank with his hands and his good optic. There had to be a way out. Somewhere. There had to be.

A sinking feeling settling in Bolt's tank told him there wasn't.

For not the first time, he wished Jolt was here. He would know what to do.

He wouldn't be panicking and pacing while Shockwave began pushing buttons on the control panel.

He wouldn't be watching Skyshadow freaking out in the next tank over.

He wouldn't have run off to investigate something alone in a dangerous territory to begin with.

Suddenly, some sort of liquid began to flood the bottom of Bolt's tank. Fear flooded his optic as he backed away, then tried to brace himself on the side of the glass.

Skyshadow glanced over to see him doing this and tried to do the same, the yellow liquid steadily filling her tank too.

In a panic, they began climbing upwards, bracing their limbs on the sides. It was no use. The tanks just kept filling

Bolt turned to Sky just before their helms were submerged.

"I'm so sorry!" he yelled, just before he got a mouthful of the stuff.

The tank full, Skyshadow let her self sink to the bottom. With all her strength, she began beating her fists on the glass.

Bolt did the same in his.

With each hit, they grew weaker. Until they finally fell into stasis.

During all of this, Shockwave simply watched, unmoving and unblinking.

Once the pair were out, he opened their files on the nearby screen.

"Project Metamorphosis has entered the next stage," he began, notes being taken as he spoke. "Subject Two resisted the effects of the formula several kliks longer than Subject Three. Subject Three showed more signs of claustrophobia which was suspected.

"All vitals are stable, though both subjects are weak from previous testing. To be determined if this stays consistent. Will keep monitoring this along with later developments."

The scientist then stopped the recording notes and turned back to the two tanks. The two mecha stayed suspended about midway up the cylinders, the liquid surrounding them thickening just enough to function as such.

Then, with one more glance at the information displayed on the panel and setting the system to alert him to any changes, he left turning the lights out as he went, leaving the unconscious mecha in the eerie glow of their tanks.

Ironshadow received an internal comm message from an unfamiliar code.

Checking it while still flying, he let out a sigh of relief.

He did not have to worry about Razordrift reaching Bumblebee anymore.

Someone else had beat him to the former gladiator.

Although previously having recognized the designation of the mech but not remembering why, Ironshadow had later remembered.

He'd heard the designation when a certain crime boss had sent out a message to all of his contacts that Razordrift was a wanted mech. His contacts and followers had spread the word to the other Decepticons and most likely, the other members of the Underworld had let their contacts know.

Ironshadow didn't know the specifics, but he knew Savage well enough to have an idea of why he wanted to know the location of Razordrift.

The crime boss, now a high ranking Decepticon, was well known for holding grudges against any he decided was worth his time.

The seeker almost pitied the unfortunate mech who'd been finally caught by Savage.

But it was relieving to know he wouldn't need to find him before he found his son.

Ironshadow was not losing another youngling if he could help it.

Shockwave is terrible. And he might want to check his six once every so often now. He has incurred the anger of a couple of seekers.

Or something like that anyways. He's really good at provoking Vosians it seems.

Thanks for reading!

Credit Song: It's not super fitting, but works well enough I suppose... Breathe - Superchick