Natural State of the Sun

AN: THANK YOU GIRAFFECHAN AND RAP BEAR for your continued feedback and support!

AN2: Well, last week was an apparent bust, so hopefully I can regain confidence and give my readers a good chapter. Sorry about the dud. But in 8 years of writing this, one dud in 130+ chapters isn't bad. :D

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"Why do you think we're being summoned?" Sideswipe asked, a hitch in his step due to an accidental side effect to the rewriting job he performed that electrocuted over fifty Autobots. Several were still in medbay, their systems having difficulty in discharging the added energy.

"Dunno," Sunstreaker muttered darkly. He didn't like being summoned. By anyone. Usually meant something bad was going to happen.

They found the SIC's door, and without announcing presence, opened it and waltzed in on the doorwinged mech seated behind his desk.

"The door was closed," he stated slowly.

"Now, it's open," Sideswipe said with a grin. "That's kind of how doors work."

Sunstreaker rumbled low in his engine at the giddiness flooding the link. Sideswipe had a thing for Praxians. He loved doorwings. And chevrons.

And there was something unexplainable about this mech who placed his work on the overly neat desk, gazed up at the two most dangerous mechs in the ranks, and gave them a critical optic.

Sunstreaker didn't like being sized up, especially not by someone who believed they had authority over him. Sure they were Autobots now, but he still maintained his free will.

The Praxian studied the two for a long moment.

The red one bounced on his pedes, face cracked into a smile of a well trained idiot. And given his disastrous rewiring ability, he had a lot of practice. The gold one glared right back, hatred and animosity radiating off him in practically neon signs of danger. In most cases red was the color of warning, but in this instance, it was a rutilent gold. Seemingly supernatural, warning of the danger behind the color.

"Due to your ineptitude, fifty-seven Autobots suffered electrical shock and minor burns," the SIC stated in a bored monotone. "Since there was no scheduled maintenance for that particular sector, and you lack the clearance to perform electrical repair, I can only surmise your reasoning was related to a prank?"

Sideswipe gave a hiccup, still bouncing on his pedes. He kept a remarkably straight face when confronted with his crime.

"Simple misunderstanding." He lied fluently. "I was speaking to an engineer and he mentioned how short staffed you are and I thought I'd lend a servo."

"Do you think this was funny?" The Praxian asked, dead-faced, unfazed by Sunstreaker's open glare.

Sideswipe struck a pose. "Well, I am hilarious…" he batted his optics prettily, "and I'm adorable."

"Your judgment is acutely flawed," Prowl deadpanned.

Sunstreaker mentally agreed with the assessment.

"The standard punishment for such actions is menial maintenance, but as it appears you have a warped sense of humor, and the penchant to injure your fellow Autobots, you will be sentenced to fifty-seven joors, one joor for each of your victims."

"Hey, that's unfair!" Sideswipe said, hiccupping again. "It was only a joke! No one was seriously hurt," he shook a fist at the unamused Praxian. "Sides, I got zapped to and you don't hear me complaining."

"So why am I here?" Sunstreaker asked, breaking his stoic silence.

"You were serving as lookout," Prowl answered calmly, not realizing he was staring down death.

"I didn't know what the fragger was up to," Sunstreaker amended. "I learned to never ask. In fact, the best thing in dealing with him is to ignore him."

Sideswipe cuddled up to his twin, making salacious comments and noises.

Without breaking eye contact with the Praxian, he punched his brother in the face, denting his optic socket.

Sideswipe staggered back, giggling and rubbing his damaged face. "Slagger."

Prowl was unperturbed.

"You did nothing to stop your brother from committing an act that was not only against regulation, but got several Autobots injured."

"As my brother said, they were fine. No one was seriously injured," Sunstreaker said, thrumming with building anger. "I'm not going to the brig for a crime my brother committed."

"You were aiding and abetting your brother in the committing of an unauthorized disruption to our power grid, which not only caused damage to several Autobots, but also destroyed three consoles and created a black out in our power grid which left us vulnerable. Had we been attacked, you would be facing a court marshal or immediate execution."

"It was a prank," Sideswipe reiterated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"It was an unnecessary disruption." Prowl bit back, a door wing flicking.

Any further conversation was cut short as a pale devil stormed into the room.

"There you two are!" Ratchet bellowed, subspacing two wrenches and landing them perfectly on his targets.

The last thing Sunstreaker remembered was the immediate flooding of absolute love and adoration toward the medic before both were put to sleep.

Ratchet retrieved his wrenches, flipping them masterfully in his trained hands.

"That was unnecessary," Prowl said, sighing at the two primary colored lumps of unconscious metal in the middle of his office.

"Shut your vocalizer or you'll get a dose," Ratchet threatened, giving the twins a kick for good measure and exiting the room with the grace of a heavenly hurricane.

Prowl called for security to come and remove the two to the brig, where they woke up some time later.

Sunstreaker was first to rise on an unknown berth in an unknown room. He bolted upright, finding himself in a cell, the energy bars glowing icy blue and throwing his beautiful armor into a sickly green.

"SIDESWIPE!" Sunstreaker yelled at the top of his vocal setting. There was a lot of power in his voice. The walls shook with the frequency.

Sideswipe snuffled awake, jolting so hard he toppled off his own berth across the hall.

Sunstreaker slammed into the energy bars, hissing as they burned his hands, but he didn't care. He wanted to get his twin and beat the slag out of him. Then find the medic and the Praxian and terminate both of them.

"Knock it off," came a voice of an unfamiliar mech sharing the same cell with Sunstreaker.

Sunstreaker turned in slow motion, finding the mech on the top berth. He was pale green with a stockier build. He eyed Sunstreaker for a long moment. He hopped down off the berth, making the floor quake. He stood a full head and shoulder above Sunstreaker.

"A mech as small as you sure has a big vocalizer."

Sideswipe felt the pang of death echoing in his own spark.

"Don't do it, Sunstreaker. Ignore him."

But Sunstreaker wasn't paying attention to his twin. He was staring up into the face that hovered above him.

"It would be wise to maintain your distance from me." He warned lowly.

"Dunno if you've been in the brig before, but it's not wise to threaten the biggest, baddest, and meanest mech."

Sunstreaker riled.

"Then you are already acquainted with my reputation. I suggest you back away before you end up a casualty of war."

The mech laughed. It was a rough, grating sound of gravel over glass.

The mech made another mistake when dealing with Sunstreaker. Not only did he try to intimidate him, which didn't work, but he clasped Sunstreaker's throat, lifting him easily with one hand and slammed the golden mech into the energy bars. The current made Sunstreaker judder, his vocalizer filled with static for a moment before he was able to regain his senses.

Centuries of fighting in the Pit taught him ways to overcome his adversary. This ugly mech was no different.

Sunstreaker planted his pede on the mech's hip junction. The electricity followed the new path, sending the jolts through a bulky frame. Severing the connection, the mech tried to clear the static in his CPU, but Sunstreaker was already in motion. Kicking off from the mech's chest, and twisting away, bringing up his arms to break the mech's hold, Sunstreaker was able to escape.

He landed in a low crouch, and not waiting for his opponent to recover, sidestepped, punching the mech's side, denting armor, providing a gap in which he broke through the armor, and up into the mech's internals. A quick twist and the mech's actuators on his right side went out. As he staggered, trying to catch his balance but failing, Sunstreaker remained in motion.

Sunstreaker tore the mechs head free from his body. He swayed a moment before falling forward with a resounding clang that shook the brig. The mechs optics went dim, fluids spilling out from the severed cables and hoses.

But Sunstreaker wasn't done yet.

He lunged for the mech's torso, artistic fingers digging into seams and ripping away armor, the latches busted and rendered useless to the golden mech on mission.

Exposing the mech's spark chamber, which had sealed off in self preservation, Sunstreaker buried his hand in the mech's chest, grasped the cylinder and wrenched it free, sparks and electronic screams following the exposure of the mech's spark.

His corpse twitched at Sunstreaker's feet.

Just then, Prowl led a security force into the brig, having witnessed the violence on security feeds. They stopped in front of Sunstreaker's cell. They were about to disengage the bars when Sideswipe called.

"Keep the bars up! He's not safe right now! He'll terminate all of you!"

Sunstreaker raged and swore, his concentration on the dead mech at his feet. He ripped armor off, punched his way through the protoform, and tore out cables, hoses, and fuel lines.

Prowl held up his hand, preventing his subordinates from opening Sunstreakers's cell and releasing the monster. Prowl stalked across the hall to Sideswipe's cell, where his own cell mate was cowered against the wall, terrified Sideswipe would follow his twin's example.

"Explain! Now!"

"Sunny doesn't respond well to threats," Sideswipe said simply. He knew Prowl had witnessed the altercation that ended in a mech's termination. "The mech thought he could intimidate Sunny and laid servos on him first. It's self defense."

Prowl looked to Sunstreaker, who paced the bars, fists clenched, denta bared. He resembled a caged animal. In a way, he was.

"There is self defense and then there is unjustified termination," Prowl said slowly, his doorwings sensing the golden mech's agitation even through the power of the energy bars. His voice trailed off…"This is…something…else."

"There's' a reason we're so effective with our unit," Sideswipe said, feeling the need to explain the total savagery taking place in the other cell. "We used to fight in the Pits. Death matches. "

Prowl's expression faltered. His stolid facade cracked. "The death matches?"

"We're good." Sideswipe gave a one sided shrug. "There's a reason we're frontliners." Sideswipe nodded to his twin, who ripped off the dead mech's arm was and beating the energy bars with it. "Heat of battle is the only time we can exercise our true nature."

"He's unstable," Prowl muttered as Sunstreaker ripped off a leg and continued to trash the cell. Parts were flying in a cyclone. Still, the golden mech raged on.

"When he's like this, yes," Sideswipe said. "Always look at his optics. The whiter they become, the more dangerous he is." He paused, waiting to lock gazes with Prowl. "We both are. When we are in such a rage, it is best to stay out of our path because we cannot perceive ally. We stop when there are no more standing. It's how we were trained."

"The in Pit?" Prowl asked softly, as if the volume of his voice would set Sideswipe off.

Sunstreaker still thrashed and tore at the body sharing his cell.

Sideswipe nodded.

"Terminate or be terminated," he explained. "Punishment or praise. The more violent the nature, the less pain you receive from your master."

Prowl's ever stoic expression flickered for the briefest second. Like most Cybertronians, he had been aware of the illegal death matches. But no matter how hard the Enforcers tried to shut down the brutal 'sport,' they were never able to make any advancements in finding out the main suppliers and promoters.

At least until the war.

Prowl was a High Lieutenant in the Enforcers. When the war broke out, more and more bots broke their silence and began naming wealthy sponsors, illegal slavers, secret arenas, and much to Prowl's horror, a substantial list of Patrol bots and Enforcers who were passing raid schedules and information on to the slavers.

Prowl issued warrants for arrest to the conspirers, but they fled to the Decepticon cause. No surprise there. However, it was a huge surprise when Megatron terminated them within a breem, fearing their turncoat ways and believing them secret Autobot sympathizers.

"How long until he calms down?" Prowl asked, observing as Sunstreaker ripped the berths from the wall and threw them at the bars. They cackled and sizzled but remained the only barrier keeping the violent animal at bay.

"Might take awhile," Sideswipe said with a sad sigh. "Until he's calm and his optics return to blue, he's dangerous to approach. Just…let him wind himself down."

"He shouldn't be amongst the ranks," Prowl put in as Sunstreaker buried his fist into the wall. It bowed with the power behind his punch. "He's unstable."

"Why do you think we avoid socializing?" Sideswipe asked with a smirk. "Sunshine can go off at any provocation. To keep everyone safe, he keeps himself isolated, saving his anger for the battlefield."

"And if there is no longer a battle?" Prowl asked.

Sideswipe offered a soft noise through his vents. "Then he'll probably start something. It's in his nature. Our nature. We're trained for combat. It's all we've ever known." He gave a soft chuckle. "Well, that and fragging."

"I certainly hope you don't engage in that particular behavior while in a combat zone," Prowl said, earning a smirk from Sideswipe and wide optics from the security detail flanking him. They observed the destruction in the opposite cell with fear, hoping they never got on the golden mech's bad side.

"Oh, Sunny'll frag em up all right," Sideswipe quipped. "But as long as he's allowed onto the battle field to exorcise his demons, the better he'll be around base."

Prowl sighed heavily, shaking his head. These two were going to give him processor aches. The kind he hadn't suffered from since he was a youngling with an illegal processor upgrade.

"Uhh, sir?" one of the security mechs said, pointing to Sunstreaker and the noticeable hole he had ripped in the wall.

"Transfer all prisoners on this side to other cells," Prowl said, finding the prisoner next to Sunstreaker's cowering on the far side of his cell. He was terrified of the demon about to crawl through the wall.

The prisoner was all too happy to be transferred. The other prisoners watched in horrified fascination as Sunstreaker slammed his fist into the wall, ripped out circuitry, and proceeded to tear through the insulating conduits.

"Never has a prisoner broken through the walls and escaped," Prowl murmured.

"No prison Sunny and me can't get out of," Sideswipe said with a lopsided grin. "As long as the energy bars are in place, he'll stay confined until he cools down. Just hope he doesn't find the power relays and gets the bar out of commission."

Prowl called for an engineer to come to the brig immediately for an evaluation.

Sunstreaker had punched through to the other side and was rending the metal with the ease of a city-former. Finding the room empty, he grasped the berth and ripped it from the supports.

"What am I supposed to do with someone so unstable?" Prowl said, mostly to himself.

The regulations called for immediate termination of an unstable element, but he couldn't deny the twins service record. Well, their confirmed kills anyway. The pranks and childish fights seemed pale in comparison to the star going super nova in a prison cell.

Sure they had sent several mechs to the infirmary, but upon witnessing Sunstreaker's brutality, he realized the twins had been pulling their punches. Yes, mech's suffered concussions and dislocations, and even shattered optics, but given the sheer strength and magnitude of Sunstreaker's power, Prowl knew exactly how controlled the twins were during 'down time.'

"Let him do his job and stop scheduling so many breaks from the front lines," Sideswipe offered. He waited until Prowl locked gazes and added, "We don't do so well when we're idle."

"There is concern Polyhex will be struck by the Decepticons at the end of the breem," Prowl said slowly.

"Might be a good idea to have two heavy duty fighters on the front lines," Sideswipe put in, optics twinkling mischievously.

Though he had misgivings about Prowl since they first met, he was starting to realize what made the tactician tick. And to see him as a friendly foe. One who could help the twins' bloodthirsty nature by citing protocol and sending them to the worst parts of conflict, where they can exorcise their demons in the only way they know how.

"I should get started on the transfer papers," Prowl said. There was a glimmer in his optics. An understanding passed between him and Sideswipe. "If the two of you are going to continue being barbs in my tires, then I may as well place you where you may do the most good."

Sideswipe offered a single dip of his helm. "You point. We kill."

It wasn't in Prowl's original programming to condone the violence the twins thrived on. But that was why he had upgrades. Why he removed emotional protocols. In war time, when innocents depended upon strength and fortitude to do what was necessary, he had to be able to make the decisions to do the most good. Though he was loathe to allow the twins their ruthless rampage, there was a kind of beauty in their destruction.

It was base. Primal. Simplistic. Logical.

Their natural abilities would put considerable strain on the Decepticon forces, enabling neutrals to escape and comrades to be saved. It was a dirty, hard, violent way of life. Most had mental breakdowns or trouble resting, revisited by lives lost and screams of phantoms.

But not the twins.

They enjoyed the battlefront. They craved the action. They thrilled in the execution of their job and had no qualms or nightmares of their victims.

In essence, they were perfect for the front lines. More lives could be saved with them running interference. More destruction could be wrought on the Cons with them leading the charge.

Prowl slowly smiled, a surprising and frightening feat given his normally placid nature.

The Cons wouldn't know what hit them!

Understanding passed between mischief maker and strategist.

"I will have to make sure you are cleared, medically, before issuing the transfer," Prowl stated.

Sideswipe sighed, glancing over to where Sunstreaker paced the bars, desperate for a victim.

"Yeah, I'm going to need some time to heal, too." He nodded to Sunstreaker. "When he's free, the first thing he's going to do is try to beat me to death."

"I can keep him confined until he settles," Prowl assured the ruby warrior.

Sideswipe laughed, a rich, deep sound that made Prowl's sensors flare to life.

"Won't do me any good. He's so mad at me for getting him into trouble, as soon as he's able, he's gonna try to pound me into scrap metal."

Prowl knew it was best not to figure out the strange dynamic the two shared.

"Very well. I will inform Ratchet of your impending arrival and subsequent rehabilitation time," Prowl said.

Sideswipe's face light up like a celebratory display. He cackled, rocking back on his pedes, optics alight with happiness.

"Oh good! I love that cranky old medic!" Sideswipe offered a dreamy sigh through his vents.

Prowl shuttered his optics several times. His first assumption was correct in he should not attempt to figure out the dynamic of the twins. They were, and should remain, a mystery.

With that in mind, Prowl spun on his heel to take his leave. The security detail hurried for the exit and didn't look back. If they did, they would have seen Prowl walk up to the cell where Sunstreaker paced. There was a dent in the wall where he tried to bust through but his focus zeroed in on the black and white Praxian standing before the bars.

Sunstreaker paused, chest heaving as his vents cycled air to cool his systems. Through his haze, he sensed a thrum of affection through the bond he shared with his twin. He calmed somewhat, though still highly dangerous and volatile.

Prowl lowered his doorwings to drape along his back in a submissive manner as to not rile up the golden mech any further.

Sunstreaker tilted his head curiously, a flicker of blue in his white optics.

"Calm yourself, Sunstreaker," Prowl said, loudly and clearly so the words would sink into the front liners meta.

To Sideswipe's utmost shock, Sunstreaker obeyed…to a degree. He was still dangerous but the fact he was observing Prowl without attempting to rip him apart spoke volumes. Apparently Sideswipe wasn't the only one Prowl had swayed as ally.

"There is a battle ahead and you will need your strength," Prowl was saying. "For when you are unleashed, you may destroy as many Decepticons as you wish."

Sunstreaker offered a curled sneer. He liked that idea! A lot!

Prowl jerked his head toward Sideswipe in the opposite cell, "And don't hurt your brother too badly. The longer he's in the infirmary, the longer it will be until you're released to go after Decepticons."

Sunstreaker offered a growling snarl to his twin, but Sideswipe wasn't paying attention to his brother. He was staring at Prowl.

This was the first time in his memory banks someone was able to reach Sunstreaker when he was in his bellicose berserker mode. The fact Sunstreaker was not only listening to Prowl, but responding favorably to the idea of a trip to the front lines was nothing short of a miracle.

Even more surprising, Sunstreaker's rage burned less over the bond he shared with his twin, pale optics shining for death and retribution.

Prowl's words had sunk in. The promise if unlimited slaughter had great appeal to the bloodthirsty mech.

Another miracle happened.

Prowl appeared … pleasantly pleased.

His head tilted slightly, lips curving a little at the corners, door wings giving a gentle flutter.

"I do believe your temper may be better served destroying the enemy than attacking ally," Prowl said slowly.

To Sideswipe's continued disbelief, Sunstreaker's demeanor diminished, observing the strange black and white, soft speaking mech on the other side of the energy bars.

"Calm yourself, Sunstreaker," Prowl continued. "For when you are ready, you will be released upon the Decepticons as our new, secret weapon of mass destruction."

Sunstreaker's lip curled, giving him the aspect of frozen fire, chilling the air and making spinal struts shudder.

Well, those of a lesser quality. Sideswipe and Prowl were immune to such things.

Sunstreaker's optics was an icy blue as he gave a single nod in understanding.

To reiterate his point, Prowl motioned toward Sideswipe.

"And I'm serious about throttling your twin. I know you want to beat him into scrap but if you do, you'll have remain on base and miss out on the best battles. I ask you to weigh your options before making your final choice."

Sunstreaker sent an abrasive thrum over the bond he shared with Sideswipe, but his frame became less tense. His fists uncoiled, shoulders drooped, his posture relaxed.

Prowl's words were sinking in.

Sideswipe stared slack jawed at the miracle unfolding before his optics.

As if never disrupted by Sunstreaker's violent nature, Prowl added, "I hope to send you to Polyhex within the breem. I suggest you calm down and prepare yourself for the trip. There are two battalions of Cons that will need to be dealt with."

Sunstreaker's smile was downright petrifying. If Prowl was made of lesser alloys, he would have melted under the sharp, intense, joyfully hateful gaze that burned as his namesake.

Prowl whirled and marched away, a smile tugging the corners of his face plates as he thought of all the havoc to be caused by the twins and their infinite fury. They were a binary star, two novas, preparing to erupt upon an unsuspecting, and ill prepared enemy.

Prowl couldn't wait to view the destruction.

It was going to be apocalyptic.

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Yes, Prowl has a sadistic streak. Hehe

It was SOOO much fun to write this chapter! It kinda… flowed, on its own, and didn't require a lot of thought and fussing and edits.

Be sure to click that button there and let me know what you think!