Author's Notes: This chapter was supposed to be longer, but the way things were flowing it made more sense to end it where I did. I'm still not sure this chapter is that great, but I did the best I could at the moment. I'm just glad I've been able to update this fic on a semi-regular basis lately. It's not my most popular story, but it isn't my least, so that's something. Thank you to everyone who reads, follows, and/or reviews this story. You guys keep me going with these fics :)


Chapter 13

Crippling Thoughts

It was several hours before Bitten and Waspinator felt safe enough to leave the shuttle, but once everything had cooled down they both felt it was best to go their separate ways. Waspinator didn't feel like getting slagged by Maximals, and Bitten didn't feel ready to face Megatron or his goons. Both had been emotionally vulnerable inside the shuttle, but once they parted ways it was the unspoken agreement that they would mutually pretend this moment never happened.

Bitten's hop home had been frantic. She worried about leaving Tigatron alone in the Darksyde, and she worried about whether or not the earthquakes had caused any permanent damage to the Axalon. Most of all though, her processor was beside itself with worry over Dinobot.

Bitten tried to convince herself that this worry was ridiculous. Dinobot was among the most capable mechs on board the ship. If the Predacons attacked the Maximals Dinobot would be the most qualified to fend them off. Unfortunately this wasn't a mere Predacon ambush. This was a disaster on a planetary scale, and even Dinobot could not stand up to the forces of gravity and wreckage itself. Bitten hopped faster to get to the ship to find out if Dinobot and the other Maximals were okay. She had to look after her-

Her what? Bitten wasn't even sure what to call what she and Dinobot were. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, they made out once, and they shared a mutual attraction, but neither one had actually come right out and said they were in a relationship. Bitten would definitely call a committed couple a relationship, but were they a couple? Did Dinobot want that, or was he only humoring her? Do Predacons even spark bond in the same way ancient Cybertronians did? What about interfacing? Bitten had no experience with that, and she had never asked Dinobot about his sexual history. Did he have a virus she should know about? A secret family back on Cybertron?

Bitten tried to push this downward spiral of thoughts out of her processor. They were pointless musings if Dinobot turned out to be injured or dead. Bitten found herself surprised to be more mortified by the idea of Dinobot having a family than the thought of Dinobot being dead. His death should have made her feel worse and she knew it. Problem was Bitten had already seen a lot of death in her life, and her broken psyche was oddly used to the idea.

When Bitten made it as far as the mountain one of her fears was confirmed. The mountain had crumbled under the pressure of the earth shaking itself loose, and the ship was at the bottom of the canyon. Bitten hung her helm tiredly, realizing she would have to climb down. She only had one servo, so that was going to make the job even harder. It was times like these she envied fliers.


The Laser-Saw, as Ravage designated his ship, tracked the area of space around them for any signs of ion signatures that could lead to the transwarp wormhole. The job was a lot more boring than TV would have one believe.

Ravage had the scanner on auto-detect and was currently in recharge while Syphon kept watch on the monitor just in case they found something. Despite the lack of excitement this was still the most stimulating adventure Syphon had partaken in since her sparkmate disappeared into deep space. Her wings twitched every now and then as she logged in the search results every few minutes. According to the chronometer, they had been in space for nearly half an orn, or 6.5 days.

It had also been 2 days since anyone had gone below deck to check on Quillbit. She was refusing to take her pills and the crew needed to conserve food, so no one had gone down there to feed her in the hope that starving her a little would make her more cooperative to taking her pills. That had been Ravage's idea, and while Syphon didn't like to go against the powerful cat she still felt guilty about making Quillbit suffer.

After logging their lack of progress for the 26th time that joor, Syphon finally got an idea. She could locate some pills, hide them in Quillbit's food, and then trick the prickly porcupine into eating them. Syphon was probably one of only a very few 'Bots who understood how to take pills since she had so many issues of her own, so she felt stupid for not having thought of this sooner.

Syphon found some bananas and dried crickets to smash into a...well, a mush. There was no other word for it than mush. She then took a couple antipsychotic pills and used her thumb to push them into the ugly mess of old fruit and dried bugs. It was a favorite of Syphon's, and she hoped that Quillbit would like it as well.

When Syphon made it to the dimly lit hallway and looked in the holding cell she saw that Quillbit was already drinking something, and it wasn't from a container that Syphon recognized.

"What duh-?" Syphon asked incredulously, "Where did ya get dat drink?"

"It ain't a drink, it's soup," Quillbit corrected her, "It tastes like regurgitated slag, but at least it's safe to eat. They give this stuff to the patients at the Flatline Asylum. I just saved it in my subspace for a while durin' periods when I didn't feel like eatin'."

"Dut I drought you dis," Syphon replied dejectedly as she showed Quillbit the mush, "I nade it just fo' you."

"It looks like roadkill," Quillbit groused, "Put it through the slot."

"Ya gonna eat it?" Syphon asked suspiciously, "Or tho it at nee?"

"How could I throw it at you if you're on the other side of the glass, glitch?" Quillbit pointed out as she crossed her arms over her chassis, "Just give me the slaggin' food!"

Syphon pouted angrily at Quillbit, but still did as she was asked. The old bat-former shuffled slowly to the slender slot in the wall where they were supposed to give the crazy Maximal her food and medicine. Little did Quillbit know that Syphon was going to give her both.

Quillbit took the food, sniffed it, and snorted as if the meal was a clever joke.

"Slaggin' bat," Quillbit muttered with a crooked smile that held no good cheer.

Syphon waited to see if Quillbit would actually eat it, hoping the Maximal would take her anti-crazy pills and stop trying to bust a hole through her confinement. Quillbit tasted the food, smiled, and then started eating in earnest. Syphon breathed a small sigh of relief and then smiled at the patient in turn.

"This is pretty good slop," Quillbit commented.

"Sank you, Killbit," Syphon beamed, happy for even a tiny complement from any source; even such a hateful one.

"Yeah, this is great," Quillbit continued airily, "Everythin' just works in this recipe. The sweetness of the bananas, the crunchiness of the crickets, and the bitter metallic taste of the pills. It all just really comes together."

"You tasted dat!?" Syphon asked in shock, "An I in troudle?"

"How could you be?" Quillbit smirked wryly, "You're out there, and I'm in here. Of course, I could be out there given enough time. I'm wearin' down this wall, and soon I'll be free of you fraggers. Hope you can explain that one to Pussycat, Batsy."

"Dat goes into deep stace," Syphon warned, "Ya knock that down, and ya end ut floating out into nowhere."

"I can handle that," Quillbit replied nonchalantly, "I like space, actually. Space is quiet, space is free, and I could float aimlessly until I go into stasis lock and the cold feeling merges into nothingness. I could be one with the universe, instead of one with the fraggin' B team out on a pointless mission to nab a few random Preds. You got any salt for this pill food? The bananas are kinda sweet."

"Do you hate nee?" Syphon asked point blank, "I know you don't wanna dee here, dut do ya also hate nee fo' sone reason?"

"Hm...Do I hate you?" Quillbit pretended to ponder as she watched Syphon squirm under her unwavering scrutiny, "Let me see...You're a Predacon, you're a bat, and you talk funny. My mood changes every few breems, but for this moment, I actually kinda like you. Pussycat forgets I exist so he can go watch the stars go by, but you actually care enough to come down here and feed me. Now, hidin' the pills in my food is a little annoyin', but the nurses do that all the time so I'm used to it. I dunno. I guess I just don't like to hang out with bats, but that ain't your fault. You just picked a stupid, stupid alt mode. You know most bats are Maximals, right?"

"I know," Syphon replied shamefully, "I can't change it."

"Why not?" Quillbit asked curiously.

"Dotched surgery," Syphon admitted as she tried to make herself look as small as she could, "Dat's why ny nouth doesn't close. Dat's why I has troudle eating and talking. I was a convert. I used ta dee a Decetacon. Now I'n a Tredacon."

"Yeah, them smaller bodies can really mess you up, especially if you used to be real big," Quillbit nodded empathetically, "That's why so many mechs, especially former 'Cons, fought against the change. Then again some 'Cons got the surgery just so they could change their names and hide from their war crimes. Was that what happened to you?"

"It was...nore conplicated dan dat," Syphon answered vaguely.

"If it helps...I was a convert, too," Quillbit confessed.

"Really?" Syphon gasped, "Is dat why you're so crazy?"

"Heh, it's more complicated than that," Quillbit echoed Syphon's words, "I guess you could say it's a factor though. You know, normally I can't talk to someone this long without Hulkin' out. I guess I should enjoy my sanity candy while it lasts. Thanks, Batsy."

"You're welcone," Syphon smiled, "I see you tonorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Quillbit tried to sound dismissive, but she smiled regardless.

Syphon walked back to the elevator feeling like she had accomplished something, no matter how small it seemed. Quillbit was talking like a normal femme, even if she still seemed aloof and apathetic to their mission. Syphon hoped it stayed this way. Even though Quillbit was mean, for some reason Syphon still really wanted the mental patient to like her. Syphon didn't have any other friends besides her brother-in-law Ravage, so she didn't want to let this opportunity slip by her.


Bitten was halfway down the mountain when she heard shots being fired. She ventured a look down despite being precariously perched on a ledge, and saw that the Predacons were attacking the Maximals. There weren't many Preds; just Megatron, Inferno, Blackarachnia, and Waspinator. Bitten was a little peeved that Waspinator not only made it back to his own base before she made it to hers, but he flew to the Axalon in that time as well. Fliers had all the perks.

Bitten knew she should assist her teammates, but she wasn't exactly in a position to do that just yet. She took a deep intake of air and steeled herself for the rest of the climb down. She knew she could be shot from this angle. She was a sitting duck, but it wasn't exactly like she had done this to herself on purpose. With patient determination she continued to climb.

More shots were fired, and at one point Bitten was sure she heard Cheetor scream. She didn't want to think about what that could mean for the youthful Maximal, but it was becoming harder for her to move due to the stress of worrying about her friends. It reminded her too much of the Third Cybertronian War. It made her feel like a sparkling again, and not in a good way.

Her body was frozen, and her processor was trapped in the past...

Terrabyte and her parents were going to go dancing that night to celebrate the Decepticons taking over Altihex and gaining control of the twin energon rivers. The cassettes were likewise excited and could barely contain themselves within Zetabyte's tape deck. Terrabyte held her sire's servo, and the older boat-former smiled down at his sweet little sparkling. She could feel the emotions of her cassette siblings' sparks, and it seemed that for once her family would get to have some fun and not worry about Autobots. Unfortunately everything was about to come crashing down.

Suddenly there was a shot fired, and the ground in front of them exploded into tiny little pieces. Amidst the rubble of destroyed Autobot buildings, two large Autobot soldiers came out and charged at the Decepticon family!

Zetabyte, thinking quickly, pushed Terrabyte under some fallen metal and gave her the three cassettes to keep safe. Then the battle between the two Autobots and two Decepticons began in earnest.

It wasn't much of a fight. The red Autobot used pile drivers to crush her sire's chest plate and helm, killing him almost instantly. The yellow Autobot ripped open her carrier's tape deck door and pulled out a mess of wires inside. He had also pulled out and crushed her spark chamber, and Terrabyte saw her carrier's optics grow dark. Terrabyte and the cassettes could feel the connection being severed between their sparks and the sparks of their dead parents. In a few short seconds everything had been taken from Terrabyte.

She knew she should remain hidden with her cassette siblings, but those oversized brutes killed her parents. They owed her for what they did to her family, and despite only being a vorn old she was going to collect that debt.

Terrabyte ran from her hiding place and straight toward the red Autobot. She used her sonic scream attack to disable the pile driving menace with the full intent of breaking his processor. The Autobot went down quickly, and Terrabyte was sure she was winning, but she forgot about the yellow Autobot.

Suddenly Terrabyte felt herself being lifted up by the throat, unable to continue her attack and unable to scream. The golden colored demon then crushed her voice box and wrapped his large gunmetal hands around her waist. He began to crush her fragile sparkling body, and she couldn't even call for help. It wasn't long before Terrabyte passed out; the last sight she saw being those cold blue optics...

"...Bitten!" A voice called up to her.

Bitten was too distressed and too caught up in her memories to notice the voice calling out to her. She clung to the cliff face automatically and screamed as if her very spark depended on it.

"Bitten! It's just us!" Cheetor yelled up at the frightened femme, "What do we do, Rattrap? She can't hear us."

"Oh for bootin' up cold!" Rattrap groused, "Get Chopperface out here! Maybe he knows how to deal with that kooky kangaroo."

Cheetor did as asked and soon Dinobot was outside with the others looking up at Bitten hanging on like a cat stuck up a tree. She still wasn't aware of them or the fact that the fight had ended and the Predacons were gone.

"Bitten!" Dinobot yelled, "The fight is over! Get down here!"

Bitten's mental shield broke when her ears picked up on Dinobot's call. His voice brought her out of her miserable memories in a way that nothing else could. She looked down to see Dinobot was there with two other Maximals, but she didn't recognize them. One was short and silvery colored with shiny maroon accents and large shoulder wheels. The other was taller, blue-green with shiny yellow-spotted alloy on his torso and limbs.

"Can you climb down?" The spotted Maximal asked (he sounded just like Cheetor).

"Eventually," Bitten replied without raising her voice.

"WHAT?" Cheetor yelled up, not hearing her answer.

"Eventually," Bitten repeated in the exact same tone.

"Could you speak up?" Cheetor asked, "I can't hear you."

"I ain't so sure she can speak up," The silver Maximal (Rattrap) quipped.

Bitten wasn't sure what happened to Rattrap and Cheetor in such a short amount of time, but she would recognize those voices anwhere. It had to be them.

"Rrgh, just jump!" Dinobot snapped in frustration, "I'll catch you!"

Bitten didn't reply, but she was hesitant to let go. If she fell she would break into tiny pieces. To be fair Waspinator survived such injuries all the time, but he was designed to be breakable. Bitten wasn't so sure if that technology existed in her body or not, and she wasn't too keen on finding out. On the other servo, she trusted Dinobot's reflexes and intentions. If he said he would catch her, then he would probably catch her.

Making up her mind, Bitten jumped down from her ledge. Dinobot however had waited two minutes without her jumping and didn't realize she was going to. Cheetor noticed first, and quickly yelled "Dinobot! Catch Bitten!"

The three Maximals then ran around trying to catch the falling kangaroo, only for Bitten to fall on Rattrap and cause the transmetal rat to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Ow!" Rattrap complained, "Get offa me, ya stinkin' glitch!"

"Language," Bitten admonished Rattrap as she gracefully lifted herself off the mech.

"Bitten! Where have you been!?" Dinobot snarled angrily once it was clear she was fine, "You never reported in to Tigatron and were not on board the ship when the cataclysm almost took place! I had assumed you had perished. Now, explain yourself!"

"Waspinator owed me a favor," Bitten replied without shame, "I collected the debt. I apologize for not reporting in, but the Predacons would have caught on to us."

"Wait, you actually got Waspinator to give you something?" Cheetor asked incredulously, "What did you ask for? Was it intel? Tech? Weapons? What?"

"A ride," Bitten replied, to the disappointment of the others.

"Grr, seriously? You do understand you could have been killed?" Dinobot reminded her, "Predacons are dangerous! If Waspinator found any weaknesses in you he could report them to Megatron! Are you trying to become a liability?"

"Everyone almost died," Bitten pointed out, "I am not special. Neither are you. I am glad you are okay, but don't yell at me just because my priorities are different than yours. I am a veterinarian, not a soldier."

"Uh, speaking of which," Cheetor reluctantly interrupted, "About your sanctuary..."

Bitten's optics widened suddenly as her helm slowly turned toward the ship. She knew the ship had fallen due to the earthquakes, but she had not considered the animal hospital's location. It would have fallen first, which meant...

"I'm sorry Bitten, but the sanctuary was crushed," Cheetor informed her, a sad expression on his face, "The only animal that made it out was Metronome, and we haven't seen him since he flew away."

Bitten found herself drawn to the spot where her beloved patients had been buried alive. When she got to the spot she knealt down and stared at the ground mournfully.

"Forget the animals, we've got a bigger problem!" Rattrap announced, "Bitten, you weren't here for this, so it might come as a shock, but Boss Monkey...bit the big one. He's...he's gone."

"Worse yet, the rodent is in command," Dinobot growled under his breath, "Blasted Maximals. If we settled this the Predacon way then I would be in charge."

"Yeah, or Rhinox," Rattrap snorted, "He held Dinobot up by his neck cables, ha!"

Bitten stared at Rattrap for a moment after he said that, but it wasn't the normal intense stare the others were used to. Bitten looked hurt, but Rattrap wasn't sure why. He wondered if it was the animals or if he had offended her somehow.

"Hey come on, Bitten. It was funny," Rattrap defended himself with an awkward smile, "You know Rhinox never goes off the handle like that, and then to see Bronto-Brain hangin' like that with his legs danglin'. It was funny."

Bitten didn't reply to that. She just turned around and walked toward the ship without a word. Rattrap wasn't sure what was wrong, but he was sure he saw Bitten grab the front of her own neck with her servo as she walked away.