Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 18

"Ack!" Hot Shot yelled transforming to avoid hitting the trio that had warped in without warning.

Hot shot tripped and rolled about twenty feet before skidding four feet on his face. "OOWW" he moaned.

"Hot Shot?" one of the mysterious trio asked.

Hot Shot looked up from his spot on the ground trying to ignore the acute embarrassment he felt knowing half of the command staff had just witnessed his face plant. "Huh?" he asked looking at the black and white stranger. Then he realized it wasn't a stranger.

"Wheeljack!" Hot Shot yelled. Actually it was more of a growl, but considering their last meeting Hot Shot felt it was warranted. He attempted to launch himself at Wheeljack but found himself thrown back by a relatively pissed looking Sunstreaker.

"What?" Hot Shot asked looking pissed too.

"Incase you hadn't noticed, that guy you're attempting to maul is holding my brother" Sunstreaker glared.

Hot Shot calmed down enough at the mention of Sideswipe to realize Sunstreaker was right. "What happened to him?" he asked taking in the 'Bot's appearance.

"Spinner and Thrust " the Red and white seeker said simply.

"What?" Ratchet hissed lowly.

"I said Thrust happened to him", the seeker said again, not bothering to repeat Spinner's name. Thrust's name was all that was needed to convey the seriousness of Sideswipe's injuries.

"Who's Thrust?" Hot Shot asked.

"The best Deceptacon interrogator/mindbender on Rollbar's payroll" Ratchet stated.

"Mindbender?" Hot Shot asked.

"Messes with existing memories, usually to turn them" Ratchet stated seemingly oblivious to Hot Shot and Sunstreaker tensing.

"Yeah, so you might want to get him checked out sometime soon" Starscream said.

"Then we need to get to Roswell pronto," Hot Shot said.


"Ok, thanks Optimus" Koji said turning off his communicator.

"Well?" Rad asked as he and his brothers stared at their father expectantly.

"Sideswipe has been rescued and is being taken to the Roswell base for repairs" Koji said. He grit his teeth knowing the next words out of his son's mouth.

"When can we go see him?"

"When he returns to Cybertron to resume his duties" Koji said knowing he was going to face serious opposition from his eldest child and the twins weren't going to be any happier about it.

"Why?" Rad said sitting up a little straighter in his hospital bed, wincing slightly because of his bruised ribs.

"Because your hurt and not leaving this bed till the doctors say you can" Koji stated.

"Why? There are perfectly good doctors at Roswell, and they don't charge anything" Rad pointed out. Koji stared blankly at him.

"You want to go to the place where they'll make you stay in bed for at least a week and will have an armed guard at your door twenty- four seven?" He asked.

"Ummm…. No" Rad admitted.

"Then you can stay here" Koji said.


Ben crept slowly along the foot wide ledge looking for the window to Rad's room. Hopefully, it wouldn't be guarded by the cops.

Stupid cops made him jump out a window. All he did was blow up a few machines in Saka's room. Stupid cops. They better not try to stop him from finding his nephew.


Wheeljack was surprised that the Autobots let him stay in the med bay unguarded. He was certain that Hot Shot would have told them who he was. At least that was what he figured from the glare and attempted mauling earlier.

'Why am I in the med bay anyway? I'm not hurt' he thought.

"You're here because the Autobots didn't think to put a brig in this place despite it being a military instillation" Ratchet said.

"Wait, I said that out loud?" Wheeljack asked.

"Yes"

"Oh" Wheeljack said slightly worried about what else he might have said. "Why didn't the Autobots think to put in a brig?"

"They were at peace when this place was built so they decided that they didn't need it" Ratchet said rolling his eyes at the stupidity on the base's designer.

"Figures" Wheeljack muttered.

"Why are you here?" Wheeljack asked.

"I came to thank you" Ratchet said simply.

"Why?"

"You did bring my son back from the Deceptacons before Thrust could do any major damage" Ratchet said.

"So the kid's gonna be all right?" Wheeljack asked.

"Yup. He and his brother are made of tougher stuff" Ratchet said some what proudly.

Wheeljack just nodded. He'd heard why Rollbar had wanted both twins so bad. Sideswipe was apparently pretty weak without Sunstreaker but together the two were nearly unstoppable.


"Move it!" Hot Shot growled trying to push Sunstreaker back.

"No, you move it!" Sunstreaker growled.

"I said one and only one can see him now! If you two don't stop this and be reasonable neither of you will be able to see him!" the medic in charge of Sideswipe yelled at the two, who were now stuck in the doorway.

"Which is why I should go in now and Mr. Sunshine here can go in later when Sideswipe wants to see him" Hot Shot said still trying to push Sunstreaker back.

"I'm his twin. What makes you think he doesn't want to see me now?" Sunstreaker asked.

"Maybe because you joined the Deceptacons and were going to help Rollbar kidnap Rad" Hot Shot pointed out.

Sunstreaker stopped pushing suddenly, startling Hot Shot enough that he stopped too. Hot Shot had on one rare occasion seen Sideswipe's 'glare of doom and death' as the nine-year-old Rad had so aptly put it. He now discovered that Sunstreaker's glare would probably have been named 'the glare of universal annihilation'.

The low growl Sunstreaker let out should have served as warning for Hot Shot but he didn't head it quick enough.

"Ouph!" Hot Shot groaned as he hit the opposite wall.

Sunstreaker' face was suddenly only inches from his. "The only reason I joined the Deceptacons was because I needed to save my little brother," he hissed.

"Save him from what? He was safe with us for the past four years!" Hot Shot wasn't sure that yelling at Sunstreaker was the best thing to do at the moment but it made feel a hell of a lot better.

"All I knew was that when I woke up my brother was gone. Kidnapped by Autobots again. The second time in less than a month my little brother was in the hands of my enemies. I didn't know what to expect" Sunstreaker paused for a second. "They said you're the one that found him in that alley. Do you remember what exactly had been done to him? That was done by a group wearing the Autobot insignia. So you'll have to excuse me for not thinking too highly of the Autobots when it comes to Sideswipe's safety" Sunstreaker said in a low, dangerous tone. The he stood up and walked into Sideswipe's room.

AN: stupid writer's block. Sorry for the wait. R&R