A/N: Thanks to Vanessa Masters for doing a scene for me!

Chapter 35: Those Misty Days Part 1

(Alternative Title: This Isn't Good)


Being wiped from existence wasn't an easy thing to accept, and Rad glanced around at the Autobots just staring at the wall, while Rachel was frowning. Rad jiggled his foot, still feeling a bit off to have the cast gone. It seemed taking a day to let the knowledge of Erase's existence settle wasn't enough.

"So, everyone caught up now?" Rad asked. He was still feeling nervous, but High Wire was trying to project calmness to him, though he felt just as awkward.

"It's still a lot to take in." Red Alert admitted. "I know we've had a sol to adjust, but…"

Rad nodded, but his smile was dropped with Scavenger cutting in, "Couldn't you use this card to get rid of the Decepticons?"

"That's cold." Hot Shot retorted.

Scavenger crossed his arms. "It's an option to consider."

"Scavenger does have a point." Optimus said quietly, and Red Alert, Hot Shot and Smokescreen shot him an incredulous stare. "Though not one which I would do lightly."

"Hello!" Rachel waved at them, her brow furrowed angrily. "Rad's right here, and do you not remember what he said about Erase? You'll seriously ask him to just kill them?"

Rad's gut twisted. That had almost been Rachel's fate. It's what made him keep Erase at the bottom of the card deck he was acquiring. 'I don't want to kill anyone.' Then an image of Sideways appeared in his mind, and his fists clenched as fury rose at the memory. 'Though I am tempted to get rid of those memories.'

"It would be foolish to not see everything at our disposal as a way of getting one over on the Decepticons." Scavenger replied.

"You're one to talk – you were with the 'Cons and you didn't do anything to disrupt them!" Hot Shot snapped.

Scavenger's features tightened, his mouth curling into a sneer. "I've been around longer than you've been functioning, don't think you can lecture me."

"And you knew Megatron for most of it no doubt!" Hot Shot retorted.

"Enough." Optimus said firmly, his optics narrowed as he looked between Scavenger and Hot Shot. "Yes, this could be something to help us, but I will not ask Rad to do this – he's a civilian helping us of his own free will, and I will not force his assistance." His gaze turned to Rad. "I am sorry if it ever came across that way, with bringing you here and yet not trusting you after you were honest with us."

Rad rubbed his arm. "No, I get it. I just hope I'm regaining your trust."

"Well, I'd rather trust you than, uh, others." Smokescreen said. Scavenger sent him a scathing look, before snorting.

Rad started as Rachel patted his head, her gaze on her phone. "What's wrong?"

"My interview is happening soon, we gotta go." She said. High Wire nodded, and transformed back into his bicycle mode.

"Wait." Maya appeared in front of them, her brow furrowed. "There's another signal which has appeared on the console."

Rachel groaned, glancing at her phone, but Rad patted her arm. "It's ok," he said, "Hot Shot can come with me."

"When did I volunteer for this?" The yellow robot asked, but there was no heat to it as he knelt beside Rachel. "I've spent time with him as you, I can handle watching Rad when you're not around."

"Please don't compare this to babysitting." Rad grumbled.

Rachel chuckled softly, and pulled Rad into a one-armed hug. "Just be careful. I'll try not to make this a habit."

Rad didn't say anything to refute her, before sighing as she left. High Wire sent another wave of calm towards him, and Rad smiled faintly. He pulled out his key, and muttered the spell as he grasped the elongated staff. "Alright, Maya, please send me and Hot Shot to the area."

Maya nodded. "It'll just take a moment." She said before disappearing, Hot Shot transformed, and Rad climbed into the passenger seat.

"Good luck." Smokescreen said.

Rad nodded, and Hot Shot huffed. "Thanks." The blond said before the yellow robot could say something cocky and jinx them. Hot Shot huffed, swerving to circle around and head for the warp room.

The blond held onto the seat, glowering at the dashboard. "Warn me next time." He grumbled, and Hot Shot chuckled. The sound was cut off by the sharp blaring throughout the base.

Hot Shot groaned. "I can't believe this. I've been rearing to get back at Starscream for mocking me about needing Sword."

Rad was silent, looking at his lap and twiddling his thumbs. "I thought I was helping you with Sword."

Hot Shot paused, a moment too long. "I guess we both messed that up." He admitted, and slowed as he came across Jolt waving them down. "Hey, Jolt, can't talk right now."

"I know, but I'm coming with you. With how many mini-cons the Autobots are losing you'll need all the help you can get from us." Jolt explained.

"We're not going on a mini-con search – oh, fine, we don't have time to argue. Hop in." Hot Shot opened his driver seat, and Jolt climbed in.

Rad frowned. "Why don't I get to sit in the driver seat?"

"Because I'm much older than you." Jolt said seriously. Rad could feel it too, and the blond smiled at the deadpan tone.

The yellow car drove on to the warp room, the gate glowing and the destination was already shown that Hot Shot didn't stop and drove through the gate. So unexpected, Rad doubled over in his seat and slapped his hands over his mouth as his stomach lurched.

Rad's head spun as Hot Shot careened to a stop in a misty forest, trees higher than Rad had seen them before. That helped center himself again, and glanced at Jolt as he felt the mini-con's concern. "I'm okay, just forgot to brace myself."

"There really needs to be a better way to cancel the warp gate's effect on humans." Jolt said.

"That would be nice." Rad muttered, and breathed in deep. "Okay, I'm gonna try and find the card, but be on the look-out for anything odd."

"That shouldn't be too hard in this fog." Hot Shot drawled.

Rad rolled his eyes, but closed them and concentrated on finding any magical presence. He knew the card had to be around here, but no clue the range to his sensory as of yet. And more than that, Rad had no idea of how to find the card but casting an exhausting net. Asking Kero had the plushie awkwardly deflecting on how to use it. 'Though from what he told Rachel, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't actually know how to teach me that.' Right, focus.

Rad couldn't sense anything right now though, which he guessed meant they needed to go further into the forest. "Nothing yet."

"And you can't guess what card this is?" Hot Shot asked.

Rad leaned against the window. "No, which does make me nervous about what's out here."

"And this vapor substance in the air makes visibility difficult." Jolt added.

"It's fog, and how can you not see? You're both robots, don't you have like enhanced eyes or something?" Rad asked.

"Zooming in is one thing, can't just magically get rid of the stuff – wait, can't you get rid of the fog? Isn't one of your cards air?" Hot Shot asked.

Rad slapped his head. "Of course!" he pulled Windy's card from his pocket, and jumped out of the car as he tossed Windy into the air. "Clear away the fog, Windy!"

The card glowed, and a gale erupted from the card to blow the fog by them away, clearing it back. Until a cleared patch revealed a very familiar purple and yellow motorbike, and a black clad rider. Rad stared at Sideways, feeling like an eternity before rage swelled in Rad's heart. "You!" His concentration broke, and Windy returned to his pocket, but his gaze was glue to Sideways, Mirror crossing his arms.

"What are you doing here!" Hot Shot shouted, Jolt angrily beeping.

When Sideways spoke, his words were only for Rad. "You look really mad to see me, and here I thought you had a thing for me."

The rage was a burning fire, and Rad snarled, "SHUT UP!" He went for a card, but Sideways spun and drove away with Mirror, and Rad's fury propelled him on foot after the mech.

"Rad!" Hot Shot yelled, but Rad didn't hear him as he chased Sideways. Hot Shot's curse echoed behind him as the fog was too hard to navigate and follow either of them.

The blond faltered for a moment, wanting to turn back, but his eyes narrowed in anger as Sideways stepped through the fog, this time in his robot form. "Did you have nothing better to do than stalk me here?!"

"What makes you think it was for you? The Decepticons can pick up these card's signatures too." Sideways said, and his tone turned cold, "You're just something I used to get information from. Did you really think any of what you thought we had meant something? You're only a pathetic fleshbag."

Rad was shaking, he could barely speak, the burning feeling crawling up his throat at Sideways' words, and the fact he was toying with how Rad felt. And he hated that he did feel that, he hated Sideways, his anger and fury overwhelming him.

"SHUT UP! You think you can look down on me, because I'm a human!? Guess what, your no better than any other being, just a speck in comparison to the whole universe!" Rad shouted, unaware of the strange, red waves of mist coming off his body, though Sideways stiffened at the sight. "AND I'LL SHOW YOU JUST WHAT A HUMAN CAN REALLY DO!" Rad pulled out Sword as he pointed his wand at Sideways.

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

A high pitch, maniacal laughter echoed around them, and Rad suddenly felt weak and drained. He fell to the ground as the red mist which swelled with his anger and hate, seemed to be sucked from his body. It flew through the air, and into the mouth of a carved, black crystal, horned skull, set in a silver gnarled hand of a long scepter. Which was in the grasp of a woman, her nails replaced by long, black, curved talons.

She was beautiful, in a terrible, cruel way.

The woman wore a pale pink gown underneath a thicker, deep scarlet dress. The dress had a high collar, almost like a classic vampire's cape. A live snake, white as bone, hung across her neck and shoulders as if it were a scarf. She also had a necklace on – long and jeweled, with a dark red and metal key hanging on it. Her eyes were an odd, eerie bright shade of pink, almost glowing. Her hair was a wave of dark blonde, tumbling down past her shoulders all the way to her waist.

"My, my, my, such powerful anger, pure and utter rage born of contempt, and hatred for another." The woman grinned as she approached the Cardcaptor, Rad flinched the instant she was in front of him. "It radiates off you like a furnace, ready to engulf and incinerate all those who've earned your ire. It is the chink in the armor of your soul."

And suddenly, she stabbed Rad in the shoulder with a talon, causing Rad to scream in pain as it pierced clean through the fabric of his shirt. The nail broke off her finger, and stayed lodged in his skin. The talon radiated black energy, and Rad's body quivered with agony as he clutched the nail to try and pull it out frantically. Sword was impaled with the woman's other nail, and she tapped the card with her own scepter. Which produced a pink, swirling energy to engulf the card.

"No! Sword!" Rad cried out, falling to his knees in agony. "Who are you?"

"I am Sierra D'spayre, but I am also known by another name - Lady Despair, daughter of the Wisp Clan!" Sierra declared. Rad flinched, his eyes widening as the word Wisp caught his attention, Vanessa flashing through his mind, but he noticed Sideways stiffen, his optics narrowing.

"Oh, you know of my family?" Lady Despair turned to give Sideways a sneer. "Yes, well, I know about you as well, Tin Man. Don't worry, Rad here is going to help me deal with you - he's going to get his revenge and help me destroy those miserable mini-cons once and for all!"

Sierra raised her scepter up into the air, and Rad's body went rigid as a green aura erupted around him. "Oh, powers of the darkest night! Bring thee forth my dreadful might!" The scepter energized, flashing a bright, green which enveloped Sierra's form as well, her pupils contracted into slits and an outline of a stylized butterfly was etched around her eyes and down her cheeks like a tattoo. Two pink rays shoot out of the skull's eyes and struck Rad and Sword. "Awake from dreaming, o' monstrous fiend! Unleash your anger, your hate set free!"

From the thorns on Rad and Sword, a black, inky substance shot out and enveloped them both as they were merged together, twisting before another bright flash erupted – and a creature was left in the spot Rad once stood.

A creature of white, yellow and black, two long curved horns on the head, with wickedly sharp spikes jutting from the chest centered around a blue, cracked heart and two lightning bolts going through it. His left arm wasn't an arm, but Sword, gem glowing viciously as the creature's eyes glared hatefully at Sideways. In the shoulder and through Sword's hilt, the same black thorns remained.

"And now, Slash," Sierra grinned at Sideways, "ATTACK!"