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Song: Enter Sandman - Metallica
Characters: Sideswipe, Sunstreaker
Summary: They told him it was just an after effect of the fight...that it was only in his head.
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Enter

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Now I lay you down to sleep.
 Sunstreaker's optics pierced the darkness of the room as he awoke with a start. There it was again. He scanned the area, with what light he was able to provide with his optics. He didn't want to wake his brother, not over something he'd sworn he'd get over. He stared at the doorway, as if perhaps it would be frightened enough by him to stay shut. After a moment, his optics dimmed.

I prayed my lord a soul to keep...
Once again, the room filled with the slightest hint of blue. Sideswipe was going to have a seizure of laughter if he found out Sunstreaker was awake because of a stupid dream. He'd had these 'voices' occur more than enough to be called The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and he didn't need anymore taunts. But still, he glanced around the room. It wasn't that he was afraid of the dark...it was more he was afraid of the darkness, which was completely different from being afraid of the dark. Silence followed for quite some time, and Sunstreaker once again shut his optics.

If you die, before you wake...
This time, Sunstreaker bolted from his position, cocking a loaded weapon towards the door. He stepped against the wall, and made his way around the room until his hand rested on the door frame. Pushing the switch, a small beep signalled the release of the security locks, and it slid open quietly. Stepping outside the room, the gun still in hand, Sunstreaker glanced about in the dim hallway light of the Ark. There wasn't anything living, small or large, artificial or natural that was in range of his eyesight. He pondered leaving the room, but the thought of leaving his brother with the 'thing' didn't seem too intelligent either. He gave a heavy sigh, and leaned against the frame. Four nights ago, the same thing had occured, and then four nights before that. Then again, he couldn't really remember if it was really four nights ago, but his brother had claimed he'd sat down with Ratchet and they both realized the pattern. He wouldn't of believed him first off had Ratchet's name not been mentioned; but the name had been mentioned and because of it, Sunstreaker had taken caution.

I prayed my lord your soul to take.
Sunstreaker's mind didn't realize he was having a panic attack until the fans turned on, attempting to cool his internal system. He was breathing heavily, and for a moment he tried to pass it off as his breath that was making him hear things. Was he really breathing that hard though? "Knock it off, Sideswipe." He hissed into the night air. He didn't think for a moment that it was Sideswipe, but he was trying to force his brain to comprehend it as such. Sideswipe couldn't imitate other voices very well. He knew it too. "For Primus' sake, knock it off..." Sunstreaker meant for it to come out a bit more forceful, but it ended up as a tight whisper, as if something had caught in his throat. He backed into the room again, but kept his hand on the door frame to prevent the door from shutting and leaving him in darkness again.

Night Terrors?
With a shout, he turned and attacked. Finally, his tormentor had the nerve to try and whisper something right next to his audio sensor. He pressed the gun hard against the other body, making sure the intruder was aware there was a gun to his chest. His mind was running through a series of questions and curses, blocking out his victim's constant whispering. He just wanted him to stop the whispering. "Just stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" He screamed, pushing the barrel as hard as he could against the other's chest. The whispering grew louder and stronger as they became yells. Sunstreaker glared down at the shadow, gritting his teeth. It took him a few minutes to realize he recognized the cries, and he finally calmed himself enough to listen to them closely.

"Sunny! It's me!! Seriously, put it down!" His brother's voice invaded his sensors as he continued to struggle from underneath the yellow Lamborgini. Sunstreaker overloaded himself, and the gun dropped from his hand in shock, the rest of him collapsing on top of Sideswipe. The red one caught him in one arm, while using the other to pull the gun from between them. He supported himself against the wall, pulling his brother closer to him. "Suns! Suns!" He called, shaking the limp form in front of him. Sunstreaker groaned audibly, and his optics were dimly lit. Sides let out a sigh of relief as he slightly shook himself while supporting his brother. "I ask you a simple question and you come after me as if I'm Starscream..."

Moments passed before Sideswipe decided to help his brother back to their resting area. Whatever had spooked the bot had definitely done a good job of it, and it scared him. This had been a reoccurring incident for a while, and it had to be solved one way or another, otherwise Sunstreaker was going to literally take someone's head off. It was bad enough to see him in a bad mood when he wasn't left in the dark. He sat down next to Sunstreaker after the bot was laying on his back, just staring at the ceiling. "You alright?"
"...Yeah."
"You sure? You almost put a hole in my chest." Sunstreaker thought for a moment, before realizing there was no fighting the truth, especially to his own brother. He had nearly killed him over it, after all. "I heard them again tonight. I thought you were asleep." Sideswipe narrowed his eyes, squinting in the darkness at his twin's optics. "I was outside talking to Bluestreak. He was having trouble getting to sleep too. Memories again." Sunny nodded slowly.

Off to Neverland, dear brother?
The yellow bot froze, staring at the ceiling with only the comfort of his brother's shadow being illuminated by the hallway lights. He nervously slid his hand over Sideswipe's, and clenched it tightly, shaking. Sideswipe looked down at his hand, and squeezed it slightly. "Stop it..." Sunny muttered.
"I'm not doing anything, bro."
"You said something."
"No, I didn't. Do you want me to go get Ratchet?"
"No." The response was disturbing, as it seemed horribly forced from Sunstreaker's throat. Sides could feel the tension building as his hand was the target of Sunny's fear. He winced as a sharp pain invaded his palm, but withstood it. The two sat in silence, and Sideswipe leaned down off of the bed so he could be somewhat nearer to Sunny.

Hush...
It was Sideswipe's turn to grasp his brother's hand in fear. It wasn't so much what it could have been, but the tone of the voice itself was enough to send chills to his very spark. Sunstreaker replied silently with another squeeze.

Don't say a word...
The red lambo glanced around in the darkness, until he spotted the door frame itself and the dim lights of the hallway. He whispered something to his brother quietly, and his order was refused. He tried again, and finally the pressure on his hand was released. In his head, he counted to himself quietly, and on the final number, thrust himself towards the door. He did it quickly, causing alot of noise in the process as his foot skidded across the floor while he picked himself up. He grasped the door frame and ran his hand up until he hit the switch. With a soft click, the lights in the room flicked on, drenching the area in a bright white. Sunstreaker looked around the room, noticing that nothing was out of place, nothing moved or changed. His brother did the same, remaining in a defensive pose. "I'm going to go get Ratchet."
"No."
"I'm going to get Ratchet." Before his brother could stop him, Sideswipe disappeared from the room, catching only the vulgar language of his twin. He was quite noisy, clanking heavily as he made his way down the halls towards Ratchet's homestead. Somehow, it was soothing, and it kept whatever he had heard out of his head. With this comfort, he stomped down harder, not caring if he woke up the entire Ark.

Sunstreaker listened to his brother's footsteps, and sat up on the bed, staring at the ground. The voice had stopped for now, and he wondered if it was just some malfunctioning in his head that was the cause for it. His logic however reasoned that had it been so, Sideswipe wouldn't have heard it as well, but he didn't know Sideswipe to carry out a trick unless it was for some wild surprise party Ratchet threatened him about to keep quiet. For a few moments, after the noisy mech had disappeared, silence covered the room, leaving room for Sunstreaker to actually think. Not that it mattered too much, for as soon as the first traces of logic had begun to enter his mind, the room's light shut off, and darkness consumed the hold. He looked up, and in the doorway was a large figure. Its hand was on the lightswitch. Another soft click, and the lights came back on, revealing nothing. Sunstreaker stared, body rigid as he watched the doorway.

Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.

Every time the lights went out, the figure appeared again, and every time they were on, there was nothing there. Sunny grabbed his head, and shook it. "STOP IT." He shouted, unsure of whether it was towards the figure or his own mind. It was becoming frustrating to have these stupid dreams, these visions that were nothing more than a product of being awake for too long, fighting in the war for so long, or just putting up with stress for a constant stream of time. He begged in his mind to just make it stop, to make it go away. He even muttered to himself he'd shut down just for the sake of making it go away, but shook that thought away instantly when he realized how selfish it was.

Click.
The lights were off again. This time, Sunstreaker's barriers were shot, and he bolted from the bed, standing up and assuming a combat position, fists raised to punch at whatever was at the door. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" He screamed as he flew at the doorway. A soft click echoed as the lights came back on, and he froze in midstep, optics wide.

I want you to die.
Sideswipe banged on the door furiously, and finally, it slid open. He stopped in midswing, almost striking Ratchet in the face. The medic glared daggers at the brother. He hadn't had a good night to begin with, what with having to patch up seven Autobots in the time that was reserved for another plan. He was frustrated, aggravated, and above all, angry that such events took place today. Seeing Sideswipe, his most common patient standing before him, his fist inches from his head didn't improve matters.

"What." The word sliced through the air so thickly that Sideswipe pondered just running back the way he came. But he kept a straight face, and took a breath.
"Sunstreaker." His voice caught for a moment, his mind racing to figure out what exactly to say. If he said he heard the voices too, Ratchet would think the both of them were insane. The older mech continued to glare at him.
"What." He repeated.
"Night terrors." The younger said. This time, Ratchet's expression softened, and he slammed the door in Sideswipe's face. Sideswipe stood there, listening to the rustling and clinking going on behind the door. Seconds later, it opened again, and Ratchet exited with a box of tools in his hand. Sideswipe moved aside to let the cranky medic through, and walked at a safe distance as the two made their way silently back down to the twins' room.

When the two arrived, the door was shut, and it was silent on the other side. Ratchet felt like blowing a gasket if this was one of Sideswipe's tricks, but he'd experienced Sunstreaker's condition too many times lately to have this be one of Sides' antics. He paused at the door, and tapped on it gently. Sideswipe looked over his shoulder down the hall. He could of sworn someone had said something. "Sides. Now." Sideswipe shook his head, and looked at Ratchet, who pointed to the number pad beside the door. He nodded and the lamborgini quickly tapped the code in, and the door slid open.

Nevermind the noise you heard...
Sideswipe panicked, throwing his fist up over his shoulder. The voice was too close to have trouble hitting its owner. Ratchet gazed at Sideswipe curiously, and the brother looked over his shoulder. Nothing. He glanced down both ways, and nothing. The hallway lights were as dim as usual, and there was no sounds of footsteps other than his own as he pivoted. Ratchet stepped into the room and switched the lights on. In an instant, he backed out and grabbed Sideswipe's shoulder, spinning the bot around away from the room. "Go wake up First Aid,"
"Why?" He tried to turn, but Ratchet kept a strong hold on him, digging his elbow into the other's back.
"Just do it. I want to make sure my diagnostics are correct when I do this." Sideswipe stepped forward, and Ratchet released his grip. He kept himself in the doorway, not allowing Sideswipe any access, and turned only when Sides started to head down the hall. He looked at the room, and shot around when he felt Sides' presence. " Sideswipe, NO!" He shouted. The twin stood there, his mouth slightly ajar. His whole body was rigid as his optics seemed to get wider with every long minute. He wasn't breathing, and from the expression, Ratchet didn't believe he was thinking.

"Su---" He choked, and flung himself to the floor. Ratchet kneeled down and grabbed a hold of him, looking up. Across the room, Sunstreaker's body was slack against the wall, his arms outward, as if making a cross, the large nails the only thing supporting him as they were jammed into his wrists. His head lay on the ground, face away from them, and the name "Dead End" was engraved deeply in the back of one of the headfins.