Part 9

The room that Wheeljack found was originally a storage room for the shells required for the Ark's original external guns. A small camera unit was installed so that the outside observers could keep an optic on events inside, and finally the still offline twins were carried in.

Jazz caught Prowl's arm just before the Datsun entered the dim chamber. "Hey Prowl, be careful in there, ok?" He said quietly. "These two ain't th' twins we're used t'."
"I know." Prowl replied. "Thank you Jazz." Prowl stepped inside the room with Ratchet, and the insulated door was sealed behind them.

It took a moment for their optics to adjust to the low light, during which time both Autobots carefully sat down on the floor, as per Smokescreen's instructions, and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

Sunstreaker awoke first. In a single flicker of motion, he was crouched at his brother's shoulder, one hand placed possessively on the red chestplate as he glared at the two seated Autobots, optics narrowed to two slits that glowed a brilliant sapphire blue in the darkness. Sideswipe stirred and his brother rocked back to allow the red twin to rise.

Ratchet felt distinctively uncomfortable as the twins crouched in the far corner of the room, feline-like as they eyed the medic and the tactician. "Do not move, do not break optic contact." Smokescreen's voice instructed over the radio.

Carefully, silently, the brothers edged closer, mimicking each other's movements with eerie synchronisation. Sideswipe sat on his haunches next to Prowl, head tilted slightly to one side as if he was seeing the Datsun for the first time. Unflinching, Prowl returned the piercing azure gaze. "They're testing you, to see if you're a threat." Smokescreen said, his voice a low buzz in Prowl's audio.

"You."

The sudden noise caught Prowl by surprise, and he almost looked towards the speaker. It was Sunstreaker, who was half kneeling in front of Ratchet.

"You." The yellow twin repeated, his voice hollow and dispassionate. "You hurt us."
"Were there." Sideswipe added.
"One of them."

Both warriors recoiled and jumped back, crouching again in front of the still kneeling Autobots. Prowl was getting worried. Sideswipe watched the two Autobots warily, while his brother was poised to attack, one hand braced on the ground and the other curled into a fist. The tactician's optics narrowed slightly. He recognised the pattern of movements, curiously similar to those of the cyber wolves he had studied in Basic Training. Hopefully, that behavioural research would once again prove useful in this situation.

"No." Ratchet countered Sunstreaker's claim, unconsciously adopting the twin's broken syntax. "Would not hurt you. Here to help you."
Both sets of optics narrowed, now darkened to a dangerous royal blue. "Liar." Sunstreaker accused. "Saw, heard." He jerked his head towards Sideswipe. "Attacked him. Hurt him. Memory."
"Not true." Prowl replied, also using the abbreviated sentence structure. "Was a false memory. Decepticons did it."
"We are here to help you." Ratchet said, stressing each word. Prowl could sense the medic's frustration; the healer wanting to do his job but as of yet unable to help his patients.

The twins appeared to consider their words, heads tilting slightly as their postures relaxed.

Outside, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, Perceptor and Jazz watched the video feed anxiously. "It's worse than when ol' Meggy re-programmed th' chambers. Least then we knew what we was up 'gainst." Jazz muttered, left arm wrapped around his stomach and his right fist pressed against his lips, almost quivering with repressed nervous energy. He wanted to be in there, he should have been in there. But he couldn't. Interfering at this moment in the delicate play of instinct and reflex would be fatal.

Inside, the silence was broken only by the hiss and pull of air through cooling vents and the soft thrum of internal systems. The twins had been silent for about a minute, when Ratchet did something very stupid.